Well, That was Interesting

[Peter Korsten]

Gert van Santen schreef:

> If you want bike-friendly, come to Holland (yes, Peter ;-)

Except Amsterdam. :)

Actually, the whole of the Netherlands is super bicycle friendly. There 
are some hills in the very south, sandwiched between Belgium and 
Germany, but apart from a few nasty climbs it's all nice. See, the Dutch 
are just as organised as the Swiss, but without those pesky mountains. 
:) (I remember Martin mentioning something about that he couldn't get it 
up when he had two young women in his car.)

So you have bicycle paths practically everywhere, and usually they are 
separate from the main road. If you cycle from Amsterdam to Zandvoort on 
the seafront (I've done it once, only 25 km as the crow flies, but then 
I had to get back again), you have dedicated cycling paths practically 
the entire trip.

Especially the bit in the dunes, where you go over a cycling path that 
is completely dedicated, with not a road in sight (only the railway at 
certain points), rolling up and down and with many bends is *fantastic* 
to do on a mountain/city bike. Put it in the highest gear and try to 
break the speed record.

Because the bicycle lanes in my native country are like billiard tables 
but with more friction, my MTB/CB doesn't have suspension. It's a bit 
like the handbrake on your car in the Netherlands: largely superfluous.

Unfortunately, I've hiked on mountains that were smoother than some of 
the roads we have in Malta, and a Lunokhod would probably be a better 
choice of vehicle than an otherwise perfectly good MTB without 
suspension. That, combined with the driving skills of the average 
Maltese that would put Stephen Hawking to shame, and the weather that is 
simply harsh in summer, makes that a car is the overall healthier choice.

- Peter