I was born in The Netherlands in 1979 and studied in Maastricht and The Hague to become a translator in English and Dutch. However, after a solo cross-country ride on my bicycle from Florida to California in 2006, I decided to become a full-time bicycle mechanic instead. I wrote and published a book about the trip and now I'm editing the English translation. Every year I go back to the USA to pursue my dream: ride my bicycle through all 50 States.