Distributor in the spotlight – meet Ronnie Miltenburg

As part of our 'Distributor in the spotlight' series, we are interviewing MERIDA employees from the national distributors to obtain their unique perspective on the brand, find out what type of cyclists they are and why they love working for MERIDA. The first distributorship we visited was MERIDA BENELUX (covering the Benelux countries: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, as well as Denmark) at their unique location of the EXPERIENCE CENTER in Apeldoorn. Our first interview was with the managing director Peter Koperdraad (full story here), who took us through the history of the MERIDA brand in their territories, followed by an extensive chat with Andrea Lodder, a keen graveller from the marketing team, and continued by an interview with her boss Bart Oosting who is the marketing manager who dabbles in multiple sports and has been alongside Peter for a number of years. As the final chapter in our MERIDA BENELUX story, we sat down with Ronnie Miltenburg who is a technically minded man who likes a challenge, likes to understand how things work and describes himself as a ‘Jack of all trades’…….

Who are you, and how did you come to work for MERIDA Benelux?
I am Ronnie Miltenburg, I am the warehouse manager here at MERIDA Benelux and I provide technical support. We are a small team, so I need to be a ‘Jack of all trades’. I previously worked for 15 years in a local bike shop selling bikes, which I loved. Unfortunately, the shop was sold, so I then went to work in wholesale bike parts for 6 months, but I didn’t enjoy it very much. I went back to the old shop (with the new owner), but it wasn’t the same. Luckily, I already knew Peter and when he offered me a job doing servicing and technical support I jumped at the chance, that was 10 years ago and I am still here! 

What is a typical workday like for you?
Most importantly, I start my day by having a coffee with Eric Dekker, who works in the office. I then check the emails and orders that need to be sorted and any warranty enquiries that have come in overnight. We all have lunch together in the bar area of the MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER, which is great for team morale and gives us all a chance to catch up on work and non-work topics. Throughout the day I take calls from dealers, answering their technical questions and providing advice and support as required. I finish my day by making sure that all orders are completed and shipped on time.

What is your main cycling discipline, and how did you get into the sport?
My dad was a roadie and thought I should be too, so I started road cycling with him when I was 8-9 years old. I then switched to track cycling at the local velodrome, and I also raced on the track in Belgium and Germany until I was 18. Cycling was then interrupted by a hernia injury, but that was also when I met my girlfriend and started going out drinking and partying, so I wasn't really interested in cycling! Then we started a family, and that took up all my time for the next 10 years.

I wasn't drawn back to road cycling but became interested in mountain biking, mainly because I can do it alone (when I want to), and I think it's more fun than road cycling. I particularly enjoy endurance mountain biking and currently ride for 3 hours twice a week (60-80km) on local trails. My only concession to anything like road riding now is an occasional evening gravel ride after work with Bart, Andrea and Aranka (from the marketing team here).

Do you have any other hobbies apart from 2 wheels?
My other hobby is anything with four wheels; I love working on cars. I am a technical person, I trained as an electrician, so I love anything electrical or mechanical. I also like to build things; I am currently building an extension at home. I guess my job and my hobbies are similar and I enjoy both - I love any kind of technical challenge. And if I don't know how something works, I'll research it and find out. I am a dog with a bone when it comes to things like that.

You guys have lots of great riding around the Experience Centre in Apeldoorn, and besides your home trails and roads, what other favourite riding locations do you have?
There are mountain bike trails all over the Netherlands, in the north and south you can only ride on dedicated trails. Here in Apeldoorn, we are lucky because you can ride everywhere. My favourite place is near Hellendoorn, about an hour away, it is a bit hilly so there is some climbing and it has endless singletrack and lots of jumps which I love to ride.

What is your all-time favourite bike (that you have owned) and have you made any changes and modifications to it? If so, what benefit did they bring?
Well, I have always been a hardtail man, but when the NINETY-SIX came along, it changed my mind! It has the perfect riding position and fantastic suspension. I still have a hardtail, but I don't use it as much. The two changes I've made are to get rid of the dropper post, as you don't need one here (a theme we noticed in the Benelux interviews!). I also changed the remote lockout button. Other than that, it's perfect for me!

What is your favourite MERIDA bike, overall and in the current range? 
I would have to say the SILEX 8000, we have one in the showroom in the sand colour. Not only is it a really cool gravel bike technically, but in that colour, it is eye-catching and a thing of beauty.

Do you have an ‘idol’ in the world of cycling?
It has to be my dad, as he is the one who got me into cycling in the first place. This introduction to cycling has influenced the last 25 years of my working life and has been my hobby on and off since I was a child.

What riding tips do you have for your fellow cyclists? In particular, if they are starting out.

• I would always tell people to wear a helmet. Most people here don't wear them when commuting unless they're on an electric bike, and often children don't either. I always made sure my children wore a helmet from the first time they were in a bike carrier, even before they started riding themselves.
• I usually advise people to switch to SPD shoes as soon as possible, as it helps with power transfer and can really help you feel 'connected' to the bike. Don't rush into it though, give it a go when you're ready.
• Finally, if people are keen to ride with low pressure, I would suggest they try tubeless. It can really enhance the riding experience and make a massive difference to puncture protection.

Do you ride your bike to work?
Yes, I do, but I am ashamed to say that it is on an e-bike, and I only live 2km away!

Finally - what do you like most about working at MERIDA Benelux?
The people here are all nice; we are all different, but it is always fun with a good atmosphere. Yesterday was my son's birthday and because of the extension I'm building at home, our garden is a mess, which meant we couldn't have a party for him at home. So, Peter let me use the café/bar area here to have a party for him and we had a barbecue outside which was great, you don't get that at many places of work!

So, this concludes our first stopover in our 'Distributor in the spotlight' series. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER in Apeldoorn, taking a look behind the scenes and spending a lot of time with the team. So, what did we learn about the MERIDA BENELUX team and their unique workplace?

The MERIDA EXPERIENCE CENTER is truly unique and quirky, both in terms of the building itself and the overall 'experience' it offers to all who visit. All the staff we met and interviewed really love working there and go to work every day with a big smile on their face. There was simply no sign of Monday morning dread anywhere! The ethos is one of fun and pride in the MERIDA brand, and this comes across in everything they do.

We will continue our journey with the next distributor already firmly in our crosshairs, so keep an eye out for further instalments of the ‘Distributor in the spotlight’ series on our website and social media channels.