At cyclingdestination.cc we inspire you for your next cycling adventure. This could be a multi-day cycling holiday abroad, a bikepacking trip or maybe just a micro adventure nearby. It doesn't matter. The main thing we want to do is show cool places that make you think: I have to go there. Then our mission is accomplished. When you think of a cycling adventure, your first thought is often abroad, mountains and far away. While there is still plenty to discover in our own country, province and region. In 2020 and 2021, we discovered en masse the Utrecht Heuvelrug, Brabant, the Achterhoek and more. Omstreken, an ode to the best cycling country in the world: the Netherlands. A must have as far as we are concerned.
Ode to the best cycling country in the world
Esther de Lange and Merijn Heijne even went so far as to capture the cycling love of the Netherlands on paper. Their book OMSTREKEN, ode to the best cycling country in the world, gives a glimpse, in several episodes, of beautiful routes, paths, roads, regions and climbs that you might otherwise have just passed by.
When we heard about this initiative, and then were allowed to peruse the book, we were immediately sold. The Netherlands is beautiful. Really, really beautiful. Presenter Herman van der Zandt, himself an avid cyclist, wrote a personal foreword to the book: 'Cycling in your own country remains a voyage of discovery.'
Unknown makes loved
The Netherlands is famous and acclaimed for its fantastic infrastructure. Fully playing out the LF cycle routes is an art in itself. Because the fact that the Netherlands already has a lot of beautiful, signposted paths is an absolute advantage. This also ensures that we actually like to zoom in on the 'unknown'.
Original layout
Back to the book, which has a thematic structure, which you soon see recurring. All sorts of things come up; then it's dune paths, forest paths, tunnels or bridges again. Really very cool. Each chapter also has a unique name. Instead of chapters 1 to 12, it is: 'If only I had brought that extra inner tube' or 'Where is that promised wind?'.
Uncharted paths
Episode 4 is called 'Turn left here, believe me, there really is a road there' and there Esther and Merijn go deeper into the unbeaten paths. We see 21 super beautiful stretches, both unpaved in the woods and even a nice stretch of Zeeland cobblestones. We asked both makers about their favourites:
Merijn Heijne
'What makes me very happy on the road are the surprises. By this I mean sudden gravel strips or a road that unexpectedly turns into cobbles halfway. Sometimes, at the end of such a path, I turn around and cycle back, purely because it is so cheerful. Every little road has its own character; the Kerkweg near Sint Kruis in Zeeland, for instance, is great. I cycled there with someone, for whom that was their first encounter with cobblestones. Nobody really likes it when they are rattling over those crappy things, but once off the strip a big smile always emerges. Those are the moments, which make cycling such a wonderful sport.'
Esther de Lange
'In the cycling routes, which I make myself, I am often looking for the right "flow". Not too many turns and turns, but mainly a relaxed transition from paved to unpaved and back again. Sometimes, of course, you cannot escape a right-angled turn from the tight tarmac to a small, hidden path. A great example is the Kerkepad between Polsbroek and Cabauw in the province of Utrecht. This is a very narrow and winding path with some bridges and wildlife grates. There are ditches on both sides of this unpaved path, which can get quite exciting when there is oncoming traffic. Anyway, that's the fun of such paths!'
Cool route
This fourth chapter comes with a hugely cool route, in the Steenwijk area.
The route starts on the north side of the railway station. It starts pretty much at the beginning as you drive through Jonkheer Meester Doctor H.A. van Karnebeeklaan. Rightly asked by Merijn and Esther in the book: 'Is this one of the longest street names in the Netherlands?'
Besides these remarkable things, you also pass through the colony village Wilhelminaoord and through the National Park Drents-Friese Wold. Among others, you pass through the villages of Diever, the hamlet Boschoord, along the heathland of the Wapserveld and through places with names like Holtien and Lhee.
Besides the National Park Drents-Friese Wold, you drive through the Dwingelderveld (also a National Park and the largest wet heath area in Western Europe). There you will also find the Dwingeloo Radiotelescope. You also climb the 'almighty' VAM-Berg, an icon in the Drenthe countryside and with such a short history.
Secretly, Merijn and Esther also cycled over a bit of unpaved road for a while, but 25mm tyres can handle that just fine. The route ends with a nice stretch through the Holtingerveld and then returns to Steenwijk via the Steenwijker Aa and the Eesermeer.
About OMSTREKEN
The book OMSTREKEN, ode to the best cycling country in the world, is available from bookstores and online, including at www.omstreken.com.
Specifications
Title: OMSTREKEN
Subtitle: ode to the best cycling country in the world
Makers: Merijn Heijne, Esther de Lange
ISBN: 9789090351117
Format: 24 x 28 cm, hardcover, sewn binding, 256 pages, over 1.5kg!
Price: € 39,90
Appears: 28 November 2021
