The English explanation of our initiative to draw attention to the tick-bite disease TBE during our bike ride from Swifterbant to Stockholm.

According to estimates by the Dutch Tick Bite Disease Foundation, 1 million people in the Netherlands alone are bitten by a tick every year*. This can make you ill. The most common tick-borne disease in the Netherlands is Lyme. About 2 to 3% of people bitten by a tick develop the disease. Much less well known is tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), also known as tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). This virus can cause inflammation of the brain and the membranes surrounding it. There is currently no treatment for TBE. Our brother and fifth friend Jaap lost the battle against this virus in 2017. Because this should not happen to anyone else, we want to raise awareness of TBE and how to prevent it.

TBE is still rare, but it is becoming more widespread in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. This tick-borne disease is largely unknown to the general public. That has to change. We want to raise awareness of TBE. That is why we cycle from Swifterbant, the village where we grew up, to Stockholm, the city our brother and fifth friend loved so much. The city where he built a life, started a family and eventually lost his life after being bitten by a tick infected with TBE. Our journey starts on August 21, 2022. On September 6, 2022, the day Jaap would have turned 48, we will arrive in Stockholm and we will visit his grave. During our trip, as well as in the months leading up to it, we, The Cycling Friends (Dutch: “De Fietsende Vrienden”), will raise as much awareness as possible about TBE. We will do so by sharing reliable information. We do so in an objective, evidence-based and transparent manner.

We would like to welcome you as a supporter of The Cycling Friends. All you need to do is fill in our Contact Form. If your Dutch is limited, we are happy to help you with the translation of the questions in the contact form:

• Ik word graag fan! Mijn naam is = I would like to become a supporter! My name is:
• Je mag mij benaderen via dit e-mailadres = You can contact me at this email address:
• Hoe wil jij De Fietsende Vrienden als fan steunen? = How would you like to support The Cycling Friends?
• Heb je een vraag over tekenbeetziekten? = Do you have a question about tick-bite diseases?

* Source: Stichting Tekenbeetziekten