Embark on the GCCC Christmas Cruising on Sunday 15 December!
The year is almost over. We can look back on enjoying many domestic and foreign events. But before the year is finally over, we have one more time to get together.
This time it will be a bit different from the usual. After all those kilometres of driving, we have now chosen to sail (well, float actually) on the former flagship of the Holland America Line, SS Rotterdam, moored in Katendrecht, Rotterdam.
On Sunday 29th September, Thijs will take us for a beautiful ride in the area around Soest. Thijs was introduced to GCCC by Peter “Rolls Royce” Tapijt. His love for big and old cars dated from an early age. Watching the programs on (inter)national television, he dreamt of driving one one day.
The first car Van Buuren drove was a Ford Escort, with which he wanted to go to Berlin. The car lasted until Potsdam, where the front started to steam. Shortly afterwards, he was allowed to take over his parents’ car, a Volvo Polar 240 Station, which had driven a neat 500,000 km on the counter and unfortunately, due to a burst tyre, was parked with a pirouette against the crash barrier.
On Sunday 25th August, our GCCC members Paul and Marchel will take the GCCC members to the area around Nijmegen.
The day will start just below Nijmegen in Groesbeek and we’ll soon cross the border to go and have a look at the beautiful houses and natural beauty at our neighbours’. After a wander through the nature reserve called “Düffel-Kellener Altrhein und Flußmarschen” we cross the border back into the Netherlands to admire Ooipolder. Some of you may know this from Bisonbaai, a place to sunbathe and swim along the river Waal.
Eventually we’ll end up below Nijmegen at Mookerheide where Jachtslot Mookerheide will be on our route. This beautiful castle, built in 1904, is owned by Vereniging Natuurmonumenten, which also provides guided tours. The hunting lodge was restored between 2016 to December 2023.
Bad Bentheim Classics 2024
The last weekend of October is here: for the fourth time in a row, the Bad Bentheim Classics will start, co-organized by the GCCC. A fantastic weekend full of automotive, culinary and steamy highlights together with our eastern neighbours.
This year we are counting on at least as many participants as in previous years. Since the number of single rooms in the hotel is limited, it would be great if you, as a single participant, would find a roommate. The hotel has been very accommodating to us in this regard.
When? From October 25 to 27, 2024.
Where? We will be staying in a hotel in Bad Bentheim.
What? The program is as follows:
We always know where the popular and fun GCCC picnic ride ends, but its starting point is an annual surprise. And so again this year.
We gather at 11 a.m., have coffee and cake, a chat, are amazed, and start the route at a well-kept car secret in Bleiswijk, South Holland. There, Bert Roubos, car and in particular Packard enthusiast, has collected a beautiful collection of cars from the stately American brand Packard after a successful career in well-known snacks. Most models are pre-war and strikingly large, strikingly beautiful and – especially for that time – remarkably fast. And all are in tip-top condition.
Just above Amsterdam lies an unexpectedly picturesque area of unprecedented silence, space and beauty.
The Beemster and Schermer polders were already drained in the 17th century and are therefore among the oldest polders in the world.
The Beemster was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.
Sunday, June 30th
On Sunday, June 30th, we will take a beautiful ride along winding country roads, past wide views, through charming towns and along IJsselmeer.
Come and be surprised by this piece of Dutch glory.
On Sunday, May 26th, Buurman & Buurman will organize their first ride: Past perfect tense
This day we will start and finish at a beach bar in Katwijk aan Zee. From 12:00 you will be welcomed there with unlimited coffee/tea and a choice of 3 pastries.
The ride
The ride starts at 1:00 PM, which takes us from the Katwijk boulevard to Noordwijk. We’ll then drive to Valkenburg Airport and visit a small museum founded by Richard’s father in a real communications bunker. Here you can enjoy a cup of coffee and a cookie, while you can read and see about the history of the airport. Or enjoy the weather and the surroundings outside on the grass.
After this break you continue towards Wassenaar and The Hague, and then return to Katwijk.
Around 5:00 PM we will be back in Katwijk for drinks, the awards ceremony and an optional delicious 3-course dinner on the beach!
A weekend in Belgium, that sounds fun. The Belgian Kempen are located in the north not far from the Netherlands. It is a very beautiful region, so we have arranged a weekend in September for you.
