FNRttC The (not the) Fridays Tour of the Low Countries 2015

[mmmmartin]

I did it in a flat calm and very thick mist. Very atmospheric.

 

[totallyfixed]

We did it on a hot day, experienced a series of mirages, the weirdest being cyclists that one minute looked to be miles away, then really close and then again miles away, very odd. Just one of those things you have to do. This year we did the Houtrbdijk, similar length.

 

[ianmac62]

The next time we're in Utrecht ... we hire THESE bikes ...

more at https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2015/11/03/coeur-bike-utrecht-a-cargo-bike-tour/

 

[StuAff]

A bump to ask a question: Could someone give me the route(s) you took between Dieppe and Ypres? Would be handy for the FNRttk return ride I'm planning.

 

[velovoice]

A bump to ask a question: Could someone give me the route(s) you took between Dieppe and Ypres? Would be handy for the FNRttk return ride I'm planning.

Dieppe to Eu
Eu to Hesdin-Marconne
Hesdin-Marconne to Ypres

 

[StuAff]

Dieppe to Eu
Eu to Hesdin-Marconne
Hesdin-Marconne to Ypres

Thanks!

 

[mmmmartin]

@StuAff
the route Dieppe to Eu we followed is on minor roads and utterly flat and is a bit wiggledy-windy whereas the main road is busy in the day but dead straight, so if you are riding at a quiet time the main road might be quicker.
Eu to Hesdin - goes past the only WW1 Chinese cemetery maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: worth a five minute stop.
Hesdin-Ypres - that route avoids the Kemmelberg, which the recce visited but on the day we were in two groups, so you might prefer to go over the kemmel hill and spend a bit of time on the famous cobbles.

 

[StuAff]

@StuAff
the route Dieppe to Eu we followed is on minor roads and utterly flat and is a bit wiggledy-windy whereas the main road is busy in the day but dead straight, so if you are riding at a quiet time the main road might be quicker.
Eu to Hesdin - goes past the only WW1 Chinese cemetery maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: worth a five minute stop.
Hesdin-Ypres - that route avoids the Kemmelberg, which the recce visited but on the day we were in two groups, so you might prefer to go over the kemmel hill and spend a bit of time on the famous cobbles.

Thanks. Following Rebecca's track as precisely as I can (some roads are one-way) it works out as 122 miles door-to-door, Google Maps' cycle routing gives me 115. I'll likely look at a combination of the two, keep the distance down a bit. As I won't be getting into Dieppe until six or seven at a rough guess, quieter options at that end would probably be better. I think I'll avoid the Kemmelberg though- the Litespeed does not float over cobblestones, sadly.

 

[StuAff]

I would take these two words

With a pinch of salt.

Fortunately, most mapping sites give elevation calculations. And indeed, utterly flat is unlikely!

 

[ianmac62]

... utterly flat is unlikely! ...

I bet that the kurtosis quotient for the Somme estuary is very close to +/- 0.1

 

[ianmac62]

By popular demand, here's a photo of the intrepid pedalo-ists arriving back after their treacherous circumnavigation of Utrecht.

View attachment 103343

I think tomorrow's ride towards Amsterdam will have a slow average speed.

I've just realised that, in circumnavigating Utrecht, the pedalo-ists may well have pedalo-ed along a motorway.

 

[Flying Dodo]

That's some serious flooding in Utrecht.............

 

[Gordon P]

Last week with a couple of friends on our Dutch Spring Tour I re-visited several of the places that we went to last year: the Fat Mermaid and the bike shop in Maarsen both remembered us well: at the latter I met the owner, who had been on holiday last September but had clearly heard all about us & seen the picture on Facebook - she helped me (unsuccessfully) try on 3 pairs of tights: I wondered whether she had ever been a baker....). I enjoyed lunch and a Belgian Trippel at the Lokal Zuid along the Vecht, where I think the owner remembered us but seemed surprisingly underwhelmed... And happy memories flooded back at the Pancake House that was Fridays Central in Zaandam and at Zaanse Schans, where sadly the ferry does not run until 1st May.
We went to many other places: route at View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/8629088
and pictures at http://tinyurl.com/zky3no4

 

[mmmmartin]

These poor people will soon be sick of us, that's the fourth time for The Fridays (in one shape or form) at the Local Zuid and the third at the Fat Mermaid since May.
Great pix, lots of blue sky but I think I saw some gloves being worn with some warm jackets so probably cooler than it appeared in the pix.

 

[frank9755]

Hoorn looks pretty - always wanted to head up there. Probably a bit quieter.