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My housemate recently moved from London to Amsterdam. The first time we met was at a picnic in the park – looking at my bike, there was a clear sign of worry on her face –“I haven’t ridden a bike since I was a kid… I can’t do it”. Obviously, this was the wrong thing to tell me – 2 minutes later; she’s riding round the park on my town-bike after some encouragement and realization that it’s not as hard to get peddling again as she thought. A few weeks later we bought her a bike – and now if we go out anywhere, the bike has to come too – no excuses, rain or shine!
The hardest thing about getting back on wheels in Amsterdam, is the sheer number of other cyclists, a complete contrast to the UK! The Dutch have grown up on bikes (I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a bike involved in the conception!). They’ve somehow learnt to ride, one hand on handle bars, the other holding a phone/umbrella, balancing bags of groceries, computer/handbag on the front and a friend on the back… it’s an art! They dart in and out of other cyclists, ding their bell at you as they pass and don’t bother looking to make a turn – if anything – they’re a hazard!
This makes a big difference to riding in the UK – and I’m not shy to admit that the reason I didn’t ride a bike in London was the sheer amount of vehicular traffic. I was fortunate enough to have decent quiet roads around me growing up, riding a bike regularly and encouraged to ride on the road. At the age of 11, I did a cycling proficiency course, now known as Bikeability – which of course not only encouraged regular biking but provided the confidence to ride on the road without feeling intimidated. This, in my opinion, is the key to feeling comfortable sharing a road with cars.
Recently, Cycletta announced that due to a lack of sign-ups (a shame in itself), the woman’s 40km cycling events will unfortunately no longer take place on closed roads. I’ve noticed quite a number of participants upset by this on the premise that this was the reason they were taking part, many of whom haven’t been on a bike in a number of years and are using the events to find the confidence again. Although I can understand the disappointment and anxiety of the event not being closed-road – I actually think it’s a good thing in the long run, after all – a network of bike lanes aren’t going to appear overnight. Obviously Cycletta aren’t going to release a group of woman on their bikes to a busy A-road – they’ll be doing what they can to ensure the participants have a safe and fun ride; discouraging local residents to use their cars at the time the group will be passing through and marshals along the route. I can only urge the participants to see this as an introduction to confident riding – which I hope in time will encourage future use of the bike in their own time, in and around their home towns… confident road cycling only comes from regular experience, and the Cycletta events will provide a good introduction to sharing the road safely and confidently. And, if you’re still not sure, there are plenty of websites providing advice on sharing the road, including TfL’s guide, the Highway Code for cyclists and tips and course information from Bikeability.
I think my housemate will also agree – the more she gets on her bike and the more she shares the road with cars, and the crazy Dutchies, the more confident and happy she is to do so!
In an effort to become a more rounded cyclist, I thought it was about time I learnt to true my own wheels (and ultimately save 18 euros of my precious money every time it needs doing!)
Bike maintenance is not intuitive at the best of times, and in my opinion always that little more daunting for a girl. It’s not like the local mechanic is going to share his techniques easily either, knowing you’ll no longer be taking your business to him. This is where YouTube comes in handy – simple step-by-step videos on how to do just about everything (I have to admit, I even had to look up how to screw my cleats on to my shoes the first time).
So, discovering that I needed a spoke key/wrench, otherwise known as a nipple wrench, I went into the next bike shop on my travels which happened to be a cute local shop in Edinburgh. What I hadn’t anticipated was the embarrassment of actually having to ask for such a tool, especially when accompanied by a non-cyclist. Conversation went something like this:
Me > I’ll just take the degreaser and lube please
[friend looks at me a little perturbed and trying not to be immature at the mention of lube]
Shop owner > Is there anything else you need today?
Me > Actually there is… erm… one of those…..
[...now this is where I had one of those 'movie moments' where I wasn't able to remember the non-immature/ rude name; "nipple wrench. nipple wrench. nipple wrench" repeating over and over in my head... so I proceeded...]
Me > I need a nipple wrench.. you know, one of those things to tighten the spokes
[At this point, not only do I turn a slight shade of red, my friend looks in shock at what he's hearing thinking I've forgotten I'm in a bike shop in Edinburgh and not a sex shop in Amsterdam (to point out, I do not frequent Amsterdam sex shops). This isn't where it ended though...]
Shop owner > Oh yes, is it for a normal sized nipple?
[Now at this point I was starting to find it difficult to hold together, let alone my friend who hadn't a clue what we were on about.]
Me> Excuse me?!
Shop owner > is it for a normal size nipple? You can get different sizes. Are they standard nipples?
[Now the shop owner is starting to look and sound a little uncomfortable realising he's not helping the situation by referring to 'nipple' every other word. Feeling a little overwhelmed with the conversation at this point I continue to hold my composure...]
