It was a lovely day, the temperature climbed above 10 celsius, and the wind was strong and cold, so not the perfect day for a bike ride, I had been waiting for a day like this all winter. I took my time trial bike out for a ride north of Amsterdam.
I headed north from my house towards Spaarndam, to take a ferry over the Noordezee Kanaal to Assendelft – my plan was to bike from Assendelft to Purmerend and back to Amsterdam. On the ferry, many groups of cyclists were ready for a nice workout or a leisurely ride. Leaving the ferry, I tagged on to some youngsters that set up a high-speed ride – we travelled well over 35km/h – I was surprised I could keep up with them.
After 5 -6 km, everyone in the group split into smaller groups and disappeared in different directions, I was now on my own, heading toward Purmerend, at least that is what I thought. This is the Netherlands with many waterways and canals, I got it wrong as I could not find a bridge over the river Zaan near Zaandijk, I made a decision to head north, and after a while, on the bike, I recognized a road sign showing the direction to Krommenie, as I passed by there on a previous ride last year.
When I got to Krommenie I remember the way I had taken last year, so I went on that memory that took me eventually to Alkmaar, from there I got my bearings right and headed to Purmerend. From Purmerend I headed south towards Amsterdam, passing by Landsmeer on the way tills I reached the Ferry that took me over from Amsterdam Noord to Central Station. I have a nice ride on a decent day, I will feel this ride in my body for a few days.
I took some pictures during my ride – here are a few.
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