Welcome to 2021 by Bike Labyrinth CEO Ella Keijzer

At the time of writing, we were in the middle of a lockdown and a pandemic. The pandemic started last year in Southeast Asia, one of our major markets that locked down in the early 2020s. Not too long after, the virus hit Europe, and we were also faced with all kinds of measures here in the Netherlands to halt the spread of the virus wherever possible. We witnessed the stress our health care facilities were under, the shortage of protective materials, and the dedication with which health care workers worked to make life for residents and patients as agreeable as possible. Some of our clients had so much on their plates that they canceled their appointments with us and froze their budgets. In other facilities, ones not yet struck by COVID-19 but that had to comply with the new health and safety measures, they were only too eager to acquire a Bike Labyrinth or assistance that would make their residents’ lives more bearable. There was and is a tremendous strain on the health care sector, and we hope that Bike Labyrinth can and will make that burden a little lighter. As always, we’ll continue pulling out all the stops to deliver as quickly and as coronaproof as possible so that your clients can unwind and recharge with Bike Labyrinth's routes and games.

I'm writing this article from home during the lockdown and pandemic. These days, remote work and schooling are the new normal in the Netherlands, that is ... unless you’re part of an essential sector, which you – dear reader – probably are. At Bike Labyrinth, we work from home wherever possible, which brings me, somewhat nostalgically, to our early years (if I bike the Bike Labyrinth Route from the start). It's been almost ten years since my partner Job and I headed to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce to register as a company. While we spent the first five years doing business from our proverbial attic room (And I always have to ask myself, “what start-up entrepreneur can afford a house with a room in the attic?”), we've had five great office units at BINK36 in The Hague for a year now. And we currently work with around twenty people on a successful product and company. Not only are there more of us, but we've also become more professional on several different fronts. Our domestic and international service run smoothly and professionally; we have a range of global routes, and our developers have created a simple, wonderful, and ready-to-use product that many health care and care professionals see and use as an effective, user-friendly solution.

We plan to bump up our speed a little in 2021, continuing down the same route. After all, our loyal cyclists already know the truth – pedaling faster speeds up the show. In the short term, that means a hundred new routes and a solid software update. Some of the borders that are currently closed will open up to Bike Labyrinth Unlimited users, allowing them to explore new global locations. Our new routes include the long-awaited and highly prized Turkey, a bird's-eye view of the Dolomites, historic Greece, and Canada's gorgeous green stretches. We'll tell you more about the software update later. But I can already reveal that we've got an excellent promotion in store for the launch. Have you been enjoying our social media yet? And do you really appreciate our manual? Those, along with our other information channels, e.g., the website, our newsletter, and so much more, will be even more fun and – especially – even better looking in the coming year. That’s right! Our business is getting the rebranding and corporate identity update it deserves. But don’t worry... The look will stay familiar; it’s just that, like us, it needs to evolve as the company matures. You'll be seeing and hearing more from us. We plan to give you more tips on how to use Bike Labyrinth, and we can’t wait to hear about you and your Bike Labyrinth adventures too! Follow us, read us, and message us. We'll follow you, read you, and message you back.

Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

Ella Keijzer