I Biked the Netherlands for a Week

[@nicthedoor]

Thanks for watching. Apparently my joke about 10m being the highest spot in the Netherlands was taken literally. For the record, the highest point is Vaalserberg in the south at the German/Belgian border. A hill with a height of 322.4 metres (1,058 ft)

[@PaulMutser]

The actual highest point is Mount Scenery on the island of Saba (in the Caribbean) at 887 meters. Since a few years ago Saba is actually part of the Netherlands proper. Vaalserberg is the highest point in the mainland Netherlands though

[@barlonld6941]

the joke was very good culturally, random dutch person aproves! there used to be a saying that if you grab a chair and stand on top of the chair on a dike, you can see all of the Netherlands thats how flat and low it is, so its perfect XD

[@MrRofl131]

Don`t be offended, they either joking you back, or are ignorant about sarcasm. If you like great bike-able places visit the highest point of Holland (not Netherlands, Holland) it is a great view. If you go at Pentecost there is meidenmarkt (girlsmarket) for girls to sell them self to boys, back in the days, now it`s just getting together and chill.

[@RemkoNHN]

That was a joke? haha. Oke then I won't be mad :) Great video!

[@BeerSougion]

Since it is the highest point we call it Vaalserberg; Vaalsermountain and not Vaalserhill

[@Zwijneman]

Wow. The way you show my country to the world makes me proud. It makes me realize how good the infrastructure is in the Netherlands and makes me appreciate it more (we complain quite a lot :-). Well done!

[@SaveTheHedgehog]

Do you really see a vid like this to see this!? O come on. Let me guess, you're a gamer wasting his time in house all the time😂

[@anton161817]

Keep complaining! It seems to be actually effective. I also complain, but in my country it changes nothing :)

[@Zwijneman]

​@@SaveTheHedgehogzuurpruim. Ik fiets ruim 5k p jr en weet echt wel dat we een goede infra hebben, maar ik waardeer het elke keer als iemand anders dat zo mooi in beeld brengt. Niks verkeerds aan een compliment toch..

[@SaveTheHedgehog]

@@Zwijneman ben je wakker of gewoon woke?

[@liefsJessie]

​@@SaveTheHedgehogchose violence today

[@sciencetestsubject]

4:32 tiny thing, in the Netherlands, pedestrians on zebra crossings always have priority unless there are lights. They put the sharks teeth before the zebra crossing to keep both closer together.

[@benbos6625]

bijna goed: zelfs lopend door rood licht heeft een voetganger nog voorrang. Geldt btw ook voor een auto van rechts welke door rood licht rijdt. Dat zal maar een hulpdienst zijn! Als bestuurder beter maar goed blijven kijken dus (oh ja: de voetganger of 'rood rijder' kan DAAR dan wel voor bekeurd of zelfs veroordeeld worden, maar dat doet aan het moment zelf niets af).

[@petervh1301]

​​@@benbos6625 dit is compleet onwaar. De voorrang is verdeeld in prioriteiten. Allereerst gaan aanwijzingen van een agent of verkeersregelaars boven alle andere verboden/geboden. Daarna verkeerslichten, daarna verkeerstekens en daarna verkeersregels. Door rood rijden of lopen en denken dat je voorrang hebt is krankzinnig. Pas als het groen is zijn de overige regels van belang.

[@snapgab]

​@@benbos6625De voetganger heeft niet altijd voorang. Bij een ongeluk tussen een auto en een voetganger is het wel het geval dat standaard wordt aangenomen dat de autorijder schuld heeft, tenzij het tegendeel wordt bewezen. Maar als je door rood loopt is dat tegendeel makkelijk te bewijzen.

[@cebruthius]

@@benbos6625 Dat je als voetganger bij door "het rode mannetje" lopen meestal geen bon krijgt, betekent niet dat je voorrang hebt. Terug naar school jij.

[@LNicoleQ]

I absolutely love at 2:13 and 2:20 when you show “before” and “after” and describe how the Dutch had to fight to make it happen. It would be great if you could show more examples like this from around the world!

[@nicthedoor]

I did the same in London and Paris but have yet to share that footage.

