#12 – Ride a Dutch bike

Originally on the list at the suggestion of a friend was to ride a Boris bike.  Now I have never been much of a cyclist so this was something which was destined to be put off in the hopes of reaching 40 things before having to do it.  But then a trip to the Netherlands and well, lets be honest, if there is anywhere where you have to ride a bike it is here.  So I decided to give it a try.  Except the only option was my friend’s mum’s bike and I couldn’t even get on it, let along cycle it on Dutch roads, on the wrong side and with unfamiliar traffic rules, in a place I don’t know, in the snow and ice… yup, I bottled it!  But my friend doesn’t drive so the only transport options we had were walking or the bike.  And so my friends came up with a cunning alternative of me riding as passenger on the back.  Mirjam at nearly 9 months pregnant and with their 3 year old son Oliver already on her back obviously could not take me but Fabio is used to doing this with his own mum who is currently staying with them. 

And so I jumped on to the back shelf of Fabio’s bike.  The first stretch of journey was very very nerve racking!  Not that I didn’t trust Fabio, more that I mistrusted my own balance ability sitting side saddle on the back.  By the time we reached our first stop my legs were sore from the effort of holding them so stiff so that no passing car would clip them and so that they would not mess with the wheel or Fabio’s peddling.  At least being behind Fabio I was sheltered from the icy winds.  I kept thinking I should be looking around and enjoying the sights of Baarn but at this point I was too busy clinging on to Fabio while trying not to appear too scared.  We then walked for a bit and I pushed the bike to give Fabio a chance to recover (he insisted the problem was the icy winds not the weight behind him!). 

The second time I jumped on was much more fun.  I had managed to get a better balance and knew more what to expect.  This time I was able to enjoy returning the grins from little Oliver whenever the bikes levelled and to even enjoy looking at the scenes we were passing.  By the third and final journey I was able to blame any back weight on the shopping I was now carrying in a backpack and I was properly enjoying myself even though I was now freezing cold and it had begun to snow again.  Amazingly as we stepped through the door home and looked out again just minutes later the snow had got thick and heavy and we were very glad to be home in the warm house again.

So a bit of a cheat, but I did ride a Dutch bike …as a passenger!