Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Climbing new heights - Tina De Vits- #Montventoux
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| At the summit of Mont Ventoux, victorious |
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Pedaling Into Possibility
We've all been there or will be there soon enough. We're settled in life, with some money in the bank, kids are maybe grown up and now something seems missing in life. This was the case with my protagonist, Tina De Vits. She wasn’t searching for a life overhaul when she sat chatting with her son one day. Life was good—her sons were grown and preparing to leave home, her work was steady, and she felt content. But she also felt a gentle nudge inside her, a desire to bring a little more spark into her days.
They were casually discussing this urge when her son said, “Mama, what you need is a good challenge.”
Tina smiled, thinking briefly of the logical next step—maybe taking up cello lessons, something she'd always wanted to do. But instead, without hesitation and from absolutely nowhere, she replied:
“You’re right. I’m going to cycle up Mont Ventoux.”
There was no rational link to her life at the time. She wasn’t a cyclist, didn’t own a bike, and had no history of long-distance riding. But somehow, that wild declaration took root. And it set her on a course that would add more color, challenge, and connection to her life than she could’ve ever planned.
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From Jogging to cycling Mont Ventoux: The Power of the Group
Tina was jogging regularly with her local running club in Belgium when she casually mentioned her wild idea to cycle up Mont Ventoux. To her surprise, several members immediately lit up—they’d dreamed of doing it too. Suddenly, her personal challenge became a shared goal. The group of 5, ranging in age from 31 to 77, created an energy and accountability that was deeply motivating.
They stuck together, whether it was while choosing the right bike or waiting for months for it to arrive while keeping the flame burning. Once the bikes arrived, together they learned how to use click pedals (which Tina hilariously struggled with at first, falling over more than once). What could’ve felt isolating became joyful, even during the cold Belgian winter.
They trained together, encouraged each other, and helped fill in each other’s gaps.Together, they joined Sporta, an organization that offered expert training, medical testing, and progressively challenging cycling tours across Belgium. With each ride, camaraderie grew and confidence followed. To build strength and stamina, Tina added spinning classes 3–4 times a week. Over the months, her body grew stronger, her mind sharper. By the time they tackled the steep hills of the Ardennes, six months of focused training had transformed her—physically and mentally.
The Mont Ventoux challenge that happens in France a month before the Tour de France is a big cycling event known to people of Belgium. Many Belgians participate in this annual challenge that's open to the general public. By now, I'm quite impressed by Tina's determination and I probe into when she started running and whether she had always been interested in sports. She says that she was never a competitive or a super sporty person, but she nostalgically remembers running with her sister in the Brussels commune of Jette as a young girl in the forests around the city. She had run some races like the 10 miles of Antwerp or a 10km to 15km run here or there earlier in life.
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2019 : The First Summit
In June 2019, the group traveled to France, buzzing with nerves and anticipation. They had rented a house in Le Barroux near Mont Ventoux, sharing meals, laughs, and the quiet understanding that they were about to do something big—together. On race day, they took on the Sault route—the most approachable of the three ascents. The early stretch, with its steady 5% incline leading up to Chalet Reynard, felt manageable. As Tina paused to refill her water, a spectator offered a knowing smile and called out, “Now the real climb begins.”
And it did. The final 10 kilometers were steep, exposed, and unrelenting. But Tina pressed on, carried not just by her training, but by the energy of the group. They passed one another with cheers and encouragement, lifting each other with every pedal stroke. After 2 hours and 40 minutes, Tina reached the summit—exhausted, elated, and overwhelmed. She thought of her brother Armand, a long-distance runner who had supported her from the start. Pride, joy, and gratitude rushed in all at once.
At the finish, she received a finisher’s medal—a keepsake that became even more meaningful when organizers later announced the end of medals for budget and environmental reasons. That small token now serves as a lasting symbol of her first climb. That night, in Bédoin, the group celebrated at the Sporta party—tired, proud, and deeply connected by the mountain they had conquered side by side and dreaming of tackling the tougher side next year.
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Pandemic Detours and Italian Peaks
Unfortunately in 2020 and 2021 this didn't happen as COVID19 had struck and there was no race. But the team kept the dream going and in 2022 they decided to do the Sellaronda bike day in Italy. They participated with an organization called 'Climbing for Life'. The race included climbing up and down a series of mountains. The group had booked hotel rooms outside the village and as a result Tina felt the group was isolated so they didn't get to enjoy the social part of mixing with the racers for long before and after the race like at Mont Ventoux. The race was also organized in September, so it was much colder making it difficult to party outdoors. Of course the race itself went off well and completing it was a great achievement and it got their group back on track in the literal sense of the term.