[@Vinz3ntR]

Go cycling in the east of the Netherlands. Especially the area around 'De Veluwe' or around Arnhem and Nijmegen which are also interesting for looking at remains of ww2 battles, especially around Arnhem because of operation Market Garden, lots of remains to visit and much more beautiful scenery

[@atmamont]

I live in Haarlem for 6 years now, moved here to the Netherlands from a city where 24 floor apartment buildings are common. Can't stop loving this country and people. It hit me hard when I realized I use the same bike lanes as you did when I commute to the office in Amsterdam, next ride I will try putting myself in your shoes and appreciate everything one more time as I did when I just arrived here. Good luck!

[@EdurtreG]

En, kun je nu ook Nederlands spreken na al die jaren?

[@atmamont]

@@EdurtreG natuurlijk wel!

[@basbrouwer7842]

looking forward to seeing more of this man! Its nice to have an outsiders perspective on all the things we as Dutch people tend to take for granted. Thanks!!

[@Perikles34]

This, I really enjoyed it and am sure I will enjoy biking even more in the NL!

[@EdurtreG]

We take all this "import" for granted. Any fool with a moneybag can come in.

[@man742]

Excellent video and commentary, I am looking forward to more!

[@fishbert17]

I'm new to your channel and love this style of content. More please. We had our first trip to the Netherlands recently and stayed in Haarlem and were blown away by the amazing cycling infrastructure. Really ought to be adopted globally

[@nicthedoor]

Working on it :)

[@antonfloor4649]

I was sceptical when you started about trusting an urbanist who's also a motorsports fan. But then I saw the Ferrari logo and realized you know the true pain of high hopes and continuous disappointment and it all made sense. Much love from a fellow urbanist and Ferrari fan. Welkom in Nederland!

[@nicthedoor]

Leclerc on the back for extra pain.

[@mreese8764]

6:40 The Vaalserberg (322.4 metres) was the highest point anywhere in the Netherlands until the Caribbean island of Saba, with its 887 m (2,910 ft) high volcano, was incorporated into the country as a "special municipality" in 2010.

[@IIVQ]

And even then. About 40 km north, in the same dune row, you have Schoorlduin, 52m high.

[@MrIize]

You're right! That remark left me stunned, we even have bigger natural hills than 10 meters above sealevel lol. Biggest of them is Haantjesduin 30m NAP.

[@andydinwoodie1497]

Great video. I lived in the Netherlands for 3 years and loved the bike infrastructure

[@pauljakeman]

I already wanted to go to the Netherlands. This awesome video (fantastic work btw) makes me want to go even more!

[@bobdelul]

Everytime I'm in another country and people ask me for tips about traveling around the Netherlands. I always tell them to explore by bike. You just did that. Well done, glad you enjoyed it!

[@vincenzosgarage]

Vivelde tires at 4:04 is my tire-shop! Fun to see them in this video. Glad you were able to enjoy The Netherlands!

[@BlackHawkNL]

Ik vind het zo mooi om plekken te herkennen in videos van buitenlandse KZbinrs 😂 dat kasteel in de intro is Nyenrode in Breukelen kom daar dagelijks langs😂😂😂😂

[@MathieuTechMoto]

This is making me wanting to go bike in the Netherlands even more !

[@nicthedoor]

Do it! You'll have a great time!

[@Dessi101]

Just watched your Netherland series in one go and I loved it! Living in Sweden we want to be like the Netherlands with their awesome bike infrastructure but we're not even close. This makes me want to visit the country and bike around just like you. Heck we even have a direct flight from my town to Amsterdam!

[@mdhazeldine]

Just returned to the UK from a week in the Netherlands with my kids. We biked for a day around Utrecht, which was brilliant. Having watched so many urbanist videos in the last few years, it was great to go back there again and experience first hand all the things I've been learning about on KZbin. It really does all just work very well. Every country needs to just copy what they do as much as possible (obviously something won't work, but most will).

[@Jell0zz]

As somebody who moved from the city to a village, since the cities offer little for very high costs, I'm not a fan of our treatment of cars. Cars are being bullied out of the cities, but not by making other transportation more attractive, by making their usage expensive and without any regard for commuters. E.g. you can spend about half a daily salary just on parking near your minimum wage job, add to that the other daily expenses and not to mention the extortionate rent =living in Dutch cities=> Homeless or Penniless. Without social housing to fill the gap, minimum wage workers would only be children/students/homeless...

[@mdhazeldine]

@@Jell0zz I agree that social housing is important, however you need to realise that from an international perspective, your country is treating cars just about the best of anyone. Cars in cities are generally a bad idea (for so many reasons), and having a national network of protect bike infrastructure, plus a very good regional train network and an extensive network of well maintained motorways between cities...it really doesn't get any better in any other country I can think of. You have more options than anywhere else. Is it perfect? Probably not, but show me another country that is doing it better and explain why. Maybe there's something I haven't considered.

