40km
LeisureThrough Twente at an easy pace
For anyone who wants to soak up the atmosphere. Flat, with a long break halfway. An e-bike or a family outing works just as well.
- Who it's for
- Everyone
Erwin wins a stage in the Vuelta a España, 1990.
Sunday 23 May 2027Start and finish in Denekamp
Erwin Nijboer
Ride for Alzheimer
Twelve years a pro. Five Tours de France. And now an opponent who won't be dropped.
Ride 40, 75 or 125 kilometres with Erwin through Twente and raise money for research into young-onset Alzheimer's at Alzheimercentrum Amsterdam UMC.
Find out moreThree distances, one goal
You decide how far you go. Every distance starts and finishes in Denekamp, the village where Erwin grew up, so we all meet again at the end of the day. Erwin rides too.
75km
SportiveAt the pace of the peloton
A solid ride on quiet roads through the Twente countryside, along the river Dinkel and the German border.
- Who it's for
- Regular cyclists
125km
ChallengingA classic, the way Erwin rides it
The long loop over the roads Erwin trained on as a young rider. For anyone who wants to really feel it.
- Who it's for
- Experienced road cyclists
For everyone
Road bike, gravel or e-bike. Not a race, a ride together.
Road bike, gravel or e-bike. Not a race, a ride together.
Support on the road
Feed stations with food and drink on every distance.
Feed stations with food and drink on every distance.
Signposted and GPX
Arrows along the route and a GPX file in your inbox beforehand.
Arrows along the route and a GPX file in your inbox beforehand.
Finish with Erwin
We meet at the finish. The day ends together, over a beer or a cup of coffee.
We meet at the finish. The day ends together, over a beer or a cup of coffee.
Erwin
A domestique who was never dropped. Until now.
Erwin Nijboer (Denekamp, 1964) raced as a professional from 1985 to 1996. Seventeen grand tours, five of them the Tour de France. He won a stage in the Vuelta and the Three Days of De Panne, but he was loved above all as the man who put himself last for others. As Miguel Indurain's super-domestique he rode on the front for Banesto when Indurain won the Tour in 1994.
After his career he stayed close to the bike: in the bike shop, and running cycling trips in the Algarve where Indurain still dropped in. When Erwin began to drift out of conversations and sometimes could not find a simple word, his wife Christel first thought of his hearing, or of old crashes. In 2026 Alzheimercentrum Amsterdam gave the answer: young-onset dementia, at 61. The first opponent he cannot drop. He is getting on the bike anyway. Not for himself, but for whoever comes after him.
“I'll ride for as long as I can.”
- 1985–96
- years as a professional
- 17
- grand tours
- 5×
- Tour de France
- 1990
- stage win in the Vuelta and the Three Days of De Panne
- 10×
- Vuelta a España
- 61
- years old at diagnosis
From the interview with AD, April 2026
“It is, I think, my finest cycling memory. Making it to Paris, finishing on the Champs-Élysées.”Erwin, on the 1994 Tour with Indurain
“He still has the same sense of humour and he is still the same sweet man.”Christel Nijboer
Read the whole story at AD →Peloton
Former pros are riding along
Riders who know Erwin from the peloton are getting on the bike on 23 May too. So you will literally be on the wheel of former professionals. The list is growing; these are the first names.
More names to come
Have you ridden in the peloton yourself and would you like to join? Let us know.
Why we ride
Erwin was diagnosed at an age when life is still in full swing. For him a treatment will come too late, but it does not have to be that way for the next person. That is why every euro from this ride goes through Team Alzheimer to research at Alzheimercentrum Amsterdam UMC.
70%
of all people with dementia have Alzheimer's. It is the most common form, and there is still no cure.
<65
Young-onset Alzheimer's hits people who are still working, still training, still in the middle of life. People like Erwin. Getting a diagnosis often takes years.
1 centre
Alzheimercentrum Amsterdam UMC researches early detection and treatment. Team Alzheimer raises the money for it, with campaigns like this one.
Where your money goes
Your entry fee covers the running of the day. Everything you raise on top of that, through your own fundraising page or a one-off donation, goes straight to research. After the ride we will show exactly what the total came to.
Erwin is riding for someone else. Will you ride too?
Erwin cannot do it alone. Alzheimer's can happen to anyone, including someone you love. By riding or donating you support the research that could give the next diagnosis a different course. Erwin is on the front. Are you coming?
Sign up for 23 May
Choose your distance, set up your own fundraising page and let friends and family sponsor you per kilometre. All of it for research.
Support without pedalling
Not nearby, or no bike? Every donation goes straight to research at Alzheimercentrum Amsterdam UMC.
Become a partner of the ride
Sponsor a feed station, the finish or the yellow jersey itself. Your logo rides along with the peloton.
Get in touch