Me > erm, yes, they’re just normal wheels. You know, the kind you get on a road bike…
Shop owner > Ok, good. Yes, you need one of these [pulling out the smallest of tools]
[I proceed to pay, my friend being un-usually silent, and leave the shop. We continue to walk down the street in silence before I break the awkwardness...]
Me > Well, that was a little embarrassing…
The good news is… I managed to true my own wheel, and ironically, it wasn’t as difficult or embarrasing as trying to buy the tools. I think I might go back to buying online in future!
It doesn’t take much to work out I’ve become a bit of a cycle-nut in the past year. For those of you that don’t know, I moved to Amsterdam from London in July 2010 to start a European adventure (although to be fair, at the moment you could call it a Netherlands adventure as I haven’t ventured far!).
Amsterdam in my opinion is the biking capital. Apart from the trams and the hazardous tracks, the bike comes first. Everything is done on the bike – commuting, shopping, drinking (see the infamous beer-bike), sight-seeing… And fear not, should you find yourself stuck at a party without your bike; there will always be another nut happy to carry you on the back (not subject to numerous accidents – can’t say it hasn’t made me more confident to just roll with it)!
As kids we spent many hours if not days on our bikes, encouraged by our Dad who used to ride professionally before our arrival. In the summer we looked forward to Le Tour; come 7pm, curtains were drawn, Dad’s beer was opened and silence was assumed whilst we watched the lycra-cladded cyclists ride one of the toughest events. I never imagined however that I would catch the cycling bug!
The accessibility, flat roads and number of cyclists couldn’t be more encouraging, and although finding a bike was a hassle (the Dutchies are the world’s tallest nation… I’m quite possibly the shortest person here) I bit the bullet and invested in my first road bike in February with the help of Evans Cycles and the kind advice from Bianchi Netherlands. It’s possibly the best thing I’ve done. I now try and get out on my bike at least twice a week (aside from my commute to work), with a long ride at the weekend.
I have built up a great community; many now considered friends, using various social sites such as meetup.com, runkeeper.com and tribesports.com. Although daunting at first, I soon realised that the community is everything – cyclists enjoy seeing others enjoying the sport as much as they do, male or female; making it highly motivating and encouraging, particularly knowing there’s support for all the little queries (i.e. ‘my wheel is buckled – what next?!’).
Most recently I discovered Cycletta. Supported by the British world and olympic champion Victoria Pendleton and sponsored by Sky Ride, Cycletta is a new UK community to encourage women to participate in the sport of cycling. For all levels and interests, whether that’s road enthusiasts or leisure riders, Cycletta organise closed-road events to help overcome the fear of getting on a bike and the many anxieties you may have. And even though this is a UK initiative, as an expat living abroad, it has still provided a great source of advice and encouragement.
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When I lived in London many of my colleagues commuted to work and would spend their weekends riding to Brighton or the likes. As a car-owner however, I was over-come by the amount of traffic, lack of quiet roads and low self-esteem. The mountain bike I had as a teenager only saw the light of day on the short paths of Tooting Common on a nice summer’s evening. As well as finding my surroundings limiting, there was also a lack of beginner/supporting community – particularly as a girl, not forgetting that growing up, there were never particularly any women professionals to aspire to. I can only wish that the support, such as that from Cycletta and Victoria Pendleton, had been there previously.
My biggest achievement in cycling so far (beyond managing to stay up-right at traffic lights – learning the knack to cleats was an interesting one!) was participating and managing not to be the last to finish, in the HTC Detour recently. I was surprised however to discover of the 50 participants, only 2 girls registered; myself being one of them! This was a little daunting knowing that the bunch of guys would be a lot stronger than me, but I soon realized that female or not, you’re part of the bigger cycling community and everyone is there to support you. I can only encourage more people, particularly women, to pump up their tires and start enjoying the freedom of being on a bike.
Upcoming Cycletta events include ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on September 11th and Tatton Park on 2nd October. To register and for more details visit the website or join the Facebook page.
The HTC Detour, a charity cycling race open to anyone with a working bike and over the age of 16, hits Amsterdam this Saturday in the very picturesque Amsterdamse Bos. First 10 entries receive an HTC cycling jersey (although capacity for the day is 450 riders, good luck to those wanting a jersey!), with the fastest rider of the day walking (or cycling in this case) away with a Scott Speedster S50, worth €800. There’s a prize for most originally dressed (?!) and not forgetting the female cyclists – there’s a special prize for the fastest girl on a bike too – which won’t be me, but I’ll give it a try. And I’ll make sure to document my progress on… you guessed it… my HTC!