[@Jell0zz]

@@mdhazeldine Oh don't get me wrong, I am proud of our infrastructure. But it's getting worse, public transport costs about double what a car journey costs for instance. I know countries where it is worse, because of splintered networks, but still. Personally I think we should lift/ride share a lot more, it used to be more common when people were more community oriented/trusting, and we have great ideas such as P+R parking zones at the edges of cities but those are being encroached on by for-profit parking. It's silly to park in a main street, but when you can't park anywhere without paying you're introducing quite the cost to the daily commute. Those with good jobs don't care, they can afford the fee and often don't need to pay it since they get a parking spot @ the office, or can claim it back on their employer.

[@Jell0zz]

@@mdhazeldine I'm generally quite happy with the infrastructure, it's manageable because our country is incredibly small, but it & all public services should completely be nationalized in my opinion. We have some silliness, #&$@! speed bumps, but the motorways are great. I'd argue German road rules are better, but so are most of their drivers so, I don't know if unlimited fast lanes could work in The Netherlands. Besides, we already have 170 km/h roads if you're rich enough to cop the fines.. An example of silly urban planning can be found in Utrecht, I can look up the road if you want, an internal dual carriage ring road got turned into a single carriage and speed limit went from 50 km/h to 30 km/h in many places. It looks nice, but it's horrible for delivery trucks and the .5 mile long queue is now a mile long queue. Oh and speed limits are suggestions here, because they are too low and hardly enforced, nobody actually drives them it seems.. it's like they now expect you to drive 40 in a 30 zone rather than 60 in the old 50 zone (km/h). Set a proper speed limit and enforce it, why should anyone drive the speed of a cyclist when the street is empty? Why do I drive 50 in a 50 zone and get passed by people going >75 km/h, if they make it 30 maybe they'll drive 50, but I won't since it's quite the fine. If you have to drive 30 km/h, you might as well bike, you can reach those speeds without electric support. In fact, you drive 30 (or 50) km/h, to be passed by electric bikes that aren't supposed to go faster than 25 km/h.. My dad likes to say our country is designed for the mentally challenged, it's very well managed but is oppressively patriarchal at times, "You don't live here, you're being lived." he'd say.

[@repelsteeltje90]

​@@Jell0zzje vader klinkt als een oude zeur en jouw eigen stukjes zijn totaal onduidelijk. Wil je nou een land waarin iedereen zo hard rijdt als hij wil en overal gratis mag parkeren of vind je e.e.a. wèl geregeld hoort te worden maar dan zonder regels?

[@ActiveTowns]

Love it, Nic! Going to post this on my community board and Patreon. It was wonderful catching up with you in Amsterdam a few weeks ago. Cheers!

[@AlbertWeijers]

I live in the Netherlands and appreciate what we have here, also great for running! Nice video.

[@jameshansenbc]

5:43 Well said and well put. My opinion is a big part of it is the US/Canadian suburban planning model where large multi-acre developments seek to maximize land use from a profitability perspective. Public squares (and Main Streets) form organically when it is individual business owners and builders contributing to a city, they open near each other to form symbiotic relationships, like a patron at a cafe may cross the street to a bakery to get a croissant for example, so they congregate together and make it easy for people to get between them on foot. Breaking out of this megadevelopment pattern and micromanagement of planning is the only way. Anyway Strong Townsy rant over, thank you for sharing your trip, really enjoyed it!

[@Jell0zz]

Our public squares are ancient, although they do get put in new development as well, and only the city centers generally are popular. There are plenty of squares where you can see the metaphorical tumbleweeds rolling by. Those tend to be used for markets for 1-2 days a week, or not used at all... Oh and our main streets are generally dying out, although there has been a push to prevent that amongst the population (we order too much online). Not as bad as the UK, but we're not back at their healthiest state.

[@tomreingold4024]

Yes, please make more like this. Thank you.

[@93elnym]

Thank you Nic. I live in Australia and experienced cycling in the Netherlands in 2012 and 2014. I almost "teared up" watching. The cycling infrastructure in Australia isn't great.

[@marjoleins691]

Thank you from a Dutch girl living in Florida. We use our Dutch electric bikes daily, but miss the bike paths in the Netherlands.

