Biking around

So, I got an impassionated request for a blog about bikes. The request came via my Uncle Pat. He has an amazing blog about biking in Spokane. You should really check it out here.

Anyways, this post won't do justice to the Dutch biking scene, but I will try.

Holland has an amazing public transit system. While many families own cars, most don't use them on a daily or even weekly basis. Instead they use the train, bus or they bike. You can almost anywhere in Holland via any three of these mediums.

The bike lanes here are very clearly marked, often they are seperate roads. They follow the main roads and highways (see here). There are roadsigns for bikers, telling them how far to the next city. It makes biking very easy and safe.

However, the flip side is that the rules regarding bikers and biking are much stricter. A couple of nights ago me and some friends were biking back from the pool and the cops pulled us over. One of the people we were biking with didn't have a light. She was lucky and only got fined 10 euros, however, the maximnum fine for that kind of infraction is 80 euros. So they take it pretty seriously. Having all these rules kind of dampens some of the fun of biking for me. In America biking feels a little bit less controled. I feel kind of like a lot of the rules of the road don't apply to me in the same way. Which isn't true technically, but practically it is (at least in my experience).

Anyways, all that aside it's really nice biking in Holland. Three days ago I went on my first 'long' bike adventure. It was a 25 km ride to a city called Maastricht. Although I didn't take the scenic route, it was still a beautiful bike ride. The bike path followed the main highway fairly closely, however, it was seperaed by a little strip of grass. It doesn't sound like much but it sure is nicer than hugging the shoulder while cars hurtle by inches from you. I ended up planning the trip terribly and had to take the train back in order to be home in time to help cook dinner. But now I know it can be done, so I will do it again.

Most people ride pretty heavy commuting bikes. I don't prefer to ride on them but they are nice enough. On nice days I see packs of spandexed bikers hurtling by. Although I've never had the oppurtunity to ride on a Dutch road bike, they look just as fast and efficient as their American counterparts. One interesting thing about European bikes is that the lock is built into the bike. A metal bar clamps between the back spokes and then you just lock it. Although it makes the bike heavier, it is nice not to have to carry a lock eveywhere you go (this was the same in India). I haven't done any bike work so I don't know what other differances there in terms of hardware.

Here is a picture of the bike I rode to Maastricht. I will try to post some more detailed photos of bikes as soon as I recharge my camera (my power adapter is all screwed up).

Ok, there is more coming on bikes. I have some videos I took and a few more photos. I will post those as soon as I can. Adios.