Growing up in the Netherlands one way or the other you will end up on a bike one day. As for most native Dutch people, for me this happened soon after I learned moving about using my feet. First with trainer wheels to soon riding with no hands. This was over thirty years ago. For the youth of today it's not different.
My (then) four year old niece fixing her own ride while playing bike mechanic.
Being able to ride a bike in a safe area with suitable road furniture is an important part of the everyday life of the Dutch youth. Travelling about your street at first, riding to primary school by yourself, all the way up to high school in the neighbouring town. It fosters independence and responsibility already from an early age.
Cycling also offers other beneficial aspects for every age. It's healthy for the body and healthy for the mind. It brings you to new places and on top of that it's one of the most sustainable modes of transport. It's these things that do it for me. After a day of working mostly with my brain. Static, behind a desk, staring at a screen. After such a day cycling can be a real good antidote to the daily grind.
A key thing that makes cycling most enjoyable is some good weather. This means reasonable temperatures in my area. While lately I've been mostly riding indoors on a roller, I've been getting impatient to get out and start exploring. It got me day dreaming of possible adventures for the summer. I really want to do some fun rides.
In the past I've traveled to all kinds of place to ride my bike. Norway, France, Austria, Spain. I've been blessed with some really pretty rides. This typically involved elaborate logistics to get everything in place.
On top of the Gerlitzen mounain in Austria
Climbing in the Vosges mountains in France
Cycling on Corsica France (the sign is full of bullet holes).
Serenity Ride on Gran Canaria Spain.
There are so many places in the world to explore on two wheels. And for sure I will explore as much as I can. This year though, I would like to also mix in some simple-to-organize rides. The easiest way to approach this concept, of course, is explore from home!
Since I live quite literally at the junction of three countries, the options are plenty. This year I would like to visit, by bike, a few capitals of neighbouring countries. The list of capital cities nearby are listed below:
| Country | Distance in Km(as the crow flies) |
|---|---|
| Brussels | 115 |
| Luxembourg | 129 |
| Amsterdam | 194 |
| Paris | 338 |
| London | 435 |
| Berlin | 546 |
| Cardiff | 645 |
| Copenhagen | 697 |
In the above list I am stretching it with some more "complicate" destinations like Cardiff or Copenhagen. These would likely require some new gear and a ferry crossing. On top of that, although I was living in a different area at the time, I've already cycled to Paris and London in the past. Nevertheless the prospect of routing my way to Brussels and Luxemburg makes me quite excited!
For this first year, I will visit these two cities by bike. Solo, two days to go back and forth with only the necessary gear. As soon as the weather turns and I'm in the full shape I need, I'll be out exploring again. I can't wait to ride unknown roads to unknown places again! And for sure I'll be sharing the adventure with you here!
I'm curious to hear more about all the adventures you've got lined up for the summer ahead!
You're lucky to live in a country where there are bike lanes and the government tskes this seriously.
As a fellow Dutchie I also grew up sitj cycling. I am a bit concerned about youth teenagers riding electric bikes or fatbikes. Especially on a fat bike you hardly have to do anything.
What a cool idea to visit these cities by bike!
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I think it's one of the few things I miss from Holland, riding a bike. All this time I either had no decent area to ride a bike or no place to store the bike which made me sad at times.
Then we moved here and now we have a storage place which is close to full (granted, we just put it in there without organising it properly so there's more space for sure) with the apartment's shitty beds/mattresses and a few of our own things such as suitcases we don't want up here.. but still no bike.
I hope I can change that over time but we have a few other priorities first, and then I will have to check decently if I can really put it in the storage before actually buying one as well. We finally live at a flat area of the city and I'd love to ride a bike to the supermarket and such rather than having to deal with parking and a way too hot black car in summer :)
Hope all is well over there!