8 days until alpe d'huzes

Eight days to go until the Alpe D'Huzes fund raiser. On June 3 almost 3000 cyclist will climb Alpe D'Huez mountain for one or more times. A substantial number of those 3000 will go for six climbs on that one day. This effort is undertaken by these cycling crazies in order to raise as much money as possible for research aiming to inform and improve 'living with cancer'.

The Alpe D'Huzes foundation organises this event. Alpe D'Huzes means something like 'Alpe Six Times' in Dutch. In 2006 the event was organised for the first time on the 6th of June, when the founding fathers of Alpe D'Huzes, Peter Kapitein and Coen van Veenendaal cycled the Alpe six times with a small group of other people dedicated to do some cycling for a great cause. The money raised from 2006 on goes to the Netherlands Cancer Society, to a specific fund for research that fits the Alpe D'Huzes. The money raised so far goes, among other things, to the Alpe D'Huzes Cancer Rehabilitation Project (A-CaRe), to the endowed chair in 'Living with Cancer' , i.e. Professor Irma Verdonck, at the department of Clinical Psychology, and very soon to an endowed chair in nutrition and cancer at the department of Health Sciences at the VU University and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University/VU University Medical Center.

As the director of the EMGO Institute, I participated in the event last year, indeed completing the six climbs; click here for a video impression of my experiences in 2009.

This year the VU University Medical Center participates with 3 teams in the event. Led by our dean, professor Wim Stalman, the VU University Medical Center has formed three teams of cancer researchers. One of the teams is the so-called 'Pro(f)' team, consisting of professors; I am one of their riders, please see my personal participant page. Another is the 'talent team' consisting of PhD students.
Yester day the Pro and Talent teams had a joined training ride, right through the center of the Netherlands, from Overveen in the west, to Papendal, near Arnhem in the east. Coffee and cake were served in Rhenen, in our dean’s back yard, where some team photos were made. Please click here for a short video impression and here for some photos.

The training session showed that we are ready for the event next week.