interesthings #6 - Regrets about life

Hi and welcome to already the 6th interesthings. If you count ‘Things for People’ this is the 9th newsletter. What a trip this has been.

Talking about trips, I am writing this from a square in Teror, Spain. With colleagues I am on a 2-week ‘workation’. Today I took the time to write the newsletter. So I walked to Teror from our villa and ordered some tapas and a cortado. Life is good.

In this interesthings I want to write with you about a bit of my past and the reason I have no regrets in life. Also the relationship with cycling and coffee is explored.

Have fun reading!

- Mark

Cycling - The intersection between cycling and coffee ☕️

People are often surprised to hear that there are coffee shops dedicated to cycling. In the Netherlands we have a lot of these ‘speciality’ shops that cyclists visit. To name a few:

• FiveFiveFive in Rotterdam

• De Proloog in Amerongen

• FixedGearCoffee in Valkenburg

• Le Coffee Ride in the Ardennes

These coffee shops are well known and some even have their own apparel. But how did cycling and specialty coffee become so intertwined?

It all started in the 1960’s when espresso machine maker Fabbrica Apparecchiature Elettromeccaniche e Affini (or FAEMA) started sponsoring a cycling team. This was not just any team, but the team of cycling legend Eddie Merckx. Merckx is one of the all time great (comparable to Pelé in football) and has won a total of 16 Grand Tours (Tour de France, Vuelta and Giro d’ Italia) and 51 monuments. The enormous success of Eddie Merckx built a relationship for cycling and coffee.

This relationship strengthened when the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia created their own cycling team (Café de Colombia) which eventually had the first South-American Grand Tour winner in the name of Luis Herrera. As you might know, cycling in Colombia is enormous with names as Rigoberto Uran, Egan Bernal and Nairo Quintana.

Since then, multiple coffee brands have sponsored cycling teams with Italian manufacturer Segafredo still being the sponsor of the successful Trek-Segafredo cycling team. Professional cycling teams such as Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-Quick-Step also have their own baristas with them on training camps.

Being a cyclist also means that you have long hours on the bike and coffee stops are the ideal way to rest in between. This is why the previously named cycling shops are so successful. Riding a bike and drinking coffee is about enjoying life and relaxing in a world that is constantly ‘on’.

Thoughts - Life without regrets 😇

A few times last months I have had discussions about life. The eventual end for all humans. People often ask: ‘If you died today, would you be disappointed?’. My answer is always: ‘No, I would not be’. And I will explain you why.

When I was little I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, a variant of autism. The psychiatrist at the time told my parents that ‘Mark would never be able to do go to a normal school’. My parents decided at that moment that they would try a normal school for me. They raised me, with my challenges, as a normal child.

In my youth I was always different from other kids. I was not invited to birthdays and was bullied at school. That hurt me as a child. I felt different.

In these years, my parents guided me and supported me with a lot of psychiatrists, coaches, medicine and special classes. I learned what makes me different and unique.

One moment with a coach stands out for me. This was a session with Pieter Frijters. I’ve met him just once, and he changed my life. At the time I was around 15 and really insecure. In groups I was always the outcast and had to prove myself.

In this session Pieter Frijters told me that I needed to stand up for myself, keep my shoulders high and - in difficult situations - keep my tongue to the top of my mouth to stand grounded (I emailed him last year if this was real and he replied that it came from his experience with martial arts).

This session changed my life. I became a unique and strong person. With the right mentality and posture I could overcome all challenges that would come.

Skip forward to 2023. I’ve graduated my bachelors, became a manager at Maatwerk Online and write a newsletter to inspire others. My life started with someone that said that I’d never be normal and became a life that’s unique and full of amazing experiences.

So no, I wouldn’t be disappointed if I died today.

Looking back at my growth and progress makes me grateful for the people and experiences I’ve had. No regrets, just looking forward to beautiful new experiences and people to meet.

Things -

• Google had a press release about their new AI-tool called Bard. In a desperate attempt to compete with Microsoft they rushed the release. They accidentally used a screenshot of a incorrect answer from Bard about the James Webb telescope which resulted in a 10% loss in stock value. Even big companies make mistakes.

• The US has a big history of overthrowing governments in Central-American countries because of banana’s. See this video of Johnny Harris about how to the US stole Central America.

• We went with Maatwerk Online to the sand dunes of Maspalomas. See the pictures below.

Songs - Honor by Hans Zimmer

In my opinion, one of the most underrated series is The Pacific by Steven Spielberg. The Pacific is a follow up on the legendary series Band of Brothers.

The music in The Pacific is beautiful, and the soundtrack has been one of my favorite songs. Composed by Hans Zimmer so you know it is a masterpiece. If there would be one recommendation from me is to watch The Pacific and listen to this song.

Find Honor by Hans Zimmer on Apple Music and Spotify.