Biking thru Netherlands
"Excellent bike trip and experience!
I was very impressed by Active Adventures. The guides, bicycles, support, bike paths, scenery, history and cultural backgrounds, accommodations and food were all first class. We were guided by Tom Litjens and Peter van Glabbeek. Both of these men were excellent guides; very friendly, personable, knowledgeable and fun. It was a pleasure to meet them. We had 8 riders in our group and it was a good size to get to know everyone.
Bikes: Cannondale, all great quality, shifted very well, no mechanical issues, with pannier with side bag storage, as well as front handlebar storage. Bikes were lined up ready to ride every morning; storage of the bikes in the evening was secured by Tom and Peter.
Daily directions (extremely concise and detailed) and briefings were provided for self guided experience, although we chose to remain as a single group for the most part. Points of interest, historical and cultural attractions were replete along the daily routes. I especially enjoyed the Stork Restoration Center.
Snacks/water were available on periodic stops along the routes daily.
Meals as provided were all excellent and provided opportunities to try many types of food. My wife is a vegetarian and there was always…
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"Excellent bike trip and experience!
I was very impressed by Active Adventures. The guides, bicycles, support,… read more
"Excellent bike trip and experience!
I was very impressed by Active Adventures. The guides, bicycles, support, bike paths, scenery, history and cultural backgrounds, accommodations and food were all first class. We were guided by Tom Litjens and Peter van Glabbeek. Both of these men were excellent guides; very friendly, personable, knowledgeable and fun. It was a pleasure to meet them. We had 8 riders in our group and it was a good size to get to know everyone.
Bikes: Cannondale, all great quality, shifted very well, no mechanical issues, with pannier with side bag storage, as well as front handlebar storage. Bikes were lined up ready to ride every morning; storage of the bikes in the evening was secured by Tom and Peter.
Daily directions (extremely concise and detailed) and briefings were provided for self guided experience, although we chose to remain as a single group for the most part. Points of interest, historical and cultural attractions were replete along the daily routes. I especially enjoyed the Stork Restoration Center.
Snacks/water were available on periodic stops along the routes daily.
Meals as provided were all excellent and provided opportunities to try many types of food. My wife is a vegetarian and there was always consideration to accommodate her needs. (I think only one meal was on our own.) We would constantly mix up seating for the opportunity to meet/speak with the guides and members of the group.
Lodging/service was excellent throughout with the various hotels and a chateau lodge.
The bike path infrastructure in the Netherlands is the best that I have experienced (I have ridden in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria, Norway, and extensively in the US). The paths took us along tulip fields, wooded/forested areas, canals, towns, windmills, wind turbines, villages, dams (dikes), open fields, etc.
Support: although we had excellent weather, we did face some strong winds. Some of the riders were transferred by van for short periods to provide a rest. It was comforting to know that support was available,able in the event of severe rain/wind or mechanical issue- No one had a mechanical issue.
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J
John | April 2023