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** passport ***

DiscoverMore 2015

JJ’s european Harley-DaviD

son t

our

a dream you dream alone is only a dream,a dream you dream together is reality

John lennon

name

John Julian obdam (a.k.a. JJ)

nationality

dutch

Date of Birth

12 march 1981

place of Birth

apeldoorn, the netherlands

Hometown

arnhem, the netherlands

sex

male

riding since

25 march 2004

Contact details

John.obdam@gmail.com+31 6 19 62 64 11

passport · kingdom oF the netherlands

arnhem

my story

Born in apeldoorn, the netherlands, it was not necessarily my destiny to become a rider. it’s a dull town that will never become the city it wants to be. But as fate would have it, there was suddenly a motorcycle shop in the neighborhood. i was just a kid but i couldn’t resist to look through the windows. My mind blew away and within an instance i found myself inside the shop. i walked around, not knowing where to look because it was overwhelming. in thecorner i saw a stairway with a sign that said: Harley-Davidson. i walked up the stairs and saw the most beautiful bikes. sunlight reflected off the chrome and the metallic paint looked like they have captured allthe stars. the overwhelming impression almost popped the eyes out of my head. i instantly felt likeHarley in the movie ‘Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man’ that was on air around that time. oK, not a great score at iMDB, but it was good enough at the time.

Back on topic: since that moment i was sure of one thing… someday i will ride such a bike! When i turned 23 i passed my motorcycle test, got the desired license and started saving for my first bike. in my head i’m still the little kid that looked through the windows of the motorcycle shop but it never came that far. i finished my school and got a job in another part of the country. My main form of trans-port at the time was the train and later on a ‘cage’. Before i knew it i moved to an apartment and there was no room for a bike.in other words, i’m stuck in my cage with an occasional opportunity to break on through to the other side when summer hits in. then i rent (yeah i know) or lend a bike and hit the roads to enjoy the feeling of freedom a motorcycle gives. those roads can be in the netherlands but also in asia like vietnam and indonesia. ‘Motorcycles’ are a common sight over there and they give you a total different perspective to explore the country side. But, my true dream is still a dream i dream alone. you can change my life and let me become a proud Harley-

Davidson riderthat way i can keep that feeling of freedom everlasting. you took the first step of sending the invite and must now take the second one to hire me and offer the possibility to fulfill my dream!

i’M stuCK in My Cage WitH an oCCasional opportunity to BreaK

on tHrougH to tHe otHer siDe

Why me?Why would we need to hire you and not someone else, i hear you think. Well… you don’t need to hire some-body that knows all the bits and pieces of every Harley-Davidson that came to the market. you also don’t want the greatest rider in europe. Why? they’re already your most passionate ‘shouting’ supporters so that is a waste of time. What you’re looking foris somebody that understands the inner fire of Harley-Davidson riders but has less experience. in that wayyou, the company, can connect to everybody and show all the fans and supporters that everyone deserves a chance to fulfill the Harley dream he or she had as a kid. then, and only then will you truly unleash the great power of Harley-Davidson throughout europe.

How to achieve that? in my perspective you can achieve that by pleasing the shouting riders but also focus on the ‘whispering riders’. Whispering riders are people who want to be a great rider but never had the chance to make that desire a reality. pleasing the shouting riders is a simple task since they will automatically tag along the journey hence they are already your biggest supporters. ignite the flame of whispering riders by showing the world that everyone has the chance to enjoy the power of Harley- Davidson. that way you ensure that the freedom Harley-Davidson offers can be a realistic goal for them and generations to come.

i’m convinced that i can connect to shouting and whispering riders alike. i’m currently 34 years of age so i can relate to the ‘oldtimers’, ‘young dogs’ and anyone in between. since i like to travel and meet new people in all the places i visit, the social skills are very good. i have a great interest in peo-ple, other cultures and absolutely love to discover new food. Why is food important? sharing a meal is the best way of getting to know each other and share stories. think of all your special moments and i’m convinced a lot of them involve food.

last but not least i am eager to discover the undis-covered in its broadest sense. riding a bike is so much more than just hitting the road, it’s a complete way of life. if you know what i mean by this story in text , think about the messages i can deliver in real life. Make my dream come true and let me become a great rider while discovering europe and therefore fulfilling my own dream. Be the turning point of my life and share this dream together. if you have any doubts about my riding skills remember a recent tweet from Harley-Davidson: ‘great riders aren’t born, they’re made’. you can just do that!

great riDers aren’t Born, tHey’re MaDe

the dreamin short my ultimate dream is to explore all 53 euro-pean countries like no one has done before by eating at least one traditional dish in all of them. of course it also consists of riding across different countries via thriving cities, coast roads, mountain passes and unseen parts. During my trip i’m eager to connect with new people, learning their values and become a wiser person by absorbing their knowledge and share mine.

Maybe 53 countries is a bit too much so my trip is also a dream coming true if… i can cruise the city of rotterdam and show everybody the most beautiful sights of the netherlands. Drink whisky in de distillery of lagavulin and oban and have some good laughs with new friends. visit the abbey road studios since i’m named after John lennon. ride to land’s end and through the scottish Highlands to absorb all the scenery. enjoy some traditional music in an irish pub. explore the atlantic road in norway. ride through sweden and visit the (for me unknown) countries in eastern europe. visiting the cities of torun, poland and Cesky Krumlov, Czech republic for example.

Maybe riding the transfagarasan Highway, romania or the astonishing coast ride from Dubrovnik, Croatia, to Kotor, Montenegro. of course i must ride along the coasts of italy in search of the best pastas, spain fortheir great tapas, portugal to try the frightening ‘arroz de cabidela’ and France to enjoy a good wine with cheese. and if it’s not enough i’d love to explore the swiss and austrian alpes what are, what i’ve heard, a must for every rider. after that driving back home via germany to enjoy their great meals and hospita-lity. Maybe we can even insert a little twist and let the dreams of followers from blogs and social media come true when we’re on tour… the world needs some unity nowadays and together we can make that possible!

my tour

highlights oF my tour

arnhem · rotterdam · land’s end · abbey road studios, liverpool · scottish highlands · lagavulin and oban · irish pub in dublin · copenhagen · atlantic road in norWay · sWeden · helsinki · torun, polandń · cesky krumlov, czech · transFagarasan highWay in romania · coast ride dubrovnik to kotor · italy · gibraltar, spain · barcelona · portugal · France · mountain passes in sWiss & austrian alps · munich · berlin

coastalroads

vibrantcities

mountainpasses

Food& spices

arnhem · rotterdam · land’s end · abbey road studios, liverpool · scottish highlands · lagavulin and oban · irish pub in dublin · copenhagen · atlantic road in norWay · sWeden · helsinki · torun, polandń · cesky krumlov, czech · transFagarasan highWay in romania · coast ride dubrovnik to kotor · italy · gibraltar, spain · barcelona · portugal · France · mountain passes in sWiss & austrian alps · munich · berlin

harley-davidson

mountain passes

vibrant cities

roadtrip

people

Freedomculture

riding

Food

turning point

nature

empty roads

adventure

coastride

liFe Journey

scenery

JJ’s european Harley-DaviDson tour | JoHn oBDaM | tHe netHerlanDsDiscoverMore 2015