---
title: "235 kilometres through Friesland on a fixed gear without a bike computer or GPS"
language: en
topics: ["bike", "data", "experiment", "health", "lifestyle", "sport"]
full_article_url: https://willem.com/en/2026-05-27_elfstedentocht-on-feel/
---
# 235 kilometres through Friesland on a fixed gear without a bike computer or GPS

*The feeling turned out to be the richer signal.*

> In May 2026 I rode the Fietselfstedentocht, 235 kilometres and my hottest edition ever, on a fixed gear bike with a mechanical watch, a stamp card and a WHOOP recording quietly in the background. No screen.

Eighteen months earlier I had wondered whether I could ever reach peak performance without data. This ride was the answer. Pace, effort and food came from the body and the road, not from a number on the handlebar.
More data would not have helped. The heat, the wind and the other riders set the terms, and the only useful instrument was paying attention.
At the finish tent, seasoned riders gave me a fist bump for the bike and the pace, with style, they said. That is worth more than any segment.