Mont Ventoux round Two
In 2023, four years after their first ascent, the group returned to the Ventoux—this time to climb the tougher Malaucène route. It was hotter, much steeper, and far more demanding.
There’s a saying: The first time you tackle Mont Ventoux, you’re crazy—you have no clue what you’re in for. The second time, you’re even crazier—because now you do know. And if you go back for a third time, it’s a passion!
The highlight of the Malaucène trip came later, at the after-party in Bédoin, where Jean-Louis, the oldest of the group at the age of 76, received a huge standing ovation from over 3,000 Sporta attendees after Tina had quietly informed the organizers of his remarkable achievement. It was a deeply moving moment of celebration and respect that none of them would ever forget.
Mont Ventoux – once more
In 2024, Tina suffered an ankle fracture but still participated at the Ventoux race going up the easy side at Sault again. She had a tough climb as she had not had a chance to train beforehand. On this route, there is a monument dedicated to the British cyclist Tom Simpson where he tragically died during the 1967 Tour de France competition. Mont Ventoux is one of the steps of the Tour de France that's held in July each year. Many cyclists pay their respects to the cyclist who died by stopping there for a few moments. Riding past, Tina saw her friend Jean-Louis standing there quietly, grateful and reflective. At 77, his determination to take on such a challenge was deeply inspiring. It was a powerful reminder that there is no age limit to facing something as demanding as Mont Ventoux, and it filled her with admiration for what’s possible when you push your own limits.
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Mont Ventoux – the Craziest Yet
In 2025, Tina and her cycling group returned once more—this time to face the steeper, tougher Malaucène route again. The heat was brutal: 40°C at the base, though mercifully just 27°C at the summit. It was their hardest climb yet—hotter, steeper, and relentless.
What started years ago as a spontaneous challenge had become a personal ritual—one of discipline, grit, and shared joy. The build-up, the training, the anticipation—it had all become part of Tina’s rhythm of life. And now, only one route remains: Bédoin—the legendary final piece of her Ventoux trilogy.
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Another fun biking trip and memories
Tina talks to me about another race called the Ballon d'Alsace cycling climb in the Mountain Ballon d'Alsace or Alsatian Belchen. This is a mountain that is at the border of Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté, all regions in France. This climb was organised by 'Climbing for Life' in 2024. One of her random memories is when she had 3 flat tyres during a practice session at Mont Ventoux and how she reached a small cycling shop in a village called Beaumes-de-Venise where some extremely kind people at the shop helped her free of cost. That's what Tina holds dear as a bonus of the cycling trips. Her interactions with delightful people on her trips.
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More Than a Cyclist
Tina De Vits never set out to reinvent herself. She simply wanted to say yes to life a little more boldly. And in doing so, she found a kind of freedom that only comes when you veer off the logical path and follow a spark. By doing so she became an inspiration for her sons—one took up jogging and the other took up cycling.
At the age of 63 she obtained an A++ graded diploma in Neuroleadership through a hybrid program featuring weekly calls with professors at NYU and Harvard.
Fluent in several languages, she continues to explore new interests with curiosity and determination.
For Tina, the real challenge isn’t about conquering specific activities—it’s about discovering what she’s truly capable of. Knowing she can push her limits while staying gentle with herself, she hopes life continues to treat her well as she keeps exploring and feeling the full strength she has within.
Stay tuned if she inspires you as much as I'm. Feel free to leave her encouragement and suggestions or maybe even a wild challenge in the comments.
A special mention to Tina's closest cycling mates - Wendy De Wever, Jean-Louis D'Hondt, Elke Vandenbroeck and Helga De Smet (non-cycling moral support)
#ventoux #bikelife #mtb
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Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Getting through hardships and shining in their aftermath - car accident - Mr Johan De Vits
We always live life hoping that it's a succession of good events and happy moments. Comfort is present in many of our lives. So, let's face it, the moment there is trouble to deal with or change that is unwanted, we are challenged. When we add injury and severe repercussions from that injury to our lives, then getting back on our feet and on our paths is literally and more so figuratively very difficult. I have a story of my friend Johan De Vits to share with us today.
