I Tried Cycling Across the Netherlands (without experience)

I cycled over 400km across the Netherlands in just 6 days, from north to south, without any real plan until literally the night before. After a 1800km drive from Barcelona, I started from Groningen with the aim being the country’s highest point in the south, Vaalsberg (peak 31/50).

This was an epic journey that tested my mental and physical strength. It was about testing my limits, getting lost (a lot), and proving that even if you’re not “bike fit,” you can still do something wild. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to cycle across a country in Europe, this one’s for you.

Thanks to @trekbikes for supporting me on this journey! Here’s the Dual Sport: https://bit.ly/trek-bikes-dual-sport
https://www.instagram.com/trekbikesspain/

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0:00-1:20 12 Hours to ‘Go Time’
1:20-6:29 Day 1: extra KMs
6:29-10:53 Day 2: without food
10:53-16:37 Day 3: The windmill
16:37-22:29 Day 4: All the detours
22:29-27:09 Day 5: Knee Crack
27:09-32:58 Day 6: Three Country Border

the journey to cross the Netherlands on bike starts now this is day one i had no idea what I was doing only a few weeks earlier I had gotten this bike we drove from Barcelona to the north of the Netherlands the day before starting I was checking what route I would take to Vssburg my end goal and the highest part of the country 6 days or 400 km i got lost i think I missed my turn in the wrong direction i just need to make sure I’m going the right way i ran out of food i forgot essential gear and it turns out being mountain fit doesn’t mean bike fit but somehow through rain detours I kept pedaling until the final day victory 31 let’s go baby and what happened by the end I’ll never forget it we’re in the Netherlands finally 18 hours of driving yeah you’re a champ 1,700 kilome we’re about to go past Omen i think that’s a good Omen ready for bed we arrived maybe an hour ago i need to sleep so tired going to do some stretches put on some of this like mental stuff for my muscles and then tomorrow it begins [Music] are you ready for your bike ride yeah I am as she takes a deep breath in yeah i’m just excited to get started i know I can do this the thing is I know it’s going to hurt my butt a lot there’s like some weird clicking with the bike when you gear change a little bit higher pump is like a pro expert at bikes you think we need lube or something i mean yeah I’ll go get this it’s not a big deal i wouldn’t worry about it you won’t be changing gears that much but is it comfortable is it tall enough it’s not comfortable the bike survived the journey but would I with what was coming next ready the journey to cross the Netherlands on bike starts now this is day one one of the bigger ones 110 km ahead we’re going from grown engine to swall here we go my legs are frozen and we just started i lost my headphones first stop of many yeah my bike seat like started turning all the way to the right and my tool kit is at the very bottom of course it is the real question is how am I going to get back to the van really i mean I’ll figure it out oh my god well hopefully there’s service the whole way cuz you didn’t download a map did you that’s the moment you know you up okay this is where we part ways unfortunately Pumpa has got to go back to the van back to Bella you’re doing at a great pace thanks you got this honey let’s do it get it how’s the other boy i’m just kidding i’m just kidding bye bye this is one of the reasons I wanted to come to the Netherlands the smell of those tulips the colors might as well get a little filthy i think I missed my turn i need to focus turn around lunch time this is actually the first break and I need to pee h have a tuna sandwich banana going really well and it’s really easy to follow the trail cuz you’ve got signs everywhere no rain so that’s nice you might be wondering why is not doing the whole thing with me originally he wanted to but the thing was we couldn’t find anybody to take Bella he actually offered to be like support crew and drive our van all the way up here from Barcelona which I’m super grateful got on the bike just freaking zooming through the Netherlands since I don’t have headphones I’m deep within my thoughts i’m past the point of planning the next peaks because I’m on this project to climb the highest peak in every European country hence why I’m cycling across the Netherlands yes so I’m having thoughts i’m really enjoying myself first of all second of all who invented bikes this is just brilliant who thought to put all these paths all around the Netherlands brilliant super great and in case you’re curious what the Netherlands smells like smells like cow i am almost done stage one straight shot to SW so I’m having a tactical coffee and apple thing which is already gone me wins the award for cuteness i got to see tulips and this epic windmill on the first day i can go home now no wait i got to get the peak first on the road again on the right road