The Netherlands

ollie_gibbs69

Hi,

Does anyone know if there is a MTB scene in Holland as I may be moving over there and I am a little concerned at how flat Holland is.

Any input is much appreciated.

Cheers

Ollie

DGOODALL

Plenty of riding to be had over here in NL!
You'll have to change your mindset a bit though. I grew up with the South Downs nearby, which is basically a case of grabbing you bike and going out onto bridleways.. It works a bit different here - there are specific areas where you can mountain bike (parcours) which you can usually find in the local book shop. The parcours are usually about 16-25km long and you do a few laps. Theres asome good úns around Utrecht (Utrechtse Heuvelrug) and Arnhem but a bit less around west Netherlands - I've recently moved from Utrecht to Den Haag (the Hague) and it's a pretty busy part of the country so there's not a great deal of room/ If you're going down to the south of the country (Limbutg) then theres plenty to choose from and it's quite hilly there - a bit like the south of England - there's even a route you can do through caves which is exellent fun. Don't forget a weekend away with the bike to Belgium (Ardennes - fantastic) or Germany (Sauerland) is only a car-ride away which is excellent fun and a good way to discover new places. Accomodation is usually cheap and everybody's geared up for the biking public - good cross country sking in the winter too! Plent to do then!
If you're used to bridleways and the whole day seeing nobody else then you'll have to tchange your mindset a bit, but it's wel worth bringing you MTB with you...Although I guarantee you'll buy a road bike with 6 months of moving here because it's excellent road racing here..
Have fun!