[@BlackHawkNL]

De fietspaden missen jou ook 🫶🏼 geniet van het Florida weer😊

[@666marat666chanel]

Florida? wtf? how is it living in that shithole after the Netherlands? :D

[@luierdaneenpamper3877]

oh wat vet! wat zijn de grote cultuurverschillen die je tegen bent gekomen?

[@GUITARTIME2024]

At least it's flat, just like NL.

[@repelsteeltje90]

​@@GUITARTIME2024but with electric bikes that's not really an issue, right?

[@stuarthys9879]

Great video. I’ve visited the Netherlands before, but I didn’t realize that there’s such nice coastal routes. Now it’s on my list of travel destinations!

[@sheilajones9249]

I absolutely loved these videos, please do more.

[@pascalekaiser1396]

Great video. Quality stuff, keep it comin2

[@knol1969]

The highest dune on our coast is at Schoorl with 55,5m high.

[@CasperHulshof]

Altijd heerlijk om met de trap er tegenop te klimmen.

[@andrelam9898]

I have great memories of climbing the klim duin at Schoorl. That was in the 1970’s. We went back around 2009 with my then 8 year old, daughter to schare the experience. It was a bit more built up by then, but still fun.

[@aeiouaeiou100]

3:10 There's a legal difference between these two signs. The sign that says 'fietspad' is non compulsory bike path meaning there's also another nearby road you can bike on. The round sign with a bicycle signal is a compulsory bike path meaning you have to cycle there and nowhere else. Although they are sometimes also mixed up by the road authority themselves. Also the 'fietspad' sign does not allow mopeds under 25km/h and the one with the bike sign does.

[@volvo480]

No it doesn't, unless there is a pictogram of a moped on the sign as well. On a "fietspad", everything with an internal combustion engine is not allowed. On a bicycle path (blue round sign with pictogram of a bicycle) everything with a legal speed up to 25 km/h is allowed ("snorfiets"), the rest needs to take the main road.

[@aeiouaeiou100]

@@volvo480 I meant under 25 km/h*

[@stepheneamonn]

Haarlem has been my adopted home town since I moved here 8 years ago, and I still love it. Thanks for your amazing video!

[@dynamo4844]

Brings back that nice dutch summer vibe to the Cold german winter.

[@The123somerandomguy]

Did something similar last year but it was from Amsterdam all the way down the coast to Dunkerque, best parts were between Zandvoort & Den Haag as well as Zeeland, (especially Zeeland) lovely places to see!

[@chicagobybike]

I did almost this exact trip (in the other direction) in 2019. It was such an amazing experience! So far you captured the exact thoughts and feelings I had. The trip had such a profound impact on my perspective. I can’t wait to see the rest!

[@meticulousgeek]

Liked it and it's always cool to see how people like the cycling over here. Thanks for sharing!

[@Ribeirasacra]

6:45 What do you think of Vaalserberg? A hill which is 322.4 metres above Amsterdam Ordnance Datum.

[@Pannenkoek32]

I’m really happy you are so enthusiastic about biking and pointing out the positive infrastructure features we Dutchies take for granted. And of course, amazing to see my sweet city Haarlem and the dunes to the coast. Really nice video and nice ride!

[@wilcovanwinden6581]

Actually, the reason that so many people use the bike or public transport to get to Zandvoort on race days (especially F1) is because the townsfolk don't want the entire place clogged up with cars and there's no place for them anyway. So on F1 days the town is basically no-entry for cars, and NS runs an enormous amount of trains from Haarlem to Zandvoort.

[@krissingleton7512]

Nice video, you seem like you're doing (much?) the same loop as we did earlier this year. LOVED IT. Please do more of these, more details on the infrastructure, to help me build it in MD

[@nicthedoor]

Thanks! Working on it right now 💪

[@Bruintjebeer6]

I admire you that you got on your bike upon arrival If I come from the US I have such a jetlag that I need to sleep for a couple of hours first or get really sick. I hope you enjoyed your stay in the country and had good weather while biking.

[@HarryNohara]

My advice; do not go to the Netherlands and think Amsterdam is the 'pearl' of the Netherlands. It is not. Especially not for cycling.

[@Talittli]

Jup

[@Sponge1310]

Or just don’t go to Amsterdam period. There are so many other cities and towns that are a lot nicer to visit and will actually give you a much better “Dutch experience”.

[@ike1660]

Just like most capital cities in Europe, and probably other places, Amsterdam is very much separate from the rest of the country.

