Laurens: Bike 2 Unite
The name Bike 2 Unite that this KLABU supporter goes by says it all. Meet Laurens, our 2-wheeled mega-fundraiser!
Legs pumping in KLABU colours, and with an orange KLABU ball on the back of his bike, Laurens has put in many thousands of kilometres for the refugee cause.
A great supporter of KLABU, Laurens has fundraised to power sports clubs in refugee camps multiple times now, so it was about time he got his moment in the sun! To date he has single-handedly raised over 8000 Euros for KLABU, including over 2000 this last time he rode for the Ter Apel Spirit clubhouse, double his original goal! Laurens is basically a mega-human, and he wasn’t even really a keen cyclist before he began…
A football has travelled with Laurens every kilometre
The final recipient of the football in Norway
It actually all began with a ‘futevolei’ ball, gifted by Brazilian friends to Laurens, saying: “Everywhere you go, bring this ball and you will meet great people in your life.”
Laurens vouches for the truth of that. Over 114 days on the bike from Amsterdam to Qatar for the World Cup in 2022, and 20 days from Amsterdam to Oslo via Euro 2024 in Germany, each pedal stroke and kick of Laurens’ football have introduced him to new worlds and communities, while also helping KLABU spread the power of sport along his journeys.
"I raise funds for KLABU because I truly believe people connect when they are playing sports together. Therefore I cycled through all these countries with a football in my bag. It’s great to see the uniting power of one simple football."
A cyber security entrepreneur by day, Laurens really radiates an unbeatable sporting spirit to make these huge journeys.
And this spirit and the sporting story has attracted TV, radio and newspaper coverage, many times while on the road. Perhaps people think Laurens is mad (he himself says he thinks he might be sometimes!), but he loves challenge, adventure and the transformations to life those can bring. He reminds us of a quote that he keeps in his mind from someone: “We don’t stop playing because we are getting old. We are getting old because we stop playing”.
That’s a great reminder to us all what sport can do for lives, perfectly matching why KLABU builds sports clubs in refugee camps around the world, offering joy, relief and pride to people as they go about building new and hopefully better lives away from their homes. Laurens’ previous fundraising effort to Qatar has been powering that work for a long time already.
"I hope that one day all people in the world have access to sport items. It’s amazing to see that KLABU facilitates this to thousands of people across the world that live far away from their family and friends under very difficult circumstances. Bringing sports and support has such a big and positive impact there."
So thanks to Laurens’ strong legs and his huge heart, now the Ter Apel clubhouse is getting new wheels.
Over 2000 Euros means that children’s bicycles can be added to the sports library at Ter Apel, so that the unaccompanied minors there can have more equipment to enjoy amongst the balls, shoes, rollerblades and more that clubhouse manager Koen loans out on a weekly basis. They will be another great way to get the kids out of their dorms there in Ter Apel, active and socialising. Laurens visited to test if people enjoyed cycling, and he believes it also helps the kids to understand this part of Dutch culture better, and hopefully go on to integrate well in their new country.
Discover Ter Apel Spirit
Footballing with Turkish villagers
Cycling to Swedish beaches
Turning saltflats into football pitches
Making friends worldwide
And having his life changed by sport
Laurens joined the KLABU to unite newcomers and locals through sports. Do you also want to play for something bigger and help build a better future for refugees?
From joining the KLABU by simply choosing a shirt to doing something more active (or crazy!) in one, we can’t wait to see who our newest supporters are! And who knows, we might feature you in a social media or website story one day too, as together we build the cross-border sports club that will never be full.
