Biking

The Grand Depart – Rotterdam

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Rotterdam, Netherlands

Wow! Today was the kickoff to this year’s Tour de France and we had a beyond-full, exciting day. After breakfast at the hotel, we rode our bikes through the city of Antwerp to where our tour bus was parked. We are traveling in a group of 16 people with four guides. Today, eleven of us chose to ride a portion of the Tour de France course, which will be covered by the peloton tomorrow. We drove about half of the way to Rotterdam and then biked about 39 miles of the course. The ride was on bike paths which are parallel to the roads where the race will be run.

Everybody successfully completed the ride today and I won the prize for the most injuries. After two separate falls (damn those clip-in pedals), I had raspberries on both knees and on one elbow.

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Ouch!

At least my legs are a matched set! Besides my pride, nothing else was really damaged. And, the ride was spectacular! We rode up the western coast of Holland, across massive dams and bridges that control the water flow from the North Sea. It is often very windy and cold, but we had great weather during the entire ride.

After we met our customized tour bus, which holds our group and our bikes, we drove the rest of the route into Rotterdam for the Tour prologue. With VIP access, we were able to park the bike right up next to the action. Today’s stage, the start of the 21 day race, was a time trial. That means that each of the 197 riders rode an 8.9km course around the city. They took off one minute apart and arrived at the finish roughly one minute apart. The entire area of downtown Rotterdam was a huge party and we took it all in.

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Crowds near the finish line

Below you’ll see pictures of us exploring the area, including the media area and the festival area. We found something called the “vertical bike” in the festival area where they strap you in a climbing harness and put you on top of a bike. The faster you pedal the faster you rise up a tall pole. The goal is to reach the top as fast as you can. The record so far today, we were told, was 25 seconds. I did it in 56.5 seconds, but enjoyed the view as I was “climbing.”

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Vertical bike

The race itself was exciting with the crowd (and my) favorite, Fabian Cancellara finishing 10 seconds ahead of Tony Martin. Lance Armstrong finished a respectable fourth place and his American teammate, Levi Leipheimer, also finished in the top ten. The boys made us proud.

You can read all you want about the actual race on the Internet. Tomorrow we get to ride on the closed course, ahead of the peloton, and cross the finish line in Brussels. Then we will get our photos taken on the podium and gain access to the media area.

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Belgian Bikes and Beaches

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Brugge, Belgium

Today we began the day at the weekly market in the Brugge town square.The fruit, vegetables, cheese, meat, and flowers were all so fresh! We didn’t buy anything as we had just finished breakfast at the hotel, but if we were locals we’d be regulars at the market. From there we went to the top of the town belfry–the big tower with a clock and carillon. It was a bit of a hike up the narrow stairs but worth it for the view of the town.

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Marnie in the belfry

After the hike up we took advantage of the free bikes at the hotel. What we thought might be a short little trip to Damme, about 6 km away, turned into a fun 35 mile exploration. Belgium has miles and miles of bike lanes, most separated from traffic. They are all numbered and allow one to explore the backroads, farm houses, and small villages.

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Biking near Brugge

We headed north to the border of Belgium and the Netherlands. In the town of Sluis we got fresh croissants, ham, cheese and drinks and ate lunch along a beautiful canal. At that point we discovered that there are detailed local biking maps, so we bought one. The map lead us to the North Sea! And, did you know that Belgium has beach resorts? We rode along the boardwalk for miles before we decided to head back inland and to our home in Brugge. What a day!

Tonight there will be a carillon concert in the square. We didn’t even know what that was until we got here but now we know they are intricate church-like bells. We’ll report back tomorrow.

The picture below shows Steve with a few more beers.

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Pub established in 1515

He has challenged himself to try a different kind of Belgian beer at each stop and he wants me to take his picture. So, here is the evidence. The last photo was taken at the oldest pub in Brugge, established in 1515.

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Red Lights, Green Beer, and Yellow Bikes

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

We are shooting for the FULL Amsterdam experience. One day in town and we’ve already covered a lot of ground. Since our last report we explored the Red Light District and saw most of what it has to offer. The sight of scantily clad women in windows and the smell of weed wafting from the coffeehouses reminded us of the things we chose not “enjoy.” Still, we partook in the revelry by visiting several pubs and making friends with a number of other tourists. One group, in particular,caught our attention. Dads and Lads, a group of about 30 men in matching orange shirts, seemed to be everwhere we were.

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Red light district pub

After everyone had a few pints we learned that they were a group of Englishmen, fathers and 21-year old sons, celebrating the young men’s coming of age. What a place to come of age! With your Dad, no less!

Today we rented bicycles and explored the City. We rode along picturesque canals and busy city streets, always safe in a wide bike lane. We explored the beautiful Central Park-like Vondelpark, which was filled with sunbathers, runners, bikers, and families.

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Marnie and her yellow bike

We landed at the Heineken Experience and couldn’t pass it up. See the pictures below of our tour.

Eventually we decided to stop for a sandwich in Leidseplein Square. This is a popular area of the city with restaurants, bars, and street performers. Just as we sat down we watched a frail-looking old, toothless man erect a large pole with ropes attached. We were curious. Just about the time our food was delivered, the man stripped down to a bejewled thong and proceeded to do a Cirque du Soleil acrobat show right above us. The pictures we captured don’t do the spectacle justice.

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Thongman of Leidsplein

Tonight we are headed out to find a pub where we can meet more friends and enjoy the USA vs. Ghana match. It will be interesting to see who the Europeans are cheering for.

We love your comments so please write back and let us know how things are back home.

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