i actually left Maple in the wrong direction how you doing i’m good last 5K of 115 today I’d unlocked being able to take my right hand off the handlebars before I could never do that oh [Music] are you coming no which way are we almost there yes 2k to the vents 2k still yes come on man this last 2K feels like 20 [Music] i ate four bugs i saw six dogs and trolleys windmills tulips [Music] oh day two says report i’m sore bugs good morning memory of sunshine good morning day two let’s go 85 kilometers today will be amazing [Music] hey and just like that I was alone again and there was no end in sight the flatness plays tricks on your brain hello but this was nothing compared to what massive mistake I’d run into very quickly i’ve never seen the Netherlands like this before oh my gosh comment below what other country would be great to cycle across [Music] so I’m about halfway my first break for the day i’ve been doing my best to like just clock a bunch of kilometers i’ve got a weird sandwich it’s like fish and mustard but I wonder what Bella are having for lunch cycles our main food and I drink beer [Music] my biggest issue at this point was that I didn’t bring one of the things that holds your phone on the handlebars so I had to constantly pull the map out of my pocket or stop to check it day four would be the worst for this i stopped because one I was cycling like a mad woman down this road and the road is really narrow and I almost got hit by a car so I’m trying to get my maps back but the app’s not working apparently the app works offline so I downloaded all my maps offline there’s no network and it’s not working i just need to make sure I’m going the right way cuz every kilometer matters right direction but wrong path so the one I want is that way okay we’re back in business um hopefully I pass a town soon cuz I’m out of food and almost out of water okay let’s do this if I can oh my god it was nice to walk but my god it happened a deep lull stupidly I didn’t bring enough food and I couldn’t find a water source to fill up this is when the fatigue really set in muscles depleted and all I could do was take a pit stop and hope [Music] i made it i did it hello hi sweetie almost half the length of moving time wow i don’t know what I’m saying i need some food hello hello hello three puppies hello you got a sick hi how was your day was good yeah i mean I didn’t do much no i went back i had lunch and then I came to get you how’s it going how does it feel to have cycled 200 kilometers in 2 days it’s pretty awesome that I just did that but like my butt hurts so much but it was awesome wait for it holy crap hello day three a very late start today but for a very good reason it’s 1:30 the best thing is I don’t have a sandwich this time i actually have this delicious Thai food from last night from our amazing friends much better prepared in the calorie department going to try putting my seat up cuz Roger yesterday was letting me know that if I’m sore it could be because like my saddle setup is kind of wrong so I’m going to try bringing it up a little bit higher so I’m just on my tippy toes but actually I’m not that sore today the jacuzzi last night really really helped and I might as well just tell you so right after we finished day two we were invited to go over to our friend’s house this is actually the first time I was meeting them this beautiful family living here in the Netherlands like just spent an amazing evening having delicious food laughing i’m just like full of like happiness and joy like I love people and Kathy Roger and Aiden thank you so much we will see you very very soon i know it [Music] i don’t know if this is like the best idea or the stupidest idea but my old bike shorts so I put it on top of the seat and just like maggyvered it with my elastic extra padding let’s do this [Music] this is gorgeous this part is something out of a movie i didn’t fully realize I’d have to pay for this ferry duh of course nothing is free in this life when I got on the boat I saw people paying and I had to scramble to get my wallet out which was deep in my bag of course so silly yes such a cool windmill wow i love this place i love this country the only thing is I’ve been looking for a place to hide and pee cuz being a female I got to watch where I pull my pants down it’s a challenge that’s so cute they’ve got little Easter eggs cuz it’s Easter stopped in this place called Burin got some coffee because I needed a toilet and I’m actually going to explore this town and one of the reasons I stopped specifically here was because coming in I saw a windmill and I saw people walking around so maybe I can go see it there it is unfortunately I missed my chance it closed like an hour and a half ago so do pretty epic are we support yeah driving over to Tasha right now to your mama yeah [Music] i decided to have my lunch now cuz I probably won’t stop again for quite some time plus it’s like 5:30 it’s so weird starting so late in the day here’s my baby everything’s still here look at