We will start on Friday evening, September 20, with the arrival at the hotel at Grobbendonk from 5 p.m. onwards. The hotel has spacious, beautiful rooms. Friday evening will start with dinner at the hotel and before and after that the bar will, of course, be open.
What will the rest of the weekend look like?
Saturday
After breakfast on Saturday we’re leaving for Lier, the location of Abarth Museum. Unfortunately, due to renovations, we cannot view the entire collection, but that should not spoil the fun. That day we can admire the most beautiful specimens (about 150).
After our museum visit lunch will be at a restaurant in Lier. From there we’ll drive to Lichtaert where we will visit Het Eersselshof, a very young wine estate with a guided tour through the vines a taste of all the goodies in the Tasting Room.
Then we’ll drive back to the hotel for Saturday evening dinner, preceded and followed by a nice get-together at the bar.
It has been a while, but now you can really enjoy the first ride of the year organised by Fred and Alexander on Sunday April 7th! Because the weekend at Waterloo, Belgium, in honour of the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s Waterloo, unfortunately did not get off well, there will now be another program. Our apologies for telling you this so late.
From 11 am we w
ill be welcomed at a nice location in Valkenburg (ZH) with coffee/tea and cake.
Where are we going?
The ride will take us through the dune area towards Katwijk aan Zee, past bulb fields, where you can take beautiful pictures of your car among the colourful flowers! When the weather is nice, please be careful when you meet cyclists and other road users, because the roads will be quite busy. Ultimately we will end up at a restaurant in Vogelenzang around 5:30 PM for a drink and a nice chat.
Now that Christmas and New Year’s Eve are behind us, the period for New Year’s
drinks has arrived. The board would like to invite you to the New Year’s drinks 2024.
We will continue this beautiful tradition and raise a glass together on Sunday, January 21, somewhere on the outskirts of Utrecht. This beautiful location welcomes us with a free bar from 4 to 6 p.m. so that we can discuss the past and coming year over a snack and a drink and catch up with each other outside of a ride. We will also give you a glimpse of what we will do together in 2024 and that promises to have a lot in store!
This year the Christmas crib ride takes place in the Peel, originally a swamp and peat area. The raised bog area stretched approximately from Weert in the south to Grave in the north. So during the ride we will pass through both the east of North Brabant and the north of Limburg, traditionally predominantly Catholic, so blessed with the necessary nativity scenes.
Start and finish
This day we start and end at a restaurant in Bakel. From 12 noon we will be welcomed there with coffee/tea and cake.
What will we see?
First we head for the beautiful village of Deurne. And indeed, this is ‘HET DORP’, that Wim Sonneveld sang about, thanks to the lyrics of his life partner Friso
Wiegersma, who came from Deurne. The 1st stop is the St. Willibrordus Church, located on Markt, right in the center. The nativity scene is located inside the church, which is also a national monument. Be sure to take a walk through the center, the old town hall and the market are around the corner and very worthwhile.
On November 26, 2023 we will have a ride in Brussels.
Brussels you say? I know that, don’t I?… Of c
ourse, everyone knows Brussels. The Grand Place, the Stock Exchange, Manneke Pis, the gay scene behind the town hall, the cathedral… All of us have been to Brussels before, for business or pleasure.
But do you really know Brussels? I want you to be surprised by our real city tour with Romanesque buildings, Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, Art Nouveau and Art Deco. And because of the many, many green areas.
Because Brussels is spread over 19 municipalities, each with their own character, each with their own policy and insights into environmental planning, each with their own view on mobility. So don’t be surprised: in one municipality it is “priority from the right” everywhere, 50 meters further in the other municipality there are priority streets and side streets.
You see now that Brussels is a mix of everything and anything.
Where does the ride start?
We start at 11.30 am just outside Brussels in the Flemish Region.
This time there is no coffee and cake, but a Burgundian dessert buffet à volonté (unlimited) with coffee (worth €10.95; included in the participation costs). Of course there will be plenty of time to get to know everyone during this penultimate ride of the year.
At 12.30 we start our engines and will stay in Flanders for a very short time.
