When you spend fifteen years guiding bike and boat tours through the Netherlands and Belgium, you collect more than route knowledge. You collect people. Stories. Moments that stay with you long after the ship has docked and the bikes are back on board.
That’s exactly what this episode of the Boat Bike Tours podcast is about. Host Ennie sat down with Sjak Lagarde, one of our most experienced tour leaders, to talk about life on tour: the joyful, the unexpected, and sometimes the challenging moments that shape a week on board.
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From social worker to tour leader
Sjak didn’t start his career as a tour leader. For decades, he worked as a social worker, supporting young people in difficult situations. At 55, he decided it was time for a change. “I should have started earlier with this new job,” he says, laughing. In 2010, Sjak joined Boat Bike Tours. Fifteen years later, at 73, he’s officially retired, but still guiding several week-long tours each season: not because he has to, but because he wants to. “I’m happy being between all these people, from all these different countries,” he explains. “They come because they want to have a good time. That makes a big difference.”
The most important skill? Communication
Ask Sjak what makes a good tour leader, and his answer is immediate: communication. “You always have to be friendly. You have to smile. People should feel welcome.” For him, guiding doesn’t stop when the bikes are parked. In the evenings, he sits down with guests, joins conversations, and makes sure everyone feels seen. No scripts. No forced entertainment. Just genuine interest. “I learned that people do like to talk about their lives,” he says. “Even on vacation.” That curiosity has led to some unforgettable encounters.
The people you meet along the way
Over the years, Sjak has guided doctors, engineers, artists, and adventurers, each bringing their own story on board. He offers an example: there was an American guest who searched trash bins along the route, collecting small pieces of wood. Curious, Sjak asked why. The answer? He turned them into handcrafted pens. Months later, two of those pens arrived in the mail, sent as a thank-you to Sjak. Another guest from Germany quietly sketched landscapes every day. Later, back on the ship, he turned those sketches into delicate watercolors: small daily paintings that captured the journey better than any photograph. “These are the things you don’t plan,” Sjak says. “But they make the week special.”
Telling stories, but not too many
As an experienced tour leader, Sjak knows cities like Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges inside out. After ten years guiding the Amsterdam-Bruges route, he could easily talk for hours about every single stop. But he doesn’t. “You don’t want to tell too much,” he explains. “If you do, people stop listening.” Instead, he focuses on what really matters: the big historical outline, the stories that help guests understand a place. Topics like water management, cycling culture, and the Dutch fight against the sea often spark the most interest, especially among guests from the US and Canada. And for those who want more? There’s always time for a one-on-one conversation.
When things go wrong
Not every story is lighthearted. Guiding also means dealing with responsibility, and sometimes with risk. Sjak has seen guests struggle with e-bikes they’d never ridden before. He’s guided elderly couples who had to stop cycling for their own safety. He’s supported guests with dementia, where awareness and patience become essential. One of the most dramatic moments came during a storm near Delft, when a rotten tree fell onto a cycling family. Emergency services arrived, helicopters hovered overhead, and the story made the newspapers the next day. “In moments like that, you don’t think,” Sjak says. “You act.” These experiences show a side of guiding that guests rarely see, but one where experience makes all the difference.
Laughter, flexibility, and unforgettable moments
Thankfully, there’s plenty of joy too. Guests falling into canals and instinctively trying to save their bikes. A woman attending a porcelain factory tour while still dripping wet from the rain, completely unbothered. Evenings sharing rare Belgian beer left behind by departing guests. Then there are the unexpected groups: a full ship of bridge players who required complete silence for a week. Or international mixes where language barriers turn simple communication into a creative challenge. “No week is the same,” Sjak says. “That’s what I love.”
Why Boat Bike Tours works
After all these years, Sjak is clear about why guests keep coming back. “It keeps you healthy. You’re outside. You’re moving,” he says. “But it’s not about sport.” Guests can cycle 30, 40, even 50 kilometers [18, 25 or 30 miles] in a day, or stay on board if they prefer. E-bikes make tours accessible to older travelers. Bad weather doesn’t ruin the experience. Attitude matters more than conditions. In the end, it’s about balance: activity and comfort, independence and support, stories and silence. Or, as Sjak puts it: “Everybody just wants a nice week.”
Inspired to start your own adventure?
To plan your own bike and boat adventure, call us at (203) 814-1249. You can also send an email to info@boatbiketours.com, if you prefer. Either way, we’ll be happy to help. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on our latest tours and special offers. We’d love to welcome you on board!
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