that thank you Netherlands [Music] [Music] finishing up day three of cycling because we’re running out of daylight [Music] yeah so yeah Bronco how’s it going good congrats thanks day three in the books how was the day ah a breeze it’s all about the fuel you should have kept You could have kept going oh 100% it’s just cuz it’s getting dark yeah i mean I think it was smart to stop now yeah yeah yeah and it was also I was thinking about it it was also tactical that I had almost a full 24 hours of rest i think I’m like halfway yeah i think so there you go let’s go celebrate how’s your day it was good yeah better know that you’re here a you’re so sweet i slept for like 3 hours oh my gosh i woke up at 5 this is actually where all of our batteries live she’s so sexy look at that bike the forecast was calling for rain so we needed to protect our bikes please don’t fall you’re a real MVP [Music] oh you’re so cute 30 minutes into the bike ride I felt like this dull achy pain behind my knee i was a bit concerned but I just stopped did some stretches and I think it’s okay [Music] [Applause] night Bubbas say bye to mom oh and good luck Mommy we’ll see you in 100K epic nap time for her as we made our way further south yeah baby today I’m going to go up to 25 with Ta [Music] oh it hurts so bad [Music] first 25 yay this is where we say goodbye yep snack break feel refueled it’s all about the fuel that’s what I’ve learned how about the company yeah it’s great until you get to the point where we don’t talk and then it’s like I’m in my head thinking about my little sore spot back here and I’m like “Oh this hurts.” So I just need to put a podcast on and just cycle yeah I’m going to read my book i have 25 kilometers back so I’ll do in total 50 which is half of what Tasha is doing today well let’s see if I can do 100 i’m not sure you can do anything that you said your mind oh thanks hopefully I do it better this time this morning I put it crooked i know i saw that bye honey bye bye there he goes it’s a man on a mission to meet our pup this is all I got of Eintoven because I was so mad i kept getting lost and going in the wrong direction lunchtime i made it to I almost said Danish i made it to the Dutch wilderness perfect lunch spot the time really got away from me i didn’t realize that it was already 4:00 i need to eat oh my gosh that was such a challenge i am not a fan of the Koot app i don’t know if it’s just me but navigating with that while you’re trying to track how many kilometers you’re doing so challenging i only got this Trek bike like three weeks before coming here and doing this i went into track and I explained to them what I was doing and they got really excited about it we settled on this one is actually been perfect for this trip the spider buddy I’m trying to vlog here after hundreds of kilometers I can definitely say this is the perfect bike and I would highly recommend Trek and I’m super grateful whether you want a mountain bike road bike or a hybrid like mine and shout out to Ignasi in the Barcelona store without him I wouldn’t have felt so confident oh boy so today has been a pretty good day i did a 50k with Tash and then I do some errands so I got some grease for her chain and her bike a Red Bull for tomorrow and some candy/ motivation to get her through the last 26K tonight come on let’s go and Bella is just being the best co-pilot ever what are you up to you want to go play with your ball maybe find a friend so now we’re going to look for a place to park for the night and wait for Tasha come on day four just me cycling around Belgium looking for the Netherlands order don’t mind me so I’m actually changing my route to go back into the Netherlands because it’s infuriating to have to stop and check them off all the time thanks for having me Belgium but already been here ran an ultramarathon here so uh yeah not your time to shine see look already a distinct bike path this must be the border like right here beautiful thank you i found some giant rats oh oh my god they’re fast what are those some kind of Australian things like what are they called wombats or something wabbees buddy I don’t have any food for you honey i don’t think it’s safe to be on the road welcome to Thorn [Music] hi girl thorn baby we’ve got delicious food and he got some treats for tomorrow some gummies i think some sour patch gummies ooh i don’t know if they’re sour but they look like it i like gummies and Red Bull that’s nice should we get the heater going maybe cuz I want you stretching and getting ready for bed ASAP we got to get those legs ready for tomorrow yeah at least tomorrow is not another 100k [Music] oh my god [Music] oh god what’s that beautiful day in the Netherlands day five starting at quite a late time what time is it just after 12 um this morning it was really challenging to wake up and it’s in those moments where you don’t really think to pick up a camera of course but yeah it was a struggle i didn’t really sleep i couldn’t stretch my legs out all the way and there was