Posted by Les Faber in Eight women (seven Canadians), eight days (seven cycling), 27 gears (Dutch bikes), two pannier bags, 16 boat guests, five villages and one major city, 350 kilometers traveled (approximately) and one very special occasion.
Cycling Girls in Hollland
Cycling Women in Holland
Holland Cycling Trip: May 24- May 31, 2008
Tour Company: Cycletours Holland
Cycling Route
The route (a loop) started in Amsterdam. We toured the central eastern area of this small European country. Our small group traveled a total of 350 kilometers over 7 days of riding. Some days were challenging and for some reason, it seemed to get easier as the week wore on!
Each day saw distances of between 35 and 57 kilometers. Our cycling route was primarily Dutch countryside. We passed meadows, cows, sheep, goats, windmills, canals, farms and lovely little villages.
Our group also had the opportunity to visit museums, castles and estates. (The tour’s name was Castles and Estates – so that made sense!)
Bike Terrain
We primarily rode on special bike paths, beautifully cared for and often with wonderful interlocking brick. The paths were sometimes quite busy, since many Dutch people use bicycles as their primary mode of transportation.
There was always a special bike lane on the narrow roads if we did have to leave the bike paths to cycle on the road. We did have to learn to read the signs to know when cyclists had the right of way. Sometimes the colour of the road indicated our right-of-way. Bikes have an honorable place in Dutch society.
Holland is quite flat in general. However on one day we had a lot of undulating terrain. The bikes had 27 gears but we rarely had to use anything except the middle ring.
Dutch Bikes
Our Gazelle Meteo bikes were wonderful. They were upright bikes with comfortable seats. Our seats became very important as the week went on even though most of us wore padded bike shorts!
Bike helmets are not law in Holland and we rarely saw one on a Dutch rider. Many in our group wore them, however.
Cycling Guide
Our tour was a guided tour with a local Dutch woman cycling with the 16 people on our boat. Our tour guide had a flag on her bike in the lead position. Everyday a different person rode with a flag in the last position. We almost always traveled together.
Weather
The weather was incredibly predictable: we would simply get everything every day: Grey skies, a little rain, sunny breaks and wind. It would be chilly and then it would be warm. The panniers were big enough to plan for all weather conditions, thank goodness!
Boat Hotel (our accomodations)
A Dutch riverboat followed us on our route through central Holland and we slept in our own rooms each night. (A luxury- compared to other cycling trips I have been on!!). Ours was the ‘Liza Marleen’ a Standard Plus Ship.
Over the one-week cycling vacation, we slept and ate on the boat. We cycled during the days, and took ferries and bridges when necessary (Holland is partly below sea level hence the country has many canals and bridges.)
Boat staff put our bikes on the boat each night and took them off again at 9:00 the next morning – after boating to a new location. While we cycled, the boat would travel to meet us at about 4:00 in the afternoon. We slept in the port of the following towns/cities: Amsterdam, Wijk bij Durrsted, Arnhem, Zuphen, Kampen, Lelystad and back to Amsterdam on the last night. Food was supplied on our trip.
Breakfast and lunch was the exact same thing for 7 days (primarily bread, meat and cheese). (Actually, this got a little monotonous and I know I won’t be eating those items for a while!) Dinners were fantastic, thanks to the cook on board.
And… what was the special occasion???
Well, my friend Liz and I both have a special milestone birthday in 2008! We emailed various friends from Canada and around the world, told them how we were celebrating, and invited them along! The women all flew in from different cities, met on the boat in Amsterdam, and proceeded to have great fun cycling together! What a wonderful way to celebrate something special!!
Summing it up!
All in all, as an Ottawa cyclist – I have to say that the scenery wasn’t too different from home, save a windmill or three. Nice and different were the little towns we traveled through or stopped in to rest or to eat lunch. The people we met were friendly and welcoming, and it was clear that they loved visitors to their country.
Where in the world will I cycle next? Stay tuned to Cyclemania.ca!