[@Jell0zz]

​@@ike1660And just like most European capital cities, it's been in a rapid decline, locals leaving the centre because living has become unaffordable and everything in the centre is a rip-off..

[@luanzondervan7402]

Amsterdam is definitely the prettiest city in the country, lie to yourself all you want😂

[@robcherry6734]

I’m happy you found Haarlem as great as we do (6yrs in December🎉🎉🎉)

[@DenUitvreter]

Somewhere in the 90's peace broke out between cyclists and motorists. "Car people" of any kind will take the bicycle without thinking about it. There is also huge dirt motorracing themed music festival in the very rural East of the country this weekend called de Zwarte Cross. The bike parking there is even more impressive, people from all over the country come by car and stay at the camping but people from nearby come by bicycle, because it's easier but also because they want to have beers. Police has been tolerating drunk or slighty intoxicated cycling for decades, this is also part of the success of these events but also the liveliness of city centres like Haarlem. It's just more relaxed when you can just have a glass of wine or two when you feel like it.

[@fork8972]

4:30 rather confusingly, you don't have to yield for pedestrians at the shark teeth (art. 80 RVV 1990). That's why there's always a separate zebra crossing present for pedestrians in situations as shown.

[@vitamaltz]

Loved this! I wanted to take a Dutch cycling vacation this year but will probably have to delay it. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@podr0znik1]

You're asking if you should keep making these videos? Dude, you're inspiring me to go back to my own country again and pick up a cycle! It's the greatest way to see my country.

[@baux_dud]

I absolutely love this! I'm so excited to see what insights you can give us about fantastic human-scale infrastructure like this

[@alcidesforever]

FYI The two different traffic signs ( 3:11 ) have a different meaning. The circular one, with the picture of a bike on it, means it is mandatory to use it, i.e you are not allowed to use the road next to it with your bike. That road is problably for cars etc. The rectangle one with 'fietspad 'writen on it, means it is an optional bike path. You dont have to use it as a cyclist, you can also use the road or path next to it.

[@martijn7593]

Great video bro! 👊 Im proud of my great country!!

[@IliaDem]

Your route is very similar to the one I want to take some day. Although I want to visit bike parks in Rotterdam and XC courses in Utrecht, so I'll travel with my trail bike.

[@mardiffv.8775]

Excellent video Nick, keep it up. Both entertaining and educating.

[@DamaxThomas]

Loved the vlog and showing the Netherlands around. Continue!

[@holotape]

Awesome video! I love that place and recognized so many of these places. I laughed when you were suddenly wearing the Ferrari shirt. 😂 I need to go back…

[@PinderProductions]

Great video, looking forward to seeing more. As a fellow motorsport enjoyer who bikes everywhere, I sometimes contemplate the big contradiction between the two and enjoy both anyway. Better the cars are on the track than in the city

[@tammo100]

If you see a sign with the bike symbol it is a compulsory cycle path. But if you see a sign with the text "Fietspad" it is not compulsory, you may use the road too if there is one.

[@josephwaggener9307]

I did this in 1992 and it was just as amazing!

[@Nopenopenonono-u3q]

Looks like a lot of fun. I had a similar experience when I went to Korea the first time and realized there was an off-street interstate system just for bikes. I went kinda crazy and every break I got turned into a bike-camping trip.

[@Koekefant]

If you ever plan on doing this again let us know! We could've shown you around Rotterdam and taken you boating on the Reeuwijkse plassen.

[@dimrrider9133]

In his intro you saw Rotterdam the Calypso building ;p so hes been there i think.

[@shaddapforever]

Congratsss on a great journey!!!!

[@AgentLemmon]

If you want to bike in the Netherlands you need to go to Zuid Limburg since there are some actual hills.

[@reneolthof6811]

Yip, only dunes near the seaside resorts in North and South Holland.

[@weiareinboud6990]

strowpwafels with the ow from snow, not the oo from Snoopy ;-)

[@Brinta3]

Yes, or an even clearer explanation: Stroop rhymes with soap.

[@aidanmccarthy9249]

I need to try this next time I visit the Netherlands. I wonder if I could make it to Rotterdam.

[@wainoxkatz1195]

oh i remember so much of that path, nice video! Did that route twice in the last 5 years, really recommended to explore this country by bike alone :)

[@fabadam]

I live in Haarlem, and have lived in Amsterdam, so it was fun recognizing nearly all the streets, roads and paths you rode on. But sariously, tallest structure at 11 m high in the dunes? It's just a lookout point. There are dunes and old dunes (Kopje in Bloemendaal) that are higher. Holland (the western provinces) are low, but not that low.

