Strikes, Heat & a 55km Ride Home – Cycling from Utrecht to ’s-Hertogenbosch

[Ep. 1071] After attending the Velo-city conference in Gdańsk, I expected a smooth journey home. But on Friday the 13th, a regional railway strike in the Netherlands turned things into a very multi-modal trip involving a plane, a bus, a train—and unexpectedly, a bicycle.
In this narrated video, I take you along on the 49 km ride from the edge of Utrecht to the edge of ’s-Hertogenbosch, filmed on a rental OV-fiets in 32°C heat. I share what it’s like to navigate Dutch cycling infrastructure under unexpected conditions, with some reflections along the way.
📍 Route: Utrecht → Houten → Culemborg → Geldermalsen → Zaltbommel → ’s-Hertogenbosch
🎥 Full route filmed: https://youtu.be/54gbTFX_9Q0
🔗 Blog post with more context and photos: https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/?p=26733
#CyclingNetherlands #MultimodalTravel #DutchInfrastructure #OVfiets

Recently, I unexpectedly found 
myself on a 55 km ride home after returning from the Velo-city conference in Poland. On a scorching June day no less! Due to a partial strike at the Dutch railways I could travel as far as Utrecht by train, but not all the way to ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Since I’d cycled that distance before,
even in the cold and dark of January, I figured it would be manageable
on a summer afternoon. The problem was,
this time I had to do it on a single speed back pedal brake rental bike and most importantly I had completely 
underestimated the 32° heat. Heat exhaustion quickly became a real concern. The route itself is fairly familiar,
having lived in Utrecht for nearly 30 years, and in ‘s-Hertogenbosch for the past 30,
I know both ends of the journey well. That does mean, however, that the middle section is always a bit trickier. I remembered taking a wrong turn
near Geldermalsen in the dark last time and somehow I managed to take
the exact same wrong turn again! For some reason my mental map
always fails me there. Fortunately, the rest of the route
is clearly signposted. From Utrecht I followed signs 
to Culemborg via Houten. I know Houten well, but even so it’s easy
to get lost there as a visitor. I chose a simple route not the shortest
but the most straightforward. Houten is ideal for cycling within
the ring road of Houten proper. However, much of the municipality 
lies outside that ring and Houten is often criticized for how poorly that outer area
caters to cyclists. You can judge for yourself. There are country roads
shared with other traffic. Still, it wasn’t too bad. I drank plenty of water that day, but one particular stop
caused me to miss the ferry. That wasn’t a disaster though, I needed regular breaks
to keep the heat from getting to me. After all, I have a heart condition
and I’ll be turning 60 very soon. After Culemborg, I opted for a quieter route
away from traffic. It was a slight detour, maybe, but I prefer riding a bit further if it means
avoiding the constant noise of cars beside me. Though I did have to endure that
later anyway. In Tricht the level railway crossing
has recently been replaced by an underpass. A major change in the municipality of West Betuwe. Unfortunately, that same municipality
also contains the worst part of the route: a country road. It was awful in the dark
and not much better in daylight. Having to share the road with speeding cars especially when they whipped up a cloud of dust
while cutting corners. In Waardenburg I stopped for an ice cream break and in quick succession
witnessed two traffic violations. A motorcyclist overtaking a car
on the wrong side of a traffic island and shortly after, a driver took a road reserved
for bicycles and agricultural vehicles only right next to the motorway. Once I passed Zaltbommel I joined the brand new F2 high quality cycle route
which took me all the way to ‘s-Hertogenbosch. I cycled and filmed the almost 49 km
from the edge of Utrecht to the edge of ‘s-Hertogenbosch
in 2 and a half hours (if you don’t count the ferry wait and ride) But in reality -with all the stops-
it took me over 4 hours. I was glad to be home
after this ride and I’ll definitely think twice
before attempting something like this again in that kind of heat.