Great rides: electric-assisted cycling across the Netherlands

The UK has made some progress in terms of cycle paths, but many segregated routes are disjointed and can be impassable for the less able, with rough surfaces, gates and other obstacles. As an able-bodied 23-year-old, I can cope with these issues when riding. Disability means that my dad, Martin, can’t.

The amazing cycling infrastructure and culture of the Netherlands is why we have been to the country many times since Dad bought his trike there in 2014. Knowing the progressive nature of his condition, we decided to do a bigger tour while we still could.

In June 2024 we took a two-week trip. We visited five different areas and explored each of them by bike and trike. Dad uses a wheelchair, so we stayed in hotels with accessible rooms and drove between the different locations.

“I’ve always been very active,” Dad says. “I was a windsurfing instructor and I kayaked, sailed and enjoyed mountain biking. My steady physical decline due to Becker muscular dystrophy has meant saying goodbye to the water sports but cycling has remained a constant.

“Determined to keep cycling when I became a father, I bought an electric bike in 2002, before the e-bike revolution. When I tried out and decided to buy a trike at a specialist bike shop in Haarlem, near Amsterdam, I saw just how accessible cycling could be.”

The Netherlands has an amazing network of 29,000km of leisure cycling routes, in addition to lots more cycle infrastructure. Signage is excellent.

Every few kilometres, a numbered node directs you to subsequent nodes, and these numbers can be strung together in a list using the Fietsknoop (‘bike node’) app or one of the big maps you pass along the way. Plotting a route is as simple as writing a sequence of numbers on a piece of paper.

Red tarmac rules

Our first stop was a Van der Valk hotel in Cuijk, outside Nijmegen. It was easy to ride into the city on the adjacent cycle highway: a four-metre-wide red tarmac path with a dashed centreline.

We stopped at an impressively large cycle bridge over the River Maas, which had so much space for both cyclists and pedestrians. We also crossed the river on a simple chain ferry that carries pedestrians, cyclists and cars.

The primary reason for our trip to Cuijk was to explore across the border to the German town of Kleve. As well as being linked by roads, they are connected by a cycle track alongside a historic railway. We were inspired by watching a ride on the same route on the Bicycle Dutch YouTube channel.

It was a fascinating ride that took us past small villages in both countries. Arriving in Kleve, it was interesting to see another country with decent cycle infrastructure – although it wasn’t to Dutch standards.

We found a lovely forest path to take us back into the Netherlands. We rode under pine trees and dappled sunlight, and there were regular intersections with other cycling and walking routes.

Urban exploring

Our next hotel was outside the small city of Apeldoorn, next to the Veluwe, a large area of forest and heathland. It had a distinctly ‘country club’ vibe, with horses and hire bikes. An e-bike was less than £25 a day.

Next morning we followed a canal into the heart of the city, riding along a beautiful bike track teeming with other cyclists. In the city, we rode along quiet streets where cars not bikes were considered the ‘guest’ (auto-de-gast roads). We also used low-speed roads that were one way for motor traffic and two way for cyclists. It was fantastic.

Elsewhere, tarmac cycle paths threaded behind busier streets and around the edges of recreational fields. These efficient routes were often shortcuts, demonstrating to the undecided commuter that it would not just be healthier and cheaper to travel by bike but faster, too.

We were not surprised to see ‘oranje’ bunting and banners strung across the streets, as the Euro 24 football tournament was in full swing. We discussed the football with our charming young waiters back at the hotel, who spoke English almost as fluently as us.

Exploring the gently rolling countryside, we stumbled across Radio Kootwijk, a former long-range radio transmitter station from the 1920s, designed in art deco style. Here we were overtaken by a peloton of friendly road cyclists.

We could see why they’d be out here instead of mixing with motor traffic. Smooth concrete, tarmac and compacted gravel paths snaked through beech woodland, with sunlight illuminating the leaves, birds flitting between the trees, and seas of bright foxgloves.

This landscape gave way to expansive heathland, featuring heather, bracken, silver birch trees and skylarks singing. “It’s fascinating how nobody gave me a second glance there,” Dad said.

“Everyone seems to be equal no matter how you cycle or what your bike looks like. There were trikes, recumbent bicycles, side-by-sides, handcycles, wheelchair motor attachments, bakfiets (cargo bikes) and upright tricycles.”

Woodland wandering

De Bilt, outside Utrecht, was our next stop. Our first ride from there was into the city, the country’s fourth largest. Utrecht is a lively and popular place for young people. The university’s pride cycle path, celebrating unity and diversity, is the longest rainbow bike path in the world.

Considering how many cyclists and pedestrians were using this path when we were there, it was very easy and safe to negotiate. We followed canals and bike routes all the way through to the Dom Tower, the tallest church tower in the Netherlands.

The cycle path crossed the former US airfield at Soesterberg and continued into the forest nearby. We were struck by how easy it was to access green space, even for someone with limited mobility.

There were no barriers. Someone on a mobility scooter could go all the way from Utrecht city centre to the forest, along paths without interruption.

Hilversum is a town north of Utrecht. On one of the routes, the road for cars disappears into a tunnel while the cycle route continues uphill at street level, before sending cyclists into a tunnel of their own. In fact, Alexiatunnel is a stacked tunnel: the cycle path sits above the road, and both are underneath the train and bus lines.

We ate our lunch at the multi-use intersection of four roads. It was compelling to watch the smooth and consistent flow of cars and bicycles, in this instance sharing space but always with unparalleled awareness of one another, and no aggression or frustration at all.

Beaches and dikes

Heading west to the city of Dordrecht, we were keen to explore the Nationaal Park De Biesbosch. Along with other cyclists, we took a river ferry to the gorgeous wetland area, which is the largest freshwater tidal zone in Europe.

It’s otherwise accessed by small roads open only to service traffic. On our return, we stopped in Dordrecht’s ancient town square for afternoon tea, surrounded by leaning, old merchant houses.

Our final destination was historic Middelburg. It’s the largest town on the island of Zeeland, in the south-west of the country, and it’s full of listed buildings. We enjoyed exploring the town and appreciated the two-lane canalside cycle track that joined Middelburg with the port town of Vlissingen.

The variation of users was brilliant to see. Fast road cyclists, commuters, elderly couples chatting, joggers, dog-walkers, cargo-cycle riders, children and tricyclists were all prevalent. At Vlissingen we were surprised to discover that even the tops of lock gates were part of the coastal path, and they were completely accessible for Dad’s trike.

Heading northwards towards the EuroVelo 12 North Sea Cycle Route, we joined one of the longest and widest cycle tracks we had ever seen, by the beach and along a high ‘dijk’. Vast swathes of cycle racks were positioned either side of the path for beach visitors.

The islands are connected by the Oosterscheldekering storm-surge barrier. This flood defence, with huge closable barriers, is part of the Delta Works created after the disastrous 1953 floods.

It connects cyclists and motor traffic (segregated, of course) to an artificial island called Neeltje Jans. This island is well serviced by quiet roads and many cycle paths, and occupied by a myriad of wind turbines and a theme park.

The Netherlands is an ideal destination for any touring cyclist, but especially those with limited mobility, less confidence or an unusual cycle such as a trike. Segregated cycle paths run everywhere and are smooth and predictable, enabling you to ride and chat without jousting with cars.

Cycling in this environment, Dad is at the absolute peak of his freedom and independence. That’s worth so much to me.