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Video 6:16
Will Harm get infected with the bike-virus?
After Harm has put on Red Cross clothing, the bike-training starts at the district office in Drenthe. The bikers, rescuers on bicycles, start with a check of the mountain bikes. Brakes, gears, everything has to be right. Only when the control is safe can the bikers set off. Harm gets a short explanation about the bike and then experienced bikers Bas, Alwin, Pascalle, Jade and Charno take it to the Baggelhuizerplassen. The training and hard work can begin.
Nadat Harm zich in Rode Kruis-kleding heeft gehesen, start de bike-training op het districtskantoor in Drenthe. De bikers, hulpverleners op de fiets, beginnen met een controle van de mountainbikes. Remmen, versnellingen, alles moet kloppen. Pas als de controle veilig is, kunnen de bikers op pad. Harm krijgt een korte uitleg over de bike en daarna nemen ervaren bikers Bas, Alwin, Pascalle, Jade en Charno hem mee naar de Baggelhuizerplassen. De training en het harde werken kan beginnen.
Bike control | On the way to the Baggelhuizerplassen
The training
After about ten minutes of cycling from the district office to the Baggelhuizerplassen, the bikers arrive. Bike-instructor Bas gives the bikers various exercises on an open field. Among other things, the bikers learn how to brake correctly and how to use their gears. This is all done on dirt roads. A wooded hill is not left out either.
AED also comes with you
Bike-team coordinator Alwin explains to Harm exactly what the team does. "The bike-team provides first aid on the bike. Mainly during events. Drenthe has large nature reserves and many cycling events. The event site is often in nature and large, sometimes up to 200 kilometers. You can't get there quickly by car." A biker can provide a complete first aid treatment. Alwin: "We have an AED with us and a complete event bag. From bandages to small plasters, it's all there."
Bike-virus
The enthusiasm can be seen on the faces of the bikers. Jade: "I love biking, at least you can lose energy and get to places faster." Harm wonders if he also enjoys biking at the end of the day. Pascalle thinks so: "It's a virus, if you're infected with biking you can't really get rid of it."
Harm asks Pascalle why she is part of the bike-team, to which Pascalle replies: "I want to be able to deploy myself broadly during events. At big events, which I like to attend, it's 'action' as a biker. You see much more of the event and are much more actively present. In addition, you are more beautiful in sight of the audience. I've run bets where I've cycled fifty kilometers in a day."
The bike-training is over, so it's time to clean the bikes. The training ends with a well-deserved cup of coffee. Finally, Harm admits that he has also been infected with the bike-virus: "Biking is just a lot of fun and important for the Red Cross."
Jade:
“I love biking, it allows you to release your energy.”
