Everyone should make the Netherlands a destination.

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galgoman

Regular
Growing up and riding most of my life in America, I can honestly say the US generally is not a bike friendly nation. There are parts of the country that have made great strides on this front but overall, taking to the road in most parts is like playing Russian Roulette.. About 20 years ago I met my wife, a Dutch citizen, not through riding fast bikes but through rescuing and adopting fast dogs, the Galgo Espanol. Be that as it may, for several years as we long distanced dated I made several trips to the Netherlands for extended periods and the first thing I did on arrival was not rent a car but rented a touring bicycle. We toured most of the country by pedal power and the amazing system of bike paths, roadside sign maps and priority given to the cyclist is a thing of beauty. This is not new news to Europeans but to the Americans here, do yourself a favor and plan a trip to the Netherlands. The rides are not that challenging unless you face an incessant head wind which is common but if you want to experience what a bike culture utopia feels like, this is a must do trip.
 

mmmmartin

Random geezer
Also look at Vrienden op de Fiets, brilliant idea that can work only in a country with a sense of responsibility and civic mindedness. €20 for B&B with cyclists.
Also at https://www.natuurkampeerterreinen.nl/en/ - fantastic little campsites, quiet, simple, excellent. (Be aware the grid ref for each site is correct but you have to understand the Dutch grid.)
 
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galgoman

galgoman

Regular
I get it. I am a climber also but I personally have found riding in a strong headwind or crosswind for hours, harder than any climb I have ever made.
 

Venod

Eh up
Location
Yorkshire
Nope I like my hill climbing.

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Location
España
if you want to experience what a bike culture utopia feels like, this is a must do trip.

It is a bike utopia! A great place for anyone to test their abilities in a perfectly safe environment. No language issues - everyone speaks English, short distances if that's your thing, lots and lots of camping sites and lots to see and do. A major plus point is the accessibility of trains for bikes. Pretty much every train has space for bikes, a ticket for about Euro 6 will get your bike transported for a day. And most of the stations have lifts/ramps to make it easy peasy to get your bike on and off. If an electric bike is your thing, just about all cafes on cycling paths have chargers.

A lot of people think that it's flat and boring. There is an argument to be made for that, but there is a wide variety of landscapes from the big urban areas (well made cycle paths make it easy), lots of canal & river routes, rural farmland, sand dunes & moor areas, coastline and some hills in Gelderland (around Arnhem) and Limburg. Good route planning will pay off.

Nope I like my hill climbing.
Seriously I do like Holland and their bike culture but it wouldn’t be my 1st choice biking destination.

Try Limburg for the hills - south west of NL at the border of Germany & Belgium. Fantastic riding. Not long climbs, but lots of short, sharp ascents & descents.
I live in NL and have toured in lots of Europe. It's only in the last couple of years that I've started taking short tours here and have been very pleasantly surprised at what there is to see and do - even in winter. Travel by car in NL you see the motorways, travel on a bike you see everything!

Belgium for me. The beer is so good.But i really love the Spanish mountains.
Belgium is fantastic! Just a bit more chaotic than NL. Food is better, beer is better and the accent is better! ^_^
So far, for me, Spain is the King & Queen of cycling destinations! I learned to love mountains in Spain!
 

derrick

The Glue that binds us together.
 

lane

Veteran
My tours are currently limited to three or four days in length, so Normandy, Belgium and Holland are the realistic options together with the UK. Enjoyed Belgium a couple of years ago and it will be Holland next weekend, although to give us something to aim for we are intending to get to Germany.
 
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galgoman

galgoman

Regular
My first visit to the Netherlands years ago I agreed to meet my future wife at her work at the end of the day and we would ride home together. It was only about 20-25km away. Unprepared, I headed off in a cold driving rain and headwind and by the time I finally got there I must have looked like I just climbed the Alpe D'Huez. Ha.
 
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User169

Guest
It’s fantastic for utility riding and general pootling. Not so good for sport riding though. No hills bar the very south in Limburg and limited off-road opportunities. The better audaxes here head off to Belgium or Germany for the better riding to be had there.

The huge rise in e-bike use is going to create problems, especially the speed jobs which seem to be exclusively ridden by lunatics.
 
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User169

Guest
The presence of 'sport riders' in chain gangs and mopeds and motor scooters on the cycle paths in the Netherlands are the two things that mar the experience a bit for me....

It’s warm and sunny today, so the “wielerterroriesten” were out in force this morning. It’s quite unnerving to have a 40 strong peloton riding two abreast heading towards you on a narrow cycle path at in excess of 40kmh. And it wasn’t just one - there was a procession of these groups. Mix in a few families out for a gentle Sunday ride, numerous dog walkers and the out of control oldies on e-bikes and it wasn’t my idea of bike nirvana.
 

srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
*Memories of the canals between Bruges and Ostend on the 2016 FNRttK, when an ill-disciplined club peleton swept through our small and tired group at full speed, so @rvw and I played them at their own game, caught up with them and got about half-way through their group before running out of puff. They weren't very happy about a tandem riding with more skill and speed than them, especially since my stoker was sitting up rather than on the drops.*
 
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