[@BommeltjeNL]

Very nice video !! I always hope when people visit the Netherlands, that hey have nice weather. The Netherlands is so much more nice to be with sunny weather ✍️☀️👍

[@MLWitteman]

Hope you enjoyed my hometown of Haarlem. Great video man!

[@sergeleon1163]

Great video, I like the style and great you enjoyed your biking time here in the Netherlands

[@Dutch-linux]

you should explore more areas in the netherlands we got so much to offer!!

[@Wuzzy-qp9kn]

I used to take these routes all the time, great memories

[@bengt_axle]

Decades ago, I did many of the trips you feature in your Netherlands videos. I had a rail pass and with that I could rent a bike in practically every Dutch city served by the trains, right at the rail station. I might have cost something like $5 a day (it was the early 90's). Since there was no internet, the train stations also served as a tourist accommodation office, where travelers could get matched up with a family that rented a bedroom in their house, for singles or couples. It was a great way to travel and I did the same thing in Denmark. I think if one is traveling to these countries today, wanting to do the same trip, they should enquire if a bike can be rented there, with their rail pass.

[@smokeajeff]

U should visit Rotterdam and Dordrecht, Scheveningen(The Hague), Hoek van Holland, Rockanje, Vlissingen and Middelburg and also Goes, Willemstad, by boat the Biesbosch (near dordrecht), Utrecht, Breda and Eindhoven and uhh yeah those are my favorites still also check out the Islands north but dont go there in December, no fun😅 ive been to Groningen state and city but not so many times because i was younger

[@docklandsroad]

8:10 I don’t know about cycling Zandvoort Circuit, but once a year you can run on it, during the Zandvoort Circuit Run in March. 🏃‍♂️👍

[@RaabStephan]

Looking forward to the rest of your trip!

[@FO0TMinecraftPVP]

4:30 the yield (shark teeth) is not for pedestrians. Traffic must only stop for pedestrians if theres a zebra crossing

[@Brinta3]

I thought you were wrong so I looked it up, but you were right! “De bestuurders moeten voorrang verlenen aan bestuurders op de kruisende weg.” And pedestrians aren’t ‘bestuurders’.

[@CanyonWanderer]

Another great video, thanks!

[@mediataal]

Great Man. Looking forward to your next video!

[@cappallCogadh]

Hi Nic, catching up on your video. I really like this style of video. After watching this, makes me want to find my passport and google “how do I become a citizen of the Netherlands?” I live in a North American city, with of course, crappy bike infrastructure. It is getting better, but constant push back.

[@jordico0]

I love the urban commentary videos, good job keep it up 👍

[@enricio]

Joyful to watch. 😎. Your voiceover sounds exactly the same as the voice of Not just Bikes; another channel on this platform. 🤔

[@nicthedoor]

I'll have to check out his channel!

[@Linda-hs1lk]

I was in Haarlem and Bloemendaal yesterday. I grew up near Rotterdam but I was never there. Now I live in the east. What a beautiful city!

[@dogsandbicycles]

I did a bicycle tour through the Netherlands when I was 14 with a friend in the early 90s. We cycled all the way to and from the Netherlands. Then again, we lived only 60km from the border. The Netherlands did not have the cycling infrastructure it has today but it was already pretty good.

[@athbhreith7391]

I just got back from running a decent portion of the Netherlands .. and I think now I’m going back to experience it on a bike- love that you hit the circuit , and ate some StroopWaffles. Yes, What the hell are we doing in North America?

[@bluelive23]

That bikepath between haarlem and amsterdam there is a spot where my brother fell in the water while we were on a bike adventure 30 years ago, he was really grumpy on the cycle back ;p

[@fredkamsteeg2715]

There is a difference between a “fietspad” (in words) and a sign of a bike. The first is only for bikes, so no mopeds. On the latter “fietsen met hulpmotor”, so mopeds are allowed.

[@kailahmann1823]

interesting wording; don't the Dutch usually call them "snorfietsen"?

[@fredkamsteeg2715]

@@kailahmann1823 I used the official term for all mopeds; “snorfietsen” are electric bikes, like fat bikes, they are allowed on lanes marked “fietspad”. Yes, even the Dutch are confused.

