Through the region where Robben's talent matured

The whole world is watching the Dutch team's performance at the World Cup in Brazil with admiration. On Sunday, the next hurdle awaits: Mexico. All eyes will be on Arjen Robben, the lightning bolt from Bedum who leaves every defender in his wake. In the match against Spain, Robben even outpaced defender Sergio Ramos at 37 kilometers per hour, a speed the average recreational cyclist doesn't even reach. And you don't have to, because this loop through and around Bedum allows you to leisurely explore the area where Robben grew up. This route starts in Bedum at the Boterdiep, a seventeenth-century canal named after the transport of dairy products. You'll soon find yourself cycling through the typical Groningen polder: a landscape crisscrossed with waterways, consisting of meadows, fields, and beautiful vistas. In villages with names like Sauwerd, Wetsinge, and Westerwijtwerd, you'll see many examples of characteristic Groningen houses. Onderdendam even has a protected village view. In this region, humans have battled the sea for centuries. Windmills were used to reclaim land: De Palen near Westerwijtwerd is one of the few remaining polder windmills in this area, built in 1876. You'll also pass the Hunsingo (1855) and Zeldenrust (1845) corn mills. Besides its problems, the sea also brought benefits. It left behind heavy clay on the land, known to the people of Groningen as "knuckle clay." This clay proved to be extremely suitable for baking bricks. Several brickworks once stood along the Boterdiep canal; cows now graze the lush grass on the excavated land. Cycle through the Oudezijlsterpolder back to Bedum, the village where Arjen Robben learned to play football. After playing for VV Bedum and FC Groningen, the striker ended up at major clubs like Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. Four years ago, Robben held the World Cup title in South Africa. Then Casillas's big toe prevented Bedum from becoming a pilgrimage site for football fans. Hopefully, this was just a delay...