A cyclist who had set out on a solo cycling journey from the Netherlands to Singapore recently shared on Instagram that she had to halt her travels halfway.
This was due to an “incident” that prompted her to return home just over 10 weeks into her expedition.
Expressing an intention to process what had happened to her, she added that this did not mean she planned to stop cycling entirely.
On 24 Feb this year, Maaike Arts aka @maaike_arts on Instagram began documenting her solo cycling trip from the Netherlands to Singapore.
Her journey took her through countries such as Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Source: @maaike_arts on Instagram
However, on Wednesday (1 May), Maaike unexpectedly announced through a series of Instagram stories that she was cutting short her travels and heading back to the Netherlands.
This decision stemmed from an “incident” that occurred in Serbia.
Despite initially continuing her journey to Istanbul, Maaike ultimately decided to call it quits and head home.
Source: @maaike_arts on Instagram
In her caption, she wrote that she made up her mind not to cycle further to Singapore and go back to The Netherlands, cryptically adding: “Partly because the Serbian police found a suspect and I need to go back to testify.”
Maaike said that she spent one week cycling to Greece before making the decision.
It seemed that an unspecified “incident” in Serbia had prompted her to end her journey prematurely.
Source: @maaike_arts on Instagram
Without delving into specifics, Maaike mentioned that she had not “taken enough time to process what happened” in Serbia.
“I thought I could conquer the world alone,” she said. Alas, it turned out to be “an illusion”.
The cyclist said she had been feeling “really tense” over the past few weeks.
“On quiet roads I’m really suspicious of every car and motor that passes. On every side road I think a stray dog will attack me,” she wrote.
I barely take breaks, because a long break has cost me dearly in Serbia.
In addition, Maaike expressed her desire for a “cycling buddy” to share her journey with.
Maaike went on to admit that stopping her travels halfway felt like a “failure”.
Source: @maaike_arts on Instagram
“But I want to experience the great feeling again I had during the first few weeks,” she said. “And I know I’ll get there. But that’s not here on the road, but with all my loved ones back home.”
She added that this did not mean she was going to stop cycling entirely.
“I don’t rule out getting back on my bike in a month, but we’ll see,” Maaike shared.
“If I inspired just one person to go after their dreams, I feel like I already succeeded. Although it was not the time and place to [fulfil] mine right now.”
In the meantime, she promised to share more of what she had documented during the last part of her trip.
MS News has reached out to Maaike for more information.
Also read: 65-Year-Old Man Cycles Over 9,000km From Australia To S’pore To Raise Funds For Charity
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Featured image adapted from @maaike_arts on Instagram and Instagram.
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