One cold winter afternoon on 6th of January 2013 , long before I even knew him, Johan was driving home with his 18-month daughter. He was on a side road that had a speed limit of 70km/hr. It was a road that had a solid line drawn in between and only one car could drive in either direction. Everyone sticks to their side of the road. That's what Johan was doing too. Until his daughter who was in her baby seat just behind his seat started crying. He turned around for what may have been a fraction of a second or slightly more and crash! He had driven head on into the car driving at a similar speed from the opposite side. The head on collision was loud and bad. His airbag deployed and he found himself in a car wreck that he knew he caused. He got out of the car and the person in the car behind him turned out to be someone he knew. Someone from the houses around must have already called the emergency services. In the meantime he checked on his daughter and the family in the other car.
On quick inspection the lady in the passenger seat of the other car seemed to be injured and everyone else was just shaken up badly by what had happened. His acquaintance helped him to check on his daughter and get him and everyone else to safety. Soon the ambulances from the nearby district reached and so did the fire department from another area. Both Johan and his daughter were immediately taken inside the paramedic vehicles and examined. Only then had he the time to notice that the part under his right wrist was very badly injured. His daughter who had been in her car seat on impact had a huge black eye as she had been holding a book in her hand when the accident took place. It was very disconcerting to see a toddler with such a large injury on her face. The lady in the other car had shoulder pain. The ambulances wanted to take each victim separately depending on the emergency services they would require to be given. However Johan insisted on staying with his daughter and no one could convince him to send his little daughter off in one ambulance while he went in another. Some discussion ensued between the fire department and the ambulance service, and both Johan and his daughter were then taken to what was deemed to be the best choice in hospitals for the kind of injuries that they both had incurred.
Johan's family reached the hospital sometime later. His partner then was pregnant with their second child and she arrived at the hospital accompanied by her mother. His father arrived shortly after. They knew that the doctors were trying to convince Johan to go to get his operation done asap as he was the one with the worst injuries. He refused and hung around with his family until the doctors told him finally that his daughter was not in danger. Her face had broken just under the eye, but there was nothing that could be done in her case except wait for the injury to heal by itself.
It was only then Johan agreed to be operated on and he says that things moved very fast from that point onwards. The surgeon first put a metal brace into his arm to hold everything together. A part of the brace was placed externally on his arm. He had another operation 3 or 4 days later where more metal was put into his right hand. He spent 2 weeks in hospital with his arm fractured and his right knee slightly affected. His daughter stayed in the hospital for 3-4 days. After he was discharged, the physiotherapy started. The pain was unbearable as the injury had touched several raw nerves with the operation resulting in severe pain for months on end. He asked for stronger medication to cope with the pain. His fingers and hand were swollen and wouldn't move. For the next six months he went back to the hospital at least once a week.
His daughter was all okay, except the black eye that was still present on her face. She went back to daycare a couple of weeks after the accident. Johan was on sick leave for the next 9 months. During this period, he tried to go out once to meet his friends. This was sometime in March. Belgium is very cold during this month and the cold hit his nerves super quick and he quickly came back home. So, for some part of the first months after the accident, life for him was both traumatic and very limited. Seeing his daughter's injured face caused him extreme mental anguish. He couldn't do much with his right arm and hand and had to learn to use his left hand for every task of life. He had to get through daily tasks overcoming the pain in his body, and noticing little to no progress in the mobility of his hand and fingers. Every appointment with the surgeon was a 'when will I notice change and when will I stop having pain?' Every appointment with the physio meant overcoming pain and hoping to see any progress. He found himself putting on weight which was not unusual for he had been a very busy man up until the accident. His job had required him to be physically active the whole day and three times a week he was the trainer for an adult football team. He describes the months post the accident as being very close to what he imagines being depressed must be like. Bleak and stagnant.
After some months, the doctors re-operated on him to remove the arm brace and the metal in his hand. The knowledge that his family had another child coming into their lives soon acted as an impetus to get better. It was only by the end of May that year that there was a change in his condition.. He saw and felt progress. He could finally move his fingers a bit. Mentally, this changed everything for him. He saw that he wouldn't be an invalid all his life and things began to improve faster. Sure he still had pain but it was slightly less. He needed to start driving again as he knew he would need to cater to his growing family and look after his daughter while his partner would be busy with the newborn. Of course this was scary but exciting. When his son was born in the middle of June, he was driving again. At this point Johan felt that changes came at a comet speed into his life. Presenting their new baby to friends and family gave him the opportunity to start socializing once again. He knew now that he was going to be alright as he could see he'd made several steps to getting his life back on track.