[@andrelam9898]

I grew up in Haarlem in the 70’s. Even back then in a hot summer’s day the best way to get to Zandvoort was to take the bikes. There was / in limited parking and that limit can cause quite a backup on the roads. Back then you could stand at the fence at one of the turns and see the race cars go by just a few feet way. Clearly that was not safe and any crash would have caused carnage to the spectators standing at this very modest fence. It wasn’t long after that they added bigger barriers on the track side, bigger fences and an additional, fence keeping spectators on the outside much further away. No kore free “peak” at the race cars, but also not a chance of getting hurt. Safety is good… but less exiting.

[@pieterbassie85]

Love it! Ill keep my eye out for the next one!

[@truusjoosten9447]

At 1:12 you cross the one spot in Amsterdam where there are NO priority rules for the cyclist and pedestrians, you just have to watch out and deal with whatever situation you find yourself in. It turned out to be the safest way to ‘structure’ this! 🤯

[@barbarabauling7513]

They de-structuralised the area behind the Central Station in Amsterdam after it was modernised because they couldn't decide who had more priority, pedestrians or cyclists. It has become an iconic part of the infrastructure in Amsterdam, and works amazingly well. :)

[@shoelacedonkey]

I'm still amazed that I haven't been in, or even seen an accident happening there even though I'm there multiple times a week. The only accident I've witnessed was a policecar (mildly) hitting a taxi on the adjacent road. 😄

[@IIVQ]

@@barbarabauling7513 It wasn't that they couldn't decide. It was a deliberate decision to use a concept called "shared space" there. Due to the percieved danger people drive slower and less accidents happen. Which is more or less the same basis as the US Road Diet.

[@reuireuiop0]

Yeah, it's named "shared space" but it's more like occupied space. When both the Ferry from across the river, and major trains have arrived, the place is flooded with pedestrians and through traffic on a bike it's next to impossible. At other times, pedestrian traffic is light, bikes on both just had the green traffic light, it's pretty hard to cross that road on foot, as them bones don't stop when they're in mass. Almost like trying to enter a herd in stampede.

[@repelsteeltje90]

​@@reuireuiop0regular share space user here: it actually works pretty well, although I concede that it can look intimidating when a large group of cyclists is coming your way, and yes, I have seen people who seemed too terrified to cross, perhaps you were one of them? 😊 So, it may take some bravery to enter the shared space but it works, and I have never seen an accident there.

[@xxypsilonxx]

Did you know that on that route halfway between Amsterdam and Haarlem you can even find wild orchids along the cycle path?

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Ah Haarlem, the town I was born and grew up in. Too expensive for me nowadays, but I enjoyed the surroundings to the full in the 27 years I lived there.

[@kailahmann1823]

The Dutch don't have hills, they have wind instead :) …and sometimes rain. And wind blowing the rain into your face :)

[@Piekartz]

Sometimes?

[@wandeling127]

Great video, well done! Btw most people hate those noisy stinky mopeds too. Some city centers have banned the use of the older, most polluting ones. Can't wait for all of them to be replaced by something electric to be honest.

[@koakie1]

i've cycled your planned trip several times, making the round trip in one day on my racing bike. Then i saw the bike you rented, yeah I couldnt do it in a day on that bike.

[@dipdip7250]

This guy is living the dream

[@jeffwilcox]

Love it, thanks! Those dunes were fun to ride.

[@bikeamour]

What you call surprisingly hilly are the sand dunes. The natural dike alongside the coast.

[@countersurprise]

Loved your video. I hope you'll get a chance to upload the next episodes soon as well!

[@Fr0stflame]

Should you ever consider another bike tour through the Netherlands, I can definitely recommend starting around Utrecht and going east from there. It's a very different landscape (much more forests) but just as nice and bike friendly 😇

[@nicthedoor]

It's on the list! I can't wait to explore more of the country.

[@eefaaf]

Having grown up in Haarlem, and riding around there with my friends on my bike in the 60s, we enjoyed going into the dunes, and into Bloemendaal where we could descend some steep roads at kamikaze like speeds. Not the best time for your breaks to give out, as once happened to a friend. We were halfway home before he could stop :)

[@Remi-B-Goode]

Interesting! I m in Belgium and went to toronto (america) a few times, it is really a different world...

[@BlueAlgon]

Nice video. Thanks.

[@pietervoogt]

Very well made video. Good editing, good information, good crappy jokes.