A bunch of us met for a huneliggers ride through the countryside again today. Wonderful weather for it.
It was -7 C this morning, and had "warmed up" to -6 C by the time the ride itself started. That's still T-shirt weather with a velomobile, so of course I rode in my Mango, but whenever you get out you need to put a coat on sharpish. And of course you also need to wear a good warm hat and scarf while riding. But not gloves.
The countryside just looks so fantastically wonderful on a day like this. That is the reward for going out on a cold, but bright, day like this.The sun was relatively strong for a winter day, and there was no wind to speak of, so it was really rather pleasant. Good company is vitally important too, of course, and that's the reason to meet up with a bunch of people and ride together. Today, Peter, Robert and Harry were already at the start point. Harry set off towards home quite early as he had only come for the Marathon Winter studded tyres which I had brought with me. Peter and Robert both also live in Assen, so we rode back together through the countryside.
The cycle paths locally have not been swept quite so well this year as last. The weather has been difficult, thawing and re-freezing repeatedly. However, the "superhighway" stretch between Assen and Vries was quite good. I had few problems yesterday cycling within the city.Here's the video of today's ride:
The game that is being played is called Klootschieten.
In a recent post, I explained what a huneligger is.
Read my review of the Sinner Mango Velomobile.
Hmmm, white snow, blue sky, colourful Mangos...look good. Those bike trails looked ripe for studded tires for normal bikes. There was plenty of bouncing. Do those Mangos have suspension (at least for the seat)? You have the same temps as us in Toronto. The countryside looks nice indeed.
ReplyDeleteHi Michael. Yes, there's independent suspension for all three wheels. Not only your seat, but also the shell and all the luggage is suspended.
ReplyDeleteIt looks lovely today too. The same temperature and people have been skating on the frozen canal near our home.
Great video! Beautiful weather and you enjoyed it very well. Makes me wanna ride too!
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteLove the blog, it’s very informative and makes me very jealous, I try to cycle my original Old Dutch Batavus on the 14km journey to my office (when I’m in the office)using any way other than the main road until I get to the River Tyne where there is a cycle path all the way to the city of Newcastle but it depresses me because although there is a cycle path along the Tyne and past my place of work, it is rarely used for commuting, it's poorly maintained and generally covered with broken glass or currently covered in nasty ice and during the summer overrun with either walkers doing the Hadrians walkway or kids from the local estates hanging out (hence the broken glass). Everyone at work thinks I’m mad when I do, they are so car conditioned that they just don’t understand what satisfaction I can get out of a cold cycle to work. Anyhow, I guess what we have here is better than allot of places in the UK, so count myself lucky and the North East (I moved here from Brighton earlier this year) is a fantastic part of the country and as a bonus there is a direct ferry to Ijmuiden!!
I wonder if you could answer some questions for me? I am interested in your move to the Netherlands and how the family fitted in. I may have an long term opportunity with my current work to move to the country over the coming years and although my daughter is only a couple of months old at the moment, I wondered how your children settled with the schools and the language.
Also at what age can you put a child in a bike child seat? I'm raring to get the weein on the bike!
I like your music selection, as I often do. The video almost seems surreal, can't imagine anything close to that in the US.
ReplyDeleteDave, this morning I saw a velomobile on the bike path. The first one I've seen in Toronto. It looked like Strada. Yellow like your Mango. It looks better in real life than on videos. Like a jet plane without wings coming towards you. If only I'd have ten thousand bucks...
ReplyDelete