Ride report: Going Dutch Day 5 – multi modal

The last leg of our Dutch adventure featured bikes, trains, boats and cars as we reluctantly headed back to the UK.

I say reluctant because it was a thoroughly enjoyable trip. I’ll sum up my thoughts later in this post but first, we had a train to catch.

Two trains actually. And a couple of bike rides.

An Amsterdam commute

We retrieved our bikes unscathed from the excellent overnight bike park under the Beursplein (Stock Exchange square) in the centre of Amsterdam. Soon we were underway – our destination was Amsterdam Zuid (South) station about 3 miles from the centre.

As with the day before I’d have preferred to study the route, purely out of curiosity to get a better idea of where I was going.

It was an easy ride but the need to keep Gordon and his Hammerhead in sight (or at least nearby) was a distraction as we joined the flow of commuters south. Nearing the station it became apparent that we could just go with the flow, as most riders were headed to the same place.

Remarkably, this Dutch bike dance exhibited immaculate choreography. Occasionally a stream of bikes headed east to west would cross our southward path but everyone was able to filter through almost without pause.

For riders used to the elbows out riding in the UK, ready at any moment to signal rough tarmac, slow progress or other hazards it was a pleasant surprise. The priority of Dutch riders is simply not to hit anyone else. There’s really no need to signal or gesture; just be ready to respond with minimal drama to whatever is in front of you and roll on.

The train takes the strain

At Amsterdam Zuid station we spent a little time working out how and where we needed to go, eventually cramming into lifts up to the platforms.

The bike storage areas are split along the train, so we split ourselves with Mark, Gordon and myself in one are and DaveS and JR the other. While standing there among the commuters I got into a conversation with a local guy about what else? My Hunt 4 Season Gravel wheels!

What it really true they were a bit fragile he asked? Well, I’m on my third set of Hunt Wheels, the last of which Hunt refused to honour my warranty so yes, they are fragile I confirmed. You know, this website has previously written positive reviews of Hunt Wheels and I’m done with that. My advice was some DT Swiss hubs and rims.

BTW, a week after this trip, I broke a spoke on the same wheelset as I set out on a ride and I don’t think I’m speaking unfairly. I weigh 70kg so not exactly a heavyweight.

The train arrived, a new-ish 125mph InterCity Next Generation (ICNG Wasp) unit to take us to Antwerp. The service was excellent with plenty of bike and luggage space since the line services Schipol Airport.

I had no complaints and enjoyed the fast service south through a landscape we’d traversed by bike the day before.

Change at Antwerp

At Antwerp we switched to a different service out to De Panne via Ghent formed of distinctive looking 100mph Class 96 units. Again, we split our group, with Mark, Gordon and I getting lucky as the guard invited us to travel in the empty First Class carriage!

In hindsight, I’d have liked to have some time to explore Antwerp but the itinerary didn’t allow it this time.

Antwerp Central is both a terminus and a through station so if you arrive from e.g. Amsterdam you alight on the third level of platforms. As you rise through the levels you see the terminus is a rather grand affair, indicating the city’s historic prosperity. 84% of the world’s rough diamonds pass through Antwerp for example. We fit right in!

The journey to the end of the line at De Panne is quite a long one with multiple stops but First Class was a pleasant and quiet place to be. By about 1:00pm we reached De Panne and it was time to start cycling again.

De Panne to Dunkirk

JR and DaveS were keen to get to Dunkirk for the 4:00(?) ferry while Gordon, Mark and myself were happy to accept a later crossing if need be. Two hours to cover 22.5 miles wasn’t necessarily onerous, but we didn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on ourselves. So we agreed quite happily for JR and DaveS to spin on ahead of us.

Meanwhile, the three of us laggards rode along at our own pace.

Actually we were spinning along quite well with a welcome tailwind as the afternoon temperatures at last crept up above 18°. All was well until we drifted into the town of Dunkirk and slightly missed a turn. This resulted in Gordon’s GPS re-routing us onto some long straight roads with ‘bike lanes’ painted in the gutter which left me feeling a little exposed.

We pressed on but slightly doubting Gordon and his GPS (neither I nor Mark knew where we were headed) but we definitely were not on the quiet bike paths I knew were available somewhere!

So we white knuckled it until we had Dunkirk behind us and had the industrial port area to traverse. Once I recognised where we were I relaxed a little and found the proximity to the port and the tailwind quite a boost, enough to stretch my legs a little.

We rolled into port with sufficient time to get through customs and rejoin DaveS and JR for the earlier crossing, which was a bonus.

Homeward bound

All that remained from there was to negotiate our way out of Dover to Marine Parade where Gordon’s car was parked.

As we did so, we got shouted at by Customs offcials repeatedly to follow the painted red line through the port (not easy if like Gordon you are colour blind!), then got spat out onto the busy dual lane roundabout, before being harrassed by teenage kids pulling wheelies alongside us and heckling us as we rode to our car.

Not a great first impression for visitors and it left a sour taste with me having ridden 250 miles through several countries with no trouble at all.

Welcome to England.

A summary of thoughts on our Dutch trip

I’ve been meaning to do a trip like this for a long time. A few years back Mark and myself had joked we should ride from the southern Dutch border all the way up to the Danish coast and from my experiences on this trip I’d very much like to do that. Thanks have to go to Gordon who took our idea and ran with it; without him it would never have happened.

The overriding impression of cycling in the Netherlands is how easy it is. What a cliche! But the infrastructure is truly excellent, well designed, well sign posted and often well away from cars. You can ride right into the heart of busy cities without trouble.

In my view, the Flemish towns of Belgium are possibly even better (I’ve not yet ridden extensively in Walloon territory). I love the way vehicles defer to cyclists. In both countries – for the most part – you see a true alternative way to live (if that’s even the right phrase). Part of that is thriving town centres; much of that is a cycling attitude that obviates the need for wasteful out of town shopping for day to day things. All of it adds up to people-centred services.

One thing you do notice of course in the Netherlands is how flat it is. Some might consider this a little dull but don’t underestimate the ‘Dutch Alps’. Those headwinds are no joke. The point though is – what’s the rush? You are travelling from A to B, not racing.

Another highlight was the Watersnoodmuseum (Flood Museum) in Ouwerkerk. I had zero expectations for this yet it turned out to be a real window into pre and post war Netherlands but beware, it can get chilly in those caissons.

Riding tips

I said it’s not a race but planning carefully still helps. I used panniers, lightly filled and took the gravel bike (an ideal short trip tourer).

I had lightweight long hiking trousers for off bike activity, plus lightweight shoes and this really helped reduce weight. A couple of T’s, a fleece and rain jacket and you are covered for a few days easily.

The most important thing really is to have some miles in your legs. Days of sitting in the saddle will leave you bruised (as I was) if you’ve not built up some stamina even if the riding is not strenuous. There’s no especial demands on the bike so comfort is key.

Hindsight being a wonderful thing, I would have liked to have paid more attention to route planning. Normally a combination of PlotARoute and Google Maps/Streetview pays dividends and you can put together a GPS route that works for you. Riding blind or following someone is too vague for me.

Where next?

At some point I’d like to ride north of Amsterdam and into Denmark. Northern Europe is modest but when your focus is on the people and the food it makes for some surprising trips.

I’m confident I will return to the Netherlands to cycle at some point, but who knows where our next trip will take us?