Dutchification or what happens when Eve gets a bike

Over the weekend I bought a classic Dutch city bike. The main difference between mine and the one pictured above is that mine doesn't have hand brakes (you have to back pedal to brake, just like on a training bike) and on the back, it has a snazzy pair of hot pink saddle bags (waterproof of course). I promise a picture soon.

Luckily (and somewhat freakishly two weeks in a row), the weather was gorgeous this weekend so I was able to use my retro ride to explore the city a bit more. I spent the better part of Saturday afternoon cycling around the city center and along the tree-lined canals, while simultaneously trying a) to orient myself, b) to take in the sights, c) to avoid crashing into other (clearly more competent) cyclists, and d) to not kill pedestrians. In retrospect, I actually think that most of my brain power was spent on the latter, especially considering that a sunny Saturday afternoon is probably the busiest time of the week.

On Sunday, I biked all the way to the Scheveningen beach (about 6.5km from my house--13km round trip!) and my cycling confidence grew in leaps and bounds. Not only did I manage to not kill anyone but I got pretty good at gauging my back-pedal brakes and dealing with the fact that my bike has no gears. Ah yes, I forgot to mention that since this country is literally completely flat (and about 70% below sea level), they don't put any gears on their bikes.

After a lovely day at the beach, I got home feeling totally refreshed, rejuvenated, and relaxed... And then I woke up on Monday morning feeling stiff, sleepy, and saturnine. The overcast skies didn't help much either, but I felt better once I was on my bike with the fresh crisp morning air in my face, and even better once I warmed up and my initial soreness passed.
The advantage of biking to work is that it only takes 15min, it's a nice little work out, and I arrive about 10 degrees warmer. The disadvantage is that you get a bit sweaty and may have a couple of near-death experiences before 9am. In fact, as I pedaled along down the busy streets towards the Court, ringing my bell quite liberally like a true New Yorker, I realized that my two greatest fears in life are no longer spontaneous combustion and trucks that are too tall to fit under bridges and overpasses. Now my biggest fears are getting "doored" (that's cyclist terminology for what happens when stupid motorists park their cars and open the doors without checking for bikes) and getting trapped in the tram rails (which, I am told, have many expat casualties). Thankfully, since cycling in the Netherlands is so prevalent (it even has its own Wikipedia entry), most of my commute is on a bike path that runs parallel to the road. In fact, I can get almost anywhere in The Hague via bike path. They are like mini roads, complete with their own traffic signals.


However I have yet to perfect a smooth start/stop technique (mainly because my bike is slightly too high for me... Damn tall Dutch people) so usually I just try to gauge my speed so I never have to actually stop at a red light. My other remaining challenge is to figure out the best way to deal with the rain. I haven't actually had to bike in the rain yet, but it looks as though my dry streak will be coming to an end today. This morning though, I did fashion a rather stylish poncho out of a garbage bag...

Anyway, the entire point of this update is to let you all know that my Dutchification is on track: Step 1 of Dutchification is getting a bike. Step 2 is using the bike to go everywhere. Step 3, which I did yesterday, is cycling to work in a skirt and heels--though I am told that I will not be considered "legit" until I do that in the pouring rain. I think step 4 is learning to bike while holding an umbrella and chatting on my cell phone. Step 5 is growing 10 inches in height and eventually producing a very very blond child.