In September that year, Johan went back to work. For two weeks, he worked half time and then took on his full time position. His colleagues had thought that he wouldn't be back for a long time and were more than surprised to see him. He had put on a lot of weight and moving about was difficult but he was moving and that's what mattered. Johan had been a football player all his life with regular training and games and two years before the accident he'd had a knee surgery. The doctors back then had said he would never run and that's why he had transitioned to being a trainer for adult footballers. He needed to be in the sport that he was always passionate about and good at. Not training the adults was definitely something he missed and he wanted to get back to that quickly and be good at. He went to meet a dietician and started a new way of eating. His reintegration into the team at work along with the diet, helped him start shedding the excess weight. Although he wasn't at his best, he started training the team again in the same month of September 2013 shortly after starting to work. He started feeling better and getting more confident due to all the activity and the weight loss. One day he decided to buy running shoes that didn't cost too much money in case his knee reacted badly and he started running again. He ran short distances and at a very slow pace. He noticed that the running didn't result in any pain and so he ran some more. By the end of the football season, he played in the team for a couple of matches. This was at the end of football season in April 2014.
When the new football season started in September 2014, now around 30 kilos lighter, Johan stopped being a trainer for the adult team and started playing again in an amateur football team. He was now 36 years old and was the oldest player on board the team. He is still playing now at nearly 46. They train once a week and there is a game every weekend. Johan says the important aspect for him is that he always wanted to be busy whether at work or on the field. He knows that someday he will have to probably stop playing football or move to a veteran's club, but right now he has good fun playing with young men he coached when they were kids. Funnily, he had also played football with many of the fathers of his team mates.
Luckily no one involved in the accident was scarred for life. Johan's daughter is fine and doing well and as far as he knows so is the woman who was hurt in the accident. Looking at him or through dialogue with him, one would never know what he has been through. It was a situation that tested him to the fullest. He still drives and chooses to take the wheel rather than sit in the passenger seat. For me, he's an example of how willpower, necessity and the drive for life and living fully can overcome the biggest hurdles.
Saturday, 19 July 2025
Beyond the broken skull - and Life will go on
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| Rector de Somerplein, Leuven |
Sometimes life tests us and yet protects us at the same time. It makes us go through a difficult moment and at the same time there is a life saver, a beacon of hope or a light at the end of a long tunnel that's been handed to us. One evening I found myself on my couch in a dark room unsure where I was and what had just happened to me. This is the story of that evening.
I had dropped my young girls for a free concert in the middle of the city. Not a fan myself, of this kind of event, I hadn't wanted to allow them to participate either. However, since my elder daughter Satya had got permission from her father to attend the concert, I didn't want to counter his decision. She was not going to be alone as her school friends would join her. In fact, one of her friends would spend the night at our place once the concert got over. My younger daughter Sanaya was also a fan of the star singer, Angel and had begged her sister ceaselessly till she said she could go along with them. So, I dropped both the girls at the concert area. I ensured my daughters both knew which bus they needed to take back and double checked by then that their phone batteries were charged and they could call, in case of a problem.
It was a Saturday and I'd not planned anything else. I came home and watched TV. I guess I dozed off while doing so. Just before falling asleep my phone showed me a message saying that they were waiting for the bus to come back home. I also knew that my elder daughter had her key to the house.
The next thing I knew was that the front door opened and my daughters entered the front room which was dark. Unusual, they thought. I always kept at least one light on in the room while watching TV. They called out "Maman" and I replied, " I have blood on me and a hole in my head!". My younger daughter ran towards me and tried to look at my wound. The friend accompanying them and my elder girl stood frozen at the front door, not yet understanding what had just happened. Estelle, Satya's friend, said " call the emergency number". I think I passed out at some point for a few minutes again. However, I heard sirens and a few minutes later there were two medics in our front room with a foldable wheelchair. Everyone was trying to garner information from me. What had happened?
I was not in any state to give a coherent answer but I tried. I replied that I had fallen asleep and then for some reason remembered crawling from the kitchen floor towards the sofa. I just knew I had hurt my skull. But I didn't know the sequence of the events or how long I was sitting on my couch. The medic mentioned that he was going to poke my finger and then asked if I could stand. I stood up and immediately felt my head spinning and said that I'd rather sit as I was dizzy.