like some soreness of course today I’m starting with Red Bull in my main water bottle i’m going to try and get to Master no I’m not going to try i’m going to get to Master it’s 44 km it’ll be the shortest day so far it’ll be good cuz then tomorrow will be the final push to the peak and obviously the end of the country cuz it’s at the very very tip wish me luck wish my legs luck oh and I learned today just today day five that you’re not supposed to wear underwear with these shorts so fun fact for any of you out there who don’t know that there you go now you do okay bye bye Mooneys honestly this day’s ride was boring so I was reflecting and thinking about food later and how much my patrons helped with this journey their donations helped me get the new bike shorts and saved my butt and the gloves that prevented my hands from freezing thank you all so much guess what time it is back to sandwiches it’s fine today’s a short day it’s going well my right knee like cracked twice i don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing ew it’s soggy [Music] [Music] bella I’m going for a run with Bella well done i think that way what goes up usually goes down ooh there is a bus i don’t know if I have the right away i don’t know can you see it hello [Music] oh hello are you a good girl can you sit down what what after having a sandwich for lunch and then doing over 50k today this salad is hitting really well it’s also really delicious how’s yours amazing we made it back well back into the van we actually had to move to a different spot that’s something that we’ve had to do a few times throughout this trip is where we meet up isn’t always the same as where we sleep just because we’re in a van we have to follow rules so today we’re like on the outskirts of Mast it’s a cute little place it’s too bad we didn’t explore more but honestly I’m toast i think Quai is too he’s had a really busy last few days like all logistics everything couldn’t do this without him and that means the world to me couldn’t do it without you either Booby Bear tomorrow is the big day three missions one north to south will be accomplished tomorrow and two so it’ll be peak 31 out of 50 and then number three tomorrow’s my birthday i was thinking it’d be really cool if this was peak 33 cuz that’s how old I’m turning it would just be really like cool and in sync but whatever you say happy birthday brother none of my jackets are waterproof not even the one that you have that you’re going to wear i’m going to be honest i don’t want to do this rain stopped so that’s good okay day six how are you feeling frustrated and annoyed why cuz I don’t want to do this it’s normal you have a cycle 400 kilometers in 5 days so it’s okay to feel like that you got this thanks last day 25 kilometers it’s going to be a breeze enjoy yourself and remember the why that’s the most important and happy birthday yeah yeah you got this cool [Music] you me together like cold I see and warm weather [Laughter] oh they’re so sweet you can’t cry you got to see wall Willer Wilder try saying that five times fast wall Willer Wilder wall Willer Wilder willer Wilder big 31 let’s go baby how you doing good voss we made it this is the break spot got a few kilometers left to the border and it’s moments like this where you really have to dig deep i have this dream to cross Canada on a bike and I told somebody this like 10 12 years ago and this guy told me “You can’t do it.” And he laughed in my face and I don’t think it should be like that i don’t think it’s fair for other people to limit you or even for you to limit yourself yeah i’m not cycling across Canada yet this is like the first step towards that i want to live in a world where women feel empowered to do things like this i have two little nieces who are growing up and I want to show them that the world is theirs that you can do anything you set your mind to we got this the hills begin oh boy if I walk I’m going to fall over i got you you’re tough cookie oh no i have to fart but if I pop off the seat I saw you follow it funny thing is like all of that is on video play with your gears now all right it’s all up to one last push let’s go remember the Y you got this my knee feels like it’s 55 then he can have a break after the last kilometer [Music] [Laughter] i did it you did it i don’t think that’s the P though no it’s not that’s the where the border oh so that’s the entire Netherlands how are you feeling holy pretty good you did it done and dusted but we have one more thing to do you think this guy was Argentinian hell of a good mate we think we found the peak but ironically it’s in Belgium this is kind of weird but we did it pick 31 out of 50 that’s it come on do your dance bubbas will you dance with me bubbas come here come here because this one is what they say right it’s about the journey not about the people can we squat down to her level okay bella pay attention we’re at the peak look how great it is can you sit down just humor me it’s my birthday fine all right peek 31 yay [Music]