I have not written about bicycle culture in The Netherlands. In Amsterdam, bicycles outnumber cars at least 10 to 1 and maybe higher especially in the old part of the city. This could be a result of gasoline prices that are around twice those in the US. It could be that parking is severely limited and expensive. It could be that it is difficult to drive around all of the canals and over the hundreds of bridges. It could be that there are bicycle lanes on most of the streets as well as special traffic lights. It could be that there are huge parking garages and reserved spaces for bicycles. In any case, the city is overwhelmed by peddle power. The bicycles are mostly equipped with upright handlebars and limited gears. Riders rarely wear helmets and dress like normal people.
We started our cruise this morning during breakfast. We left Amsterdam and cruises for an hour or so. When we stopped, we got off of our barge and were fitted to our bicycles. Ann has an e-bike, an electric assisted bike. It is very heavy but practical. It is a bit clumsy to start and stop, but the assist feature makes pedaling a lot easier. My bicycle is not as heavy as hers, but it has a triple in front and an 8-speed cluster in back. I will probably never get out of the middle chain ring during our tour.
There are 22 of us following a ride leader who is part of the bike and barge tour company. There are no maps or route sheets which makes following the leader mandatory. Because the riding abilities of the people in the group range from expert to beginner, the pace is dictated by the slowest rider. One of us volunteers to be a sweep.
Because of intermittent internet problems, I will try to continue this blog later.
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