Then we will drive into the city. Large avenues, along parks, the 19th century belt, will take you to the highest point of the city: Altitude 100 (100 meters above sea level) crowned with a church. Then we go past ponds, churches and castles back into the Flemish Region to have a brief stop at the Africa Museum in Tervuren. You have plenty of time to visit this museum and admission is €12 (own expense). Or you can simply marvel at the beautiful gardens, which are free. When we drive back into Brussels we pass our kings Philip and Mathilde (literally pass, we are not going to say hello) and the Atomium, which is known to everyone. We will end where we started, and there we can also have a meal.
On Sunday, October 29th, our GCCC members Paul and Marchel will take the GCCC Gentlemen to the Achterhoek region. Ladies, don’t worry, you are also very welcome, of course.
The Achterhoek is characterised by peace and space. Arable farming, livestock farming and forests alternate continuously during this ride. Lots of narrow roads winding through nature and taking us to the most beautiful places. Well, at least, the places that Paul and Marchel have labelled as the most beautiful.
Groenlo
Halfway through the route we pass through Groenlo. This fortified city was founded at the beginning of the 7th century.
Over the years, the name has been written in different ways in books and on maps: “Groenlo”, “Groenloo”, “Groonlo”, “Gronlo”, “Grol”. This last variant is where the popular beer brand Grolsch gets its name from. Grolsch originated in Groenlo. Nowadays one can find another small beer brewery “Brouwersnös” in Groenlo. Just before entering the old centre we pass the tasting room.
This tasting room is a great place for lunch.
On Saturday, September 23, it is time for the Night Ride
again. But as organisers we thought that the title evening ride would be more appropriate this year, the reason being that we would like to slightly increase the number of participants by bringing the time forward.
Salland
The natural surroundings in Salland and the Overijssel Regge valley offer plenty of space and truly are a gem.
We meet at around 3:00 pm at a restaurant in Ommen and when the weather is nice we can, of course, sit outside on the terrace along the river Vecht. A nice quiet place with a view of the river, the (locally) famous hotel De Zon and the bridge that we will cross later. Upon arrival, coffee and a petit four await you and it is time to catch up. Of course, we will explain what the purpose of the ride is.
Sunday August 27th, is not only the day of the Grand Prix at Zandvoort, but it is also the day of a fun GCCC ride The Petit Prix!
The Riff
The theme initially was Land Art in Flevoland, but due to the slightly too large distances between the various objects, we have, instead, found a beautiful route, more suitable in kilometers that passes at least one Land Art object: The Riff, a wonderful piece of land that has been pulled up from the bottom. At least, so it seems.
The route
The route starts near Biddinghuizen at a good restaurant with ample parking space for our dear beauties.
On Sunday 30 July, the familiar but always surprising picnic ride will be on the programme again. The theme this year is La Vie en Rose and we hope that everyone who comes along will give a colourful interpretation of this again.
We have found a great starting point for this edition in Noordwijk.
Normally, this location is not freely accessible to visitors, but we will be welcomed there on July 30 between 11:30 and 13:00 with coffee and tea, cakes and open arms.
The main building, the historic garden and park located on and next to the site, the residential house annex herb drying house, the garden dome and the coach house all have the status of national monuments.
A small but fine number of old and young-timers worth seeing can be found there shining gracefully to us.
This space is covered, so if the weather is bad, the coffee can be drunk dry.
Everyone is welcome in Southeast Groningen on Saturday 24 June!
From 1 pm we will have our traditional coffee and cake at a campsite in Sellingen.
Then the ride , organised by Frank and Herman, starts which will take us past old farms, beautiful nature reserves, and fortress Bourtange (where you can take a break at a nice terrace).
Probably a ‘Terra Incognita’ for many of us! That is why there is no competition this time, but we will tour in a relaxed way using a more extensive route booklet with cultural-historical information.
Afterwards we can catch up during a well-prepared BBQ, ending with an ice cream buffet at the same campsite where we started.
Have you always wondered where petrol actually comes from? Or the electricity for your electric car? And where in Europe that car drove off the boat?
You will see that – and much more – during the ride on Sunday 28 May. The event, organized by Paul, takes us through the Rotterdam port area, via Botlek and Europoort to the most recent land reclamation, Maasvlakte 2.
Right next to this unreal industrial landscape is the island of Voorne-Putte. Also a kind of land reclamation but from centuries ago. We drive over narrow, medieval dikes, through Brielle fortress and through pious villages.
