Stichting Vrienden op de Fiets, the Dutch Foundation for Cycle Friends, offers a network of guest addresses for sports enthusiasts to facilitate welcoming and inexpensive overnight accommodation during biking and hiking trips. The Stichting Vrienden op de Fiets is a non-profit foundation.
The foundation aims to offer all bikers and hikers the possibility to undertake multi-day trips, stimulate chance encounters between like-minded people and contribute to the growth of sustainable tourism.
Vrienden op de Fiets is works with partner organisations that share our ideas and goals. Interested in our annual report? Request a copy here.
It all started at the kitchen table
Vrienden op de Fiets began in 1984, at Nel de Blécourt's kitchen table. Nel and her husband Hijbo made Vrienden op de Fiets a Dutch household name. In the subsequent years, the network developed into a foundation with tens of thousands of Friends and almost six thousand Dutch and international guest addresses.
In 2003, the couple stopped working for the foundation and their children continued their work. Since 2011, the work is carried out by a small team under the supervision of an independent Board.