Carlo Colpaert (almost 59) from Goes likes to go on long bike rides. Not in a strict schedule, but with room to deviate from his plan along the way. “I set off with a rough route in my head and navigation app,” he says. “But in the morning I never know where I will sleep that night. That gives me a sense of freedom. Sometimes I cycle eighty kilometers, sometimes a hundred. It depends on the landscape, the weather and how I feel.”
One of his most beautiful journeys began at his home in Goes. He first followed the Scheldt to its source in Northern France. Then cycled via Paris along the Seine, because he wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. And finally followed the Rhône to the Mediterranean Sea. “On the last evening I was faced with a huge thunderstorm,” says Carlo. “My tent was in an awkward place and my mat became a kind of island. When I arrived at the Mediterranean Sea the next day I wanted to take a dip right away. That had been my plan the entire trip. But swimming was forbidden: the rain had washed waste into the water. So first coffee and a croissant, and then I was able to take that refreshing dip a long way further on.”
Cycling to Tour for Life
For several years now, Carlo has also been cycling to the annual sporting event Tour for Life, a sponsored tour for the Daniel den Hoed clinic. The participants of that tour ride in eight or four stages from France to the Netherlands. Carlo is a volunteer in the massage team and cycles there via a self-chosen route through France and surrounding countries. “The first time I went by car”, he says, “but after that I wanted to do it by bike. Sometimes even the route of the tour itself, only then in the opposite direction and at my own pace. I then spend several days on a stage.” He camps along the way, sometimes on a campsite, sometimes wild. “It is not allowed, but so far I have never had any problems with it. I also sometimes ask on a farm if I can pitch my tent somewhere. And last year I once stood under the canopy of a football clubhouse.”
The charm of his travels lies in the freedom, but Carlo is not a daredevil. “I make sure I am clearly visible, since last year I wear a bright yellow helmet. And I prepare myself technically well. My bike is equipped with sturdy panniers, my belongings are packed in waterproof bags, and I always take several power banks and a spare phone with me. My phone is my most important tool: my navigation is on it.”
Rotiers line
Carlo's vision is about 10%. He saw poorly as a child, but that was only noticed at a later age. "I sat at the front of the class and couldn't read the board. But I didn't dare ask for help," he says. He was shy and didn't want to stand out. It wasn't until he was seven that he first visited an ophthalmologist. ADOA turned out to be in the family through his mother's family, the Rotiers line. His mother was a carrier, as was her father. Carlo in turn passed it on to his daughter. His two sons do not have it. "I don't see it as a disease," he says, "I was just born with it."
Carlo worked in ICT for years. “In the beginning I found my own solutions, used magnification software that required me to zoom in further and further. At one point it became too much. I didn’t want to admit that I couldn’t do it anymore. That led to a severe depression/burn out. Eventually I went to the Loo-erf, a rehabilitation center for people with a visual impairment. A reintegration program failed and a complete rejection followed. That was a turning point. That’s when I learned to be more open about my disability.”
After his ICT career, Carlo followed a sports massage course, specifically for people with a visual impairment. “I worked at the Four Days Marches in Nijmegen and at all kinds of sporting events. My practice is currently closed. I have moved and want to set up a practice space in my new house.” However, he is not bored. He is active as a volunteer, including at the Luisterlijn and as a neighborhood mediator. He also organizes an Eye Café in Zeeland and has started a goalball team. “All in all, that is a big part-time job. I receive benefits, but I want to contribute to society. That gives my life meaning.”
Cycling holiday with an eye for comfort
Carlo's bike rides are a bit Spartan. "I choose lightweight gear, but with some comfort. A two-person tent, for example, which gives you a bit more space. And if everything is wet from the rain, I look for a cheap hotel." His meals are also well thought out: "At lunchtime I sometimes eat a hot meal in a restaurant, so I don't have to cook on my gas burner in the evening."
Carlo travels alone, but rarely feels lonely. “I meet a lot of people on the way. And through my earphones I can hear my navigation without having to stop all the time. That gives me peace.” He would still like to go to Scandinavia, perhaps once by bike bus, and does not even rule out a flight. However, for the time being he prefers to stay close to home: “There is already so much beauty to see in Europe.”