The ride starts and ends at a restaurant in the Oostvoorne area. You can be sure the kitchen brigade can manage the extensive BBQ with buffet. When the weather is nice, the roof opens!
Does this ride sound familiar to you? You are right!, it is a variant of the 2010 October tour. The difference is that 
Maasvlakte 2 has now been completed and is largely in use. And the beautiful beach road, with a view over the North Sea, is now open again. We have now cut off the piece through the endless potato fields of Farm Frites. This time you will not see where your chips come from!
What time does it start?
From 12 o’clock you are welcome for coffee or tea with apple, chocolate or cheesecake. Around 1 pm we leave for Maasvlakte 2.
What does the BBQ with buffet consist of?
BBQ with choice of chicken satay, hamburger, salmon from the oven, pork tenderloin mushroom sauce, vegetarian snacks.
Buffet with twelve different salads and raw vegetables, baguette with herb butter, chips, ma
yonnaise and other sauces.
Dessert with a choice of dame blanche, vanilla ice cream, ‘kaat-mossel’ or coupe caramel.
How much will it cost?
Taking part in the ride, including reception with coffee & cake, costs €9.50 for members and €11.50 for guests. The BBQ costs €30.
Are dogs welcome?
Dogs are allowed in the beach pavilion. Leashed, quiet, clean and only on the floor.
Register
You can register until Sunday 21 May via the registration form.
Disclaimer
GCCC excludes any form of damage whatsoever. Photos and videos are also taken during the ride. If you do not appreciate this, you are responsible for this yourself by kindly asking the photographer or videographer not to take any images of you or your car (number plate). The photos and videos are generally shared on personal Facebook and Instagram pages of individual participants and the GCCC Facebook page.
On Saturday, April 29, 2023, Erik and Aldrin have organized a culinary ride for us with a visit to Metropole Druten, a major car museum.
We will meet in Winssen at 11.30 am for the traditional coffee/tea and cake and, of course, a nice chat after the long winter break. The ride will then take us to Druten for a visit to the amazingly beautiful car and truck collection. More than 300 classics and trucks are displayed on 20,000 square meters, not only for viewing but also for sale! You can find a preview here: About Metropole Druten
Being the opening ride of the year, this is a day not to be missed for lovers of classic vehicles.
Now that Christmas and New Year’s Eve are behind us, the period of the New Year’s drinks has arrived. The board would therefore like to invite you to the New Year’s drinks 2023.
We will continue this beautiful tradition and raise a glass together on Sunday 15th January on the outskirts of Utrecht.
This beautiful and for us new location will welcome us with a free bar from 4 to 6
pm so that we can discuss the past and the coming year over a snack and a drink and catch up with each other outside a ride. We will also give you a sneak preview of what we will all be doing together in 2023 and that promises to be a lot!
What will it cost?
For a mere € 15 p.p. (GCCC will pay the remainder of the costs) we will be pampered by them for two hours in this unique setting and we will make a great start to the new year.
And our four-legged friends?
Your four-legged friend is also welcome, provided he is well-behaved and kept on a leash.
Event arrangement
This event has not been registered for the events scheme.
As you know, it is the members who make the club, so we expect you in large numbers (with the old-timer?) at this kick-off of 2023!
Until then!
The board: Mick, Rob, Cees, Jerry and Wilfried
Disclaimer
The GCCC excludes any form of damage whatsoever. Photos and videos are also taken during the ride. If you do not appreciate this, you are responsible for this yourself by kindly asking the photographer or videographer not to take any images of you or your car (number plate). The photos and videos are generally shared on personal Facebook and Instagram pages of individual participants and the GCCC Facebook page.
What started as an experiment last year will lead to a sequel this year on Saturday December 17th. Apparently we, Gert-Jan and Mick, as organizers managed to create something nice at the time, because there will be another one. Thanks for the enthusiastic sounds last year!
But how do you follow up on such a night ride? We asked ourselves that question. And we found the answer in expanding the team. Jeroen turned out to be a perfect addition with his knowledge and experience.
Because, gentlemen, as you know: a night ride challenges you! We are going one step further from last year. This time the ride requires an (even) greater involvement from the navigator. Communication between navigator and driver is of great importance, but perhaps even more important is the intelligence of the navigator. So choose him wisely…. (By the way, we don’t want to cause any awkward situations within a marriage here….).
