Discover the joy of cycling like a pro!
The new Velorium Outdoor Sports & Bike Park in De Heeg wants to teach everyone in Maastricht to ride a bike and enjoy their newly acquired skill. The new Bike Park aims, above all, to encourage a diversity of people to hop on their bicycles – or simply use them more often – and get some exercise in the open air. Driving force behind the initiative and genuine cycling pro Sjef Eijmael is happy to provide more information about Velorium.
‘We’ve set ourselves the goal of ensuring that as many people as possible find inspiration for a healthier life at our bike park, whether they’re children attending an after-school daycare centre or primary or secondary schools, young people (some of whom may be in care institutions), elderly persons who need to become better acquainted with their e-bike, immigrants, expats, or international students. Our objective is to teach them all how much fun it is to ride a bike!’
Keep cycling
‘Velorium is a platform for initiatives in exercise and well-being’, continues Sjef. ‘Cycling is a powerful instrument in this. This is where the name for our new Bike Park, Velorium, came from. We want to encourage children and young people to hop on their bikes and get some exercise outdoors, so that they’ll discover the joy of cycling and continue to use their bicycles for the rest of their lives. To seek adventure together in a natural setting, instead of sitting indoors glued to a computer screen.’ The foundation also uses cycling lessons and other outdoor activities to bring individuals or groups from different backgrounds together, and to promote their integration into our society and social empowerment.
Social goals
‘The primary objective of our bike park is to achieve social goals through all these outdoor activities. These goals include the ability to participate safely in traffic, the development of motor and social skills, increasing your chances on the labour market, personal growth and independence, and progressing to sports at a higher level. We already do this in part for asylum seekers (through the Municipality, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers [COA], and Humanitas) and for children, through cycling skills classes for children at after-school daycare centres and primary schools, through the “Learn to cycle like a pro” course, and through mountain biking classes for children, young adults, and parents. There’s even a special “mummy programme” for mothers who want to cycle with their children.’
Check it out!
There are more than enough challenges to overcome at the new bicycle park in De Heeg! Want to see if you can succeed in a bike challenge? The new Velorium Outdoor Sports & Bike Park has been located on Maastrichterweg 7 in De Heeg starting in July. If you want more information, check out the website www.velorium.nl.
