The very first ride day!

We have just arrived in Utrecht and we are staying in the coolest building ever. It is actually my dream place to live: a huge semi abandoned office space that has been reclaimed by 4 people to keep others from squatting. It is massive and spacious and likely going to get knocked down in a year. Seeing everyone’s expression when they walk in the door after doing our first 40km of the trip is awesome.

The first real ride of the trip was pretty picturesque. We rolled through plenty of small towns all while having our own separated bike paths from the cars. I think the distance was also the perfect amount to get started with. It allowed us to get our feet wet without anyone worrying about not being able to do it. It also, at least for the first couple groups, meant we were at our destination by just after 2pm.

Our trip has not been all peaches and cream so far though. We were unable to get a couple more tents yesterday so some people got very cozy last night. Really it is just more team bonding though. Gene also had a pretty spectacular wipe out today where he wound up going over his handlebars, down a small embankment, and into a ditch. Luckily he is fine and other than being a little smelly and wet nothing was damaged.

I’m also not alone in the flat department! Three other people blew out their tires pumping up them up. Luckily all of them had seen me change mine earlier in the day so they had a pretty good idea of how to do it when the time came. I guess we are all too strong for our own good.

That’s all for now, I think we are going to be a very happy bunch tonight.

The tour has officially started, almost

The trip is officially underway! Well, at the very least we are now midway through orienting oursevles to one another; the city on the other hand is still proving a little difficult to navigate for a few people. Day one was a nice mix of time to chat about our concerns and feelings towards the ride and practical riding tips. We also had a great picnic lunch with the local Bahi group who came to wish us well on our trip. I think they really managed to inspire some of the group and it was the perfect way to start the adventure we are getting ready to fully embark on tomorrow.

I would also like to say that I become the first person to get a flat tire. Yes, that's right, I actually managed to get a flat tire BEFORE the tour even started. Apparently I was a little over zealous with my pumping and I ripped the valve right off. I then had to change it another time because I put in the wrong tube, so I think that means I get to help lead the tire changing session we are doing tonight.

As for the last couple days they have been a blur. I finally managed to get a full night's sleep for the first time - previous to that I got 2, 6, and 4 hours respectively. I actually didn't get out to do many of the "tourist" activities in the city. Instead I spent most of my days meandering the streets on foot or by bike. It really was a nice city to just wander around in, taking in the way of life.

I will say that I love that bikes are the dominant method of transportation here. They say there are more bikes than people in the Netherlands and I think in Amsterdam specifically the ratio must be 4 or 5 to 1. It makes me wish that Vancouver was more bike friendly, and I thought we were doing pretty well before I got here.

I think that's about all I've got for now, Internet is short and I'm a little sunburned - it's been smoking hot - so my brain feels like mush. I'll try and upload more pictures at a later date when we get more than a 20 minute bursts.