In the meantime I heard Estelle gasp loudly as she had gone into the kitchen to get a glass of water. There was a huge pool of blood on the floor. That's also the moment I realised where I must have hurt myself. She came back into the living area and my daughters said they had called their father and he was on his way home. The medics were doing their work and I was sitting on the wheelchair and they told me that I was going to be taken to the hospital. I had a moment of feeling queasy and the medic asked my daughters to search for a plastic bag as I had just thrown up into the bag that he'd had with him. To this I asked him if he thought I was vomiting a lot. Though they all laughed, I was actually very serious about my question and felt judged. I guess the impact on my head had all sorts of side effects.
Once in the ambulance, I was taken to the hospital and they did a head scan. The doctor in charge arrived next to me in the Emergency Room and repeated the same questions asking me about how I had fallen or hurt myself. He said that I had a huge impact and would need several staples to close the gaping wound. I was suddenly more concerned about the clothes they had found me in. I was happy that that evening I was wearing something nice. I guess I was already feeling better :)
Getting the staples were not as painful as I thought it'd be and I think I had about 12. After a few hours of waiting, I was told that I could go home.
It took me about 24 hrs to remember the whole sequence of events that must have happened. My understanding was that I was sleeping on the couch and I woke up and walked into the kitchen to drink water. I lost consciousness and tripped or fell and hit my head hard on the floor. Then after getting back to my senses I probably crawled till the couch. Some moments after that I must have gone to the washroom as there were blood stains there too. Then I guess I just returned to the couch. All this without a clue that I had hurt myself. When I tried to remember the parts in the kitchen and washroom, it all seemed like a dream sequence.
This incident is one of those that remains strong in my memory. Despite being alone when I got injured, destiny had it that my kids came back in time and called for help. Everything worked out in the end and I was fine.
Saturday, 12 July 2025
Icecream incidents- The King Cone
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| Ixelles, Brussels |
In the nineties, brands were a few in India and any food outside of home food was considered a luxury in our household. My sister however was a hardworking young woman. She was ambitious and also good at studies. She funded her own education by taking up all the teaching jobs she could in her free time. So, obviously, she had cash to spend on herself and on small luxuries too.
It was the time when an ice cream had become 'viral' on national television. It was all over the ads and in the shops around our home. The newly introduced cone ice cream was called 'King Cone'. It was truly the King because it had chocolate pieces sprinkled on the top, both vanilla and chocolate flavours in one cone and none of us had ever eaten such a treat. None of us had till then had access to a cone where you peel off the paper top, rip off the side and have it swirl downwards resembling in some way a dancer's skirt. All this was a new experience that our idiot box conveyed to our hungry, hopeful and greedy minds and eyes.
So imagine the bliss my sister was in when she actually was outside a store having just purchased this marvelous delight. She was with her friend and they both had a Kingcone ice cream in hand. My sister had just about started to enjoy her second bite and was breaking out into a huge smile, when our brother, just younger to her, passed by on his motorbike. Never the one to miss a golden opportunity, he did a quick U turn and was right in front of her and her prized possession. Damn!
Probably he had the money to buy himself a cone himself, but, of course the fun would be to get a free bite off a free ice cream. So our brother pleaded with my sister and she ignored him. She tried to savour the melting delicacy without being affected by him. Obviously this was not an easy task. From tongue to mouth to hand, every movement she made had him implore her for a piece. She was highly frustrated. She asked him to go away, he wouldn't. She asked him to not look, he kept at it. He was her annoying little brother after all.
Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore. When she was nearly at the bottom, with about three or four centimetres of cone remaining, she handed him the cone. In her head, what he was getting was nothing big. She would have preferred to eat that bit too, but he had won. She didn't have it in her to eat it all after all the pleading he had kept at. She was just convincing herself how she had been smart to not give up her ice cream earlier when he, popped the remaining cone into his mouth and crunched into something. She heard the crunch and saw his eyes widen with the happy surprise. He had the tiny bit of solid chocolate which was hidden at the bottom. She didn't know the cone had that in the end and he smiled a big smile like he had won the lottery. He quickly got onto his bike and started to ride away while thanking her. She felt cheated and frustrated. The bite he had taken left a bitter taste in her mouth.
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The Chronicles of the youngest Child - Part 1
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