Start
We start in the centre region of the Netherlands and expect you at a restaurant in Soest at 2:30 PM.
If you don’t come alone, but you want to come with your dog, it is of course also
very welcome.
While enjoying a snack, Jeroen will give you a brief explanation about the different ways of route description. You should actually use some of these on this ride.
On Sunday November 27th Ton and Piet will take us from Bocholt to the Lower Rhine region. The ‘Weihnachtsmarkten’ (Christmas markets) start here at the end of November (and they have all gone right after Christmas). We will visit two or three.
We will also visit two castles, with unique collections of modern art and art from the past. There is a lot of ‘go as you please’ at this event.
It will be crowded everywhere. No routes have been worked out so driving from place to place is done just using your own satnavs.
You can choose to come on Friday or on Saturday. You can also go home on Saturday or stay until Sunday. If you go home on Saturday, you have to book your hotel in Bocholt yourself. However, we have reserved 26 double rooms (€79 per night) and 8 single rooms (€64 per night) at this hotel until November 1st.
The hotel for the overnight stay and how to book will be in the separate email sent to members.
Breakfast is always € 10 and there is plenty of free parking space. If you leave booking late, there is a (more expensive) alternative which can also be found in the members’ email. (You can still have breakfast with the others at the other hotel). Bocholt is one of the nicest places in the Lower Rhine region and is a 60 kms drive from Arnhem or 70 kms from Nijmegen or Boxmeer.
On Sunday September 25, Joris will take us to Belgium again for a ride of about 83 kilometers.
We are going to take a ride through the gently rolling hills of Pajottenland and the Flemish Ardennes, crossing the language border several times to our French-speaking compatriots in Hainaut.
Language border
The language border is an imaginary line between the Dutch-speaking community and the French-speaking community. It runs from the French border in the West, right through Belgium, to the German border in the East. It was instituted in 1962/1963, after much political turmoil, and enacted into law after 10-year “language counts”. In addition, the language of a community sometimes simply changed according to preference: in 1940 the city of Enghien (which we will also pass) still had 51% Flemings in 1940 and 11% in 1947. A choice that mainly had to do with collaboration or resistance during the Second World War.
The first joint ride with the guys from Queerlenker (DE), Motorboys (DE) and GCCC will take place on the last weekend of October – just before Halloween.
We will stay at a hotel in Bad Bentheim. The hotel has a special package deal for us, consisting of overnight stay, breakfast, extensive evening buffet, free drinks (beer, house wine and soft drinks) between 5 pm and 8 pm, free use of the wellness area and free parking.
Arrival is on Friday 28 October in the late afternoon with a welcome speech and a small speech at 6 pm, dinner at 7 pm.
Afterwards there is an optional evening walk through historic Bad Bentheim.
Saturday
On Saturday 29 October a tour is planned through picturesque Münsterland with its historic towns and beautiful moated castles. Our destination is the Hoeing old-timer museum in Stadtlohn, which houses many unknown Audi vehicles, including special car bodies by the likes of Treser, Picasso and Crayford. In addition to the Audi vehicles in real size, the museum, with more than 35,000 models, shows not only the history of Siku, but also that of Auto Union, DKW, Horch, Wanderer and last but not least Audi in miniature. Wearing a facemask is required for the museum, so don’t forget to take one with you!!!
We spend the evening together at our hotel in Bad Bentheim.
It’s always nice when you can take a ride in another part of the Netherlands. Every time you think “oh I’ve seen it all”, but this time you will still see things that you probably haven’t seen before. During this ride on Sunday 28 August you will see a lot of beautiful outdoors such as various forests, rivers and streams, but also a number of nice picnic areas and cafes or restaurants where you can enjoy yourself on the terrace. In North Brabant everything is just a bit more Burgundian and the roads are really longer.
Start and finish
The ride starts in the middle of Oosterhout in North Brabant where we will start at 12.00 with coffee/tea and a Brabant sausage roll. We will leave and we end the day at this location.
Where will we go?
From Oosterhout we will go to Gilze-Rijen, where we’ll drive past Gilze-Rijen Air Base. We go From Gilze-Rijen we’ll head for the direction of Breda along nice villages around that city, such as Bavel, Ulvenhout, Teteringen, Langeweg, Dorst and Terheijden. We cross a highway several times via bridges and tunnels, but this ride is completely free of motorways.
