For those interested...
Finally the self-imposed mission has been completed: all 342 municipalities in the Netherlands have been visited by bicycle!
I started this project in February 2019. At first it happened without a plan, playfully and casually, later more purposefully. Braving the Corona epidemic of 2020-2022 (cycling turned out to be an excellent activity during that period when the world stood still). Thanks to sparring partner Will de l'Ecluse who gave me the tip and also completed his project earlier this year.
By registering the rides on the Strava app, my cycling tours were automatically filled in on the map of the Netherlands on Wielervrienden.nl. This link shows all municipalities crossed with the corresponding visit date: https://www.wielervrienden.nl/profiel/pleun-39461592 (click on 'Lists' in the menu bar).
Hundreds of photos along the way testify to our beautiful and versatile country. Every tour an adventure. Preferably via small roads, away from motorized traffic. Landscapes, skies, villages and cities, rivers and canals, bridges and (ferry) boats, dams and dikes, fields and meadows, forests and dunes, industrial estates and boring residential areas (unfortunately often unavoidable). Flora and fauna, scents and colors. And of course people, with dialects and accents.
On asphalt, concrete slabs, cobblestones, pebbles, gravel, grass, shells, packed earth and even sand (beach routes). With the help of bicycle junction numbers, Google Maps, ANWB signs, compass, sun position and remaining geography knowledge from primary school, 60 years ago. During all seasons, so under varying weather conditions. This way you can get somewhere and see something! Occasionally visiting friends who live further away.
The last trip - with the Brompton folding bike - was on Schiermonnikoog, the northernmost municipality of the Netherlands, on the eve of my birthday, together with Carolien. A beautiful ending under ideal conditions.
I rode almost all tours solo, the best way to relate to your environment, to orient yourself, to go freely and to optimally enjoy the senses.
There are three more 'special' Dutch municipalities overseas: Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius, but I will skip those. Flying is just going too far ;).
Rides in Belgium and Luxembourg are also recorded by Wielervrienden.nl. The current position is 22 municipalities in Belgium. It's a shame that the numerous tours I rode there from 1992 to 2019 have not been registered. Who knows, maybe there will be a rematch, but don't quote me on that.
Used bicycles (depending on the situation)
- Koga Signature (World Traveller)
- Koga Supermetro 1
- Koga Supermetro 2
- Koga F3
- Brompton
- RIH
- Cube
- Trek
Probably unnecessary to say that they are all two-wheelers without battery support.
Total distance traveled from 2019 to the present: more than 36,000 km (including the rides that are not on Strava). Strava rides: 473, according to the site. I have made more than one trip in many municipalities, even many around Amsterdam.
For enthusiasts: interesting information about the municipalities: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_Nederlandse_gemeenten