Laurens ten Dam was born in 1980 in a small village near Groningen and then moved to Heiloo with his family. Later Laurens started racing as an amateur and was coached by Piet Hoekstra. Then he made the switch to the Rabobank amateur team, and four years later he switched to the Bankgiroloterij cycling team. After a year he left this team and rode with 8 more cycling teams.

In 2008, Laurens ten Dam rode the Tour de France for the first time, finishing 22nd. In the years that followed, Laurens rode the Tour several more times. He also participated in the Summer Olympics in Beijing and finished 65th. Not only the Tour de France, but also the Tour of Spain, ten Dam rode several times.

The most recent races Laurens has competed in are the Gravel Locos which he won in 2021 and the Transcordilleras Rally in Colombia in 2022. Here he finished in second place after a journey of 1110 km in 8 days with 25,000 altimeters.

Laurens ten Dam started making podcasts about cycling together with Stefan Bolt, and this is still a huge success. Each episode does have more than 50,000 Dutch listeners. In 2019, their podcast won the BNR Podcast Awards prize in the sports category. The fan base of Live Slow Ride Fast has grown rapidly. For example, they occasionally organize their own rides and road trips and you can buy their own cycling clothing and goodies in the Live Slow Ride Fast Shop.

Besides his impressive cycling career, Laurens ten Dam has another great love: his Bastard kamado. This multifunctional barbecue symbolizes his passion for good food and being outdoors. Laurens uses his Bastard kamado not only to prepare nutritious meals to keep his energy level up for long bike rides, but also to relax and enjoy the tasty dishes he can prepare with it. His dedication to both cycling and culinary craft make Laurens ten Dam an inspiration to sports fans and foodies around the world.