After a fantastic Eurotour Holland in beautiful North Holland, we will ride our traditional, legendary and very cozy Picnic Ride again on 17 July.
A great opportunity for our new members to get acquainted with GCCC. We’d say: why not come too?
We are very happy that this year yet again we can end up in the meadows of our hosts. Thank you for that!
Since this year it’s the British Queen’s Jubilee, we want to end this ride with a Picnic in style. Unpack your trunk in style and enjoy the most delic
ious quiches or scones, either home-baked or not,and much more. And toast together!
Decorations should, of course, not be missing. There will be a prize for the most beautiful, original picnic ensemble, so do your best. An extremely professional jury will judge the lot.
A special area at the site will also be set up for the most special classic cars of the day. And to keep the long-standing tradition fresh, this time we’re adding a Picnic Bingo with a shower of prizes.
So, enough entertainment for those who like that sort of thing. For members who have never been to the farm, we would like to point out that in bad weather we can sit inside the stables. So possible bad weather will be no problem at all……
On May 17th, our beloved association will be 30 years old!
And we as a board cannot just let that pass by, even more so: we just step on the brakes to dwell on this.
How do we do that? By doing what we are good at on Saturday 21 May (= organizing a ride to explore a beautiful part of the Netherlands with our old and young timers) and then expanding this with a party. Yes, you read that correctly: a real party to mark this milestone! In our humble opinion, we have chosen a beautiful location for this, right in the heart of Gelderland. We have reserved an entire wing of the restaurant there, together with the conservatory and a terrace, so we hope for good weather to make this anniversary a blast.
Finally we can do it again! On Sunday 24 April, Bart and Arnold will take us to the area between Zeeland, West Brabant and Flanders, also known as the “Brabantse Wal”. An area where nature, monuments and culture are intertwined. For those to whom this doesn’t mean anything: today we are driving in the Bergen op Zoom region.
Where?
We start at a restaurant in Hoogerheide, where we will meet from 12:00 pm for a reception with coffee or tea and some sweets, to start the day well.
This day we will drive a bit through Zeeland, across to the municipality of Reimerswaal, where we will stop at what you can actually call THE specialist in the field of rotary engine technology: RX Garage / Hoebeke Auto’s.
After just being able to hold the 2020 AGM on location, and having to postpone the physical 2021 AGM with it eventually becoming an online AGM, it’s finally time again 
for a proper one this year!
Where and when?
On Sunday 27 March 12.30 pm the AGM will be held on location again. The exact address will be sent to you by email. Entry is from 12 noon.
At this general members’ meeting we look back at the events of the past year and provide insight into the ins and outs of our club. In addition, there will be a glimpse of the national and international events of 2022.
Of course, the board also gives a look at the financial situation of the club and an explanation of the expenses and income. In addition, the budget for 2022 will be presented. Of course, the members present have a vote in determining the budget and the contribution for 2023.
Voting
As a member and as a partner member of the GCCC-Benelux you are of course 
welcome and you can vote. However, this general members’ meeting is not open to guests.
Voting by proxy
If you want to vote, but are unfortunately unable to attend the AGM, you can give a proxy. You can submit your proxy by e-mail, which clearly states to which (partner) member you are giving your proxy to vote for you. Proxies can also be handed over to the secretary or the chairman prior to this meeting. This power of attorney must then be signed.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome, provided they are on a leash and do not cause a nuisance.
This first GCCC activity of the year will take place on Saturday 12 March between 13.00 and 15.00.
As an experiment, Wilfried and Thom are organizing their first GCCC Cars & Coffee. The idea behind this is to be able to meet each other completely Corona proof at a meeting that is simple in design and only takes up part of a day. It is mainly focused on the social aspect with a lot of room for personal initiative. After our hibernation we can meet again. We can have a nice chat and go a little deeper into the ins and outs of our vehicles, without making an extra 100 kms. So it’s about having fun and admiring each other’s cars.
You can decide for yourself what the route to and from the C&C location will be, how long you!ll stay and with whom you’ll want to drive there. You can also take friends who are not members. For this first time, we have chosen an easily accessible location in the middle of the country. For enthusiasts, there is also plenty to discover in the area before or after. We also opted for Saturday for the first time because it is a lot quieter and there are fewer cyclists than on Sundays.
