Carlo is a marketer through and through, gained a lot of experience as a publisher in the Netherlands and abroad. As a participant with the Bikewriters in Tour for Life, he thought: top event but that's what cyclists who aren't riding for a good cause want too.

Not much later, he contacted Bert Cocu from Moev and the first event 'The Ride' became a reality. Carlo and Bert together established the International Cycling Foundation, under which events like The Ride, The Ride Pyrenees, The Ride Dolomites, The Ride Gravel, LtD Gravel Fest, LtD Gravel Raid, Flanders Gravel, and Meewind Koers were organized. An impressive list and what's particularly notable is the share of gravel events.

“Yes, that's right, we quickly realized that gravel riding has a future in cycling. We got in touch with Laurens ten Dam and came up with LtD Gravel Raid. A weekend full of gravel fun, good food, drinks, and entertainment. A completely different experience of cycling. Not that serious attitude cyclists can have, but just having fun. It actually caught on immediately. Besides early adopters, cyclists also joined in who were looking for more freedom, nature, and less traffic. And my role is different there too. At The Rides, I am mainly the 'Race Director' and quite visible to the participants on the road and during the evening program.

My daily task prior to the events mainly involves initiating and guiding the various events. I am responsible for the marketing strategy together with the marketers from Moev and also for recruiting and engaging with sponsors. Because without sponsors, it's not possible to organize our beautiful events."