'Sardinian Routes' and a little river in Rotterdam

Ciao! My name is Maarten Dekker. Dutchman, but living in Sardinia since 2020. First in the far southwest of the island and for the past few years in the northwestern corner. Besides my work as a freelance journalist, writer and copy editor, I spend a significant amount of time riding my Scott Addict 30. Earlier this year, I rode my old gravel bike from my Sardinian hometown of Pozzomaggiore to my parents' house in Noordwijk, the Netherlands: a journey of 2,173 kilometers, divided into fifteen stages. Someday I will do that same trick the other way around as well, but via a different route. Obviously via a different route, because for me designing cycling routes is almost as enjoyable as riding them. It often feels a bit like carving a piece of wood into a perfect shape, polishing until everything is exactly as it should be. Oh, and about that name, Rotte Sarde? Firstly it's Italian for 'Sardinian Routes', but it's also a reference to the place where I covered quite a few kilometers on my first proper bike, back in the days: in Rotterdam, along the little river Rotte.