So:
- Reserve the time and date in your calendar.
- Registration is not necessary. If you have not received an announcement email and would like more information, please send an email.
- Pack your picnic basket and don’t forget a thermos with coffee.
- Do the daily inspection and hit the road.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome, provided they are trained and on a leash.
Disclaimer
GCCC can never be held responsible for any damage whatsoever as a result of participating in this event. Participation is at your own risk and expense. During this event photos and videos will be made. If you don’t want to be in these, it is your own responsibility to ask the photographers/film makers to refrain from making images of you. In general these photos/films will be published on personal Facebook or Instagram
We, Daniel and Mark, try to honour and continue the wonderful tradition of the
biennial Christmas Crib Ride, created by Con and Koos, on Sunday 19th December. Most Christmas cribs, visualising the nativity scene usually with lifesize figures and often live animals, can be found in the Southern part of The Netherlands and Flanders and that will probably remain so, so everyone will again descend to the Southern parts.
Due to the corona restriction measures, we have not planned a dinner this time, but a lunch. Arrival and registration are therefore followed by a joint lunch.
Lunch consists of:
Mushroom soup or vegetable soup (vegetarian), a chicken sandwich and a salmon sandwich. Of course you can also opt for two chicken sandwiches or two salmon sandwiches. If you want a vegetarian sandwich, you can of course also indicate this with dietary wishes.
There will be a contest, but it will not be about the nativity scenes. These forms will be handed in during lunch or reception and the prizes awarded to the winners when they report to the ‘oliebollen’ (deep fried doughnut balls) moment.
The ride will lead us through Moergestel. Moergestel is traditionally known for the shoe industry, the well-known brand Van Bommel is still present here today.
From Moergestel we continue south to Diessen. We continue on the road to Hilvarenbeek, known for the Beekse Bergen, but we are not going there this time. At De Vrijthof (not to be confused with Het Vrijthof in Maastricht), there is plenty of catering, so plenty of opportunity for refreshments and a sanitary stop.
There are some fairly obvious explanations for “night fever” – the tendency for fever symptoms to be magnified during the evening hours. First, it’s normal for body temperature to creep up at night, adding proverbial fuel to the fire.
Or ‘night fever’ in good Dutch… two words, with which the Bee Gees managed to score a big hit. You can undoubtedly sing along easily:
Listen to the ground
There is movement all around
There’s something goin’ down
And I can feel it (meer…)
Come out of your crib, room or closet on Sunday October 10th for a super relaxed, 
festive ride in honour of Coming Out Day!
Coming Out Day, 75 years COC Netherlands and 50 years COC Nijmegen Region
Coming Out Day has existed since October 11th, 1988 and is an annual day that pays attention to the moment when a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender openly reveals their sexual orientation or gender identity. Following a massive protest march by Washington against a homophobic ruling by the US Federal Supreme Court, October 11th became the annual global day on which we are extra visible.
Because the Nijmegen COC will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and the national COC even its 75th, the Coming Out Day Weeks will be organized in the Nijmegen region from September 30 to October 17, 
full of sports, culture, discussions and parties. Also check out the COC Nijmegen website if you don’t just want to participate in our ride, but are curious about more!
Reason enough for the Gay Classic Car Club Benelux to contribute socially and to organise a wonderful exuberant tour in the region with you. For example, in collaboration with the Nijmegen COC, we let our cars “shine” during a Gay-Filé!
So dress yourself and your car in rainbow colours or make it cheerful in some other way! Of course we also have an item for on or in your classic car.
On Sunday 12 September, our GCCC members Marchel and Paul will take you to South-East Drenthe. There you will get a closer look at the historic peat and oil industry.
The diversity of nature and industry has partly remained visible in the Drenthe country after the centuries-long peat production has ended. Very typical of the peat areas are the many channels and ditches for transport and the drainage of the peat areas. As soon as we pass the national border, we enter the German oil fields via the moor areas. This extraction of oil is known for its nodding donkey pumps and the kilometres long 
pipelines above the ground. Here and there you see the nodding donkey pumps patiently going up and down. There is also a very fine example as a work of art. When we continue the route on the Dutch side, we pass a beautifully restored air watchtower. It dates from the beginning of the Cold War in the 1950s. (meer…)
It giet oan! 1) On Sunday August 15, our enthusiastic club members Paul and Daniël will organise a ride thr
ough the southwestern part of this beautiful green province that will show its diversity during this summer sightseeing tour. You will drive past centuries-old buildings and discover historical stories from the distant Frisian past.
