We work with a young and passionate team and we all love cycling. Whether on a road bike, MTB, gravel bike or fixie. Kaptein’s team members introduce themselves below.
Which bikes are there in your shed?
A Specialized Roubaix from 2018.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
Not as much as I would like, about 2,500 kilometer.
What is your favourite discipline?
Road cycling.
What is your most epic ride?
A good part of the Amstel Gold Race.
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
With Marc Hirschi in the 9th stage of the Tour in 2020. Going too fast too early ;-).
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, if you like cycling, a visit to Kaptein is like a visit to a candy store. There is a reason that people love to come over. The enthusiasm and that shared passion for the sport make it great fun to work in the store!
Which bikes are there in your shed?
An S-Works Venge road bike, S-Works Allez aluminum road bike, Specialized Epic MTB, Specialized CruX crosser (which I usually use as a gravel bike), a Schindelhauer Gustav city bike and my old school steel Concorde fixie.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
About 6000 kilometers.
What is your favourite discipline?
I like mountain and gravel biking most because you feel more at one with nature and it all depends on yourself.
What is your most epic ride?
A day on the mountain bike in Morocco where I had to reach the end of the stage of that day with food poisoning and fever.
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
To Daniel Oss. A tall Italian who can put you in the lead for a long time.
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
That there is nothing more fun than to be active in your own hobby and to convey this passion to our customers gives me a lot of energy. The positive feedback I get from people I have measured during a bikefitting makes me happy.
Which bikes are there in your shed?
A Specialized Allez Sprint disc road bike, S-Works Epic MTB and a Gazelle Primeur city bike.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
Between 4000 and 5000 kilometers.
What is your favourite discipline?
MTB cross country.
What is your most epic ride?
The Grand Raid Cristalp (147 km / 4600 hm) on the MTB.
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
To Peter Sagan, just like me a wizard on the bike with a stunning final sprint.
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
Sharing knowledge and passion!
Which bikes are there in your shed?
A Specialized Allez Sprint racing bike, Kona Rove DL gravel road bike and a Niner Air 9 MTB.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
Between 8000 and 10000.
What is your favourite discipline?
I like MTB and gravel riding the most, because this involves more technique and you can really get into a flow. After having cycled yourself, on the couch watching a tough mountain stage while enjoying a beer isn’t that also a nice discipline?
What is your most epic ride?
La Marmotte (174 km / 5000 hm).
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
To Philippe Gilbert, an attacking rider with an iron will and discipline who can turn setback into success.
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
Working together with colleagues who share the same interest and passion and communicate this to our customers.
Which bikes are there in your shed?
Well shed …. in my case they’re in the hallway: a KTM Strada 3000 (my first road bike still serving as a winter and bad weather bike), a Cervélo SLC-SR road bike and my newest addition a Specialized Allez Sprint disc road bike.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
After having become a father a little less, roughly 3500 kilometers.
What is your favourite discipline?
Watching the queen stages at large rounds. Doing myself actually the same 🙂
What is your most epic ride?
The Alpine license in Switzerland (275 km / 7100 hm) and a solo tour of the IJsselmeer.
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
Georg Totschnig, the Austrian mountain specialist who won a Tour stage in 2005. Georg was a good all-rounder, funny most of the time and a good team captain.
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
The smile on the face of the customer when the bike looks like new again after a service.
Which bikes are there in your shed?
A Principia Rex Ellipse Project road bike, a Scott Expert Racing MTB, a Kona Jake the Snake all-rounder, a De Wafel (old school steel) and finally a Hopmans Scorpione (steel single speed).
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
About 5000 kilometers.
What is your favourite discipline?
Time trialling and climbing.
What is your most epic ride?
Cycling to Moscow on a highway in Russia (M145).
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
To Tom Dumoulin: the same qualities.
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
To convey the love for cycling.
Which bikes are there in your shed?
A mountain bike with sentimental value. My first Fixie, a steel shogun frame converted with flipped ground dropbars like a bullhorn. An old BMX racer (brand I don’t know). And finally my current daily transport, a Santafixie Raval.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
About 3000 kilometers.
What is your favourite discipline?
Fixed gear.
What is your most epic ride?
My first Alley Cat race.
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
Scotty Cranmer (freestyle BMX) because I couldn’t imagine an accident that would prevent me from getting back on my bike.
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
Working on very cool bikes.
Which bikes are there in your shed?
A Specialized CruX Cyclocross bike, Specialized Chisel MTB and a Curve Belgium Titanium road bike.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
About 10000 kilometers.
What is your favourite discipline?
Everything what involves cycling! Racing on Sloten, with the City Slickers on Tuesday evening, mountain biking and gravelling on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and of course cross! I love bikepacking and can’t wait for my next trip. Then you are in nature and it comes more to yourself.
What is your most epic ride?
When I became national road champion in South Africa in 2010. It was the perfect day. I was in an early breakaway of 190 kilometers. We stayed away and I rode to the finish with 3 guys and won the sprint!
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
With Philippe Gilbert, a smart rider who always rides at the front of the race and makes the winning move at the right time. He is a reliable teammate who keeps fighting to the end.
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
To make everyone enthusiastic about cycling, just like me. And by putting our customers better on a bike with the Retül fits that I do. Of course also to be the first to see the latest stuff!
Which bikes are there in your shed?
In my shed is a Sensa Umbria racing bike. My first bike that is still loyal to me.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
I cycle around 3000 kilometers a year.
What is your favourite discipline?
Although I don’t have a mountain bike, this is my favorite discipline. You are really free on a mountain bike and that makes it more adventurous than cycling on the road.
What is your most epic ride?
On a poorly maintained MTB cycling through the nature of Laos.
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
I would compare myself to Bauke Mollema. A climber and general classification cyclist with a nice personality.
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
Sharing my hobby with customers from all over the world.
Which bikes are there in your shed?
A Specialized Turbo e-bike and a Salsa Raza steel road bike.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
About 500 kilometers.
What is your favourite discipline?
With an old school road bike cycling on country roads.
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
The diversity and the customers you deal with.
Which bikes are there in your shed?
To the great amusement of my housemates, I have the storage room full of bicycles. First of all my loyal Giovanni Aero. A custom racing bike that I designed and upgraded to perfection over the years. There is also a Niner Air 9 RDO mountain bike for in the woods, and a VanMoof Smart S as a daily city bike.
How many kilometers do you approximately cycle per year?
Approximately 7000 km per year.
What is your favourite discipline?
Riding very fast and making others suffer. But also, I can certainly enjoy a nice gravel ride.
What is your most epic ride?
That is without a doubt the Styrkeprøven. 543km, from Trondheim to Oslo in one go. Combine that with hours of rain, and a temperature around freezing, and there you have your epic ride.
Which professional cyclist would you compare yourself to and why?
Niki Terpstra: When it gets really heavy, just bite your teeth and go for it!
What do you like most about working in a bicycle shop?
I really like special bikes and bikeparts, and if there is a place in Amsterdam where they have things like that, it´s at Kaptein. If I can transfer that passion to customers in the shop, you make me a happy man.