When it comes to cycling, the Dutch know what they are talking about. The Netherlands has featured often on these pages although as a cyclist, I’ve only ever spent a day and a bit travelling in the country. Back in 2015, it was cycling day 42 of my quest from Tarifa to Nordkapp and I spent a very happy few hours cycling from Maastricht to Aachen, just the other side of the German border. When returning to the UK at the end of the expedition, I had an unexpected ride along the canal from Rotterdam train station to where P&O Ferries define ‘Rotterdam’ to be – which is about 20 km along a canal from where most people define Rotterdam to be… It is, without doubt, a great place in which to cycle. In fact, I can prove it. Here’s a video that I took en route to Aachen before crossing the border into Germany. As you watch, compare (if you are a British cyclist) it with your average British town:

Have you stopped weeping yet?

Anyway, as you can see, I have a soft spot for The Netherlands. Who wouldn’t? This morning, however, my level of esteem for the country has increased. This is why:

Het is een boek waarin je je lekker kunt verdiepen en als het ware meereizen met de auteur. Niet verstoken van (af en toe lichtelijk sarcastische) humor en de eigen kijk op de wereld van de auteur komt duidelijk naar voren, maar dit laatste is allesbehalve storend. Je wordt mee genomen op een fantastische trip door Spanje, Frankrijk, België, (stukje) Nederland, Duitsland, Denemarken, Zweden om uiteindelijk via Noorwegen aan te komen bij de Noordkaap. Een reisverslag waarbij je samen met de auteur door zon overgoten streken rijdt, maar ook kletsnatte trajecten mee maakt, vermoeiende beklimmingen en de benauwdheid in de Noorse tunnels. Het is zo’n verslag waarbij je na de laatste pagina het gevoel krijgt dat je afscheid moet nemen van een gezellige reisgenoot.

Een echte aanrader voor wie van reizen en/of fietsen houdt. Voor wie in gedachten op avontuur wilt omdat het er in het echte leven niet van komt.

Yes, it’s great, no? Oh, sorry, you don’t speak Dutch… Here it is in English:

It really is a book that takes you along with the author on his amazing trip. Sharing his (sometimes a bit sarcastic) humour and his view on life on two wheels. Join Andrew and Reggie on a trip through Spain, France, Belgium, (tiny part) of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and finally the last part through Norway to arrive at the Nordkapp. A travelogue sharing easy rides in the sun, getting soaked in the rain, conquering mountains and surviving Norwegian tunnels. It really is a traveling story that gives you the feeling after reading the last page that you have to say goodbye to a good friend and cycling companion.

I can recommend this book to anybody who loves (reading about) traveling and/or cycling. Who wants to go on an adventure, even though it’s in book when it’s not possible to do it in real life. 

Needless to say, I don’t speak Dutch myself. The translation is courtesy of Frank, the person who wrote the review of Spain to Norway on a Bike Called Reggie on his website, Danifra.com. It’s always nice to get good reviews but when they come from the spiritual home of cycling, so much the better. Thanks Frank.

In The Netherlands, all of the books are available from Bol.com. The eBooks are also available from Amazon.nl. As they say in The Netherlands…