There will be another ride in Friesland? Tell us more!
It will be a day when you drive your closed or open classic or less classic car through the National Landscape Southwest Friesland. This National Landscape consists of four very different types of landscape and each has its own historical landscape elements: the IJsselmeer coast, the clay area, the moraines and the peat and lake area. The lake area is popular with water sports enthusiasts. Among other things, the Skûtsjesilen is held here. But you don’t have to go sailing that day, no, we’re going for a stroll. Strolling between the Frisian lakes!
After 301 days, the time has finally come: another GCCC tour!
On Sunday July 25, after all the corona misery, we will start with the most fun ride of the year, the Picnic Ride. Paul and Marchel have provided the route from a central location in the Green Heart to the well-known meadows of Piet and Ernst.
Just like we did at last year’s Picnic Ride, we will not start at a catering facility but at a parking lot on the water.
While enjoying a drink with something delicious to eat you can, at last, catch up with the other GCCC members.
On that day you are welcome from 12 noon! We start our engines at around 1 pm and do the touring at leisure on narrow roads to the final location.
Once there, you can take all the goodies from the boot of your car and chosse a spot on the green field around the farm and start enjoying yourself. Then, too, there will be ample opportunity to exchange the latest news about your acquisitions or projects with your GCCC friends, who you have had to miss all this time. (meer…)
Dear members,
We hope you are all still doing well.
After an eventful period in which our old and young timers have been mainly stationary, we, the daily board of the Gay Classic Car Club, would like to invite every member to the Annual General Meeting of 2021.
As most of you know, we always have the AGM earlier in the year. Last year on March 8, 2020, the AGM could be held on location just before the lockdown.
By moving the AGM from March to June 26, we had hoped that an AGM could be held on location. Unfortunately, the COVID measures do not allow an AGM on location yet and therefore the AGM has to be held online this year. You should have received the agenda as an attachment by e-mail. If this is not the case, please send an e-mail to info@gccc.nl to receive the agenda. (meer…)
Dear members,
We hope you are doing well.
Unfortunately, we still have to deal with COVID and the COVID measures now. As a result, there was no New Year’s Reception. Organising a new event will depend on relaxation of the measures.
The AGM was to be held on March 21st this year. Because we prefer to hold an “analog” AGM, where we can speak to each other personally, the board has decided to postpone the date of the AGM.
The new date scheduled for the AGM will be June 27th, taking into account Article 15, paragraph 1 “The financial year of the association isn the same as the calendar year. At least one general meeting is held annually, within six months after the end of the financial year,” assuming that by then the measures have been relaxed. If this turns out not to be the case, we’ll have to resort to holding the AGM digitally after all. (meer…)
Dear members,
Earlier this year, we had planned to have a ride in the Achterhoek area in April. Just like now, everyone faced measures to try to contain COVID. In consultation with Aldrin and Erik, the organisers of the ride, it was decided then to cancel the ride and postpone it to December 20th.
Unfortunately, history repeats itself. We are again in a period of strict measures. As you probably expected, in consultation with Aldrin and Erik, it has also been decided to cancel the ride and postpone it to 2021.We hope that 2021 will be a better year for everyone and that events can be held again.
Despite the current situation, we wish you happy and safe holidays and a more prosperous 2021!
The daily management of Gay Classic Car Club Benelux,
Fred, Jerry, Marchel, Rob and Warner
Dear classic car friends,
As had been announced in the Summer issue of our magazine, a special ride had been planned for Saturday November 21st.
The infamous virus, however, has still got hold of us and for the time being there is not much chance of a relaxation of the measures. We don’t think it is a responsible thing to organize an event in the current situation. That’s why, in consultation with the organisers Mick and Gertjan, we have decided not to go ahead with the ride and are now planning to have it in 2021.
For now, stay healthy, watch out for each other and have patience.
Gay Classic Car Club Benelux board,
Fred, Jerry, Marchel, Rob and Warner