Everything you wanted to know about dutch biking, but you were afraid to ask

Hello again, this time the story will be about the thing which amazes me in the Netherlands for the most. Yes, I am talking about dutch passion fot those two wheel, human powered vehicles.


---The Thing is in the front---

Netherlands is country custom-made for bikes...Indeed, the bikeroads are just everywhere, cyclists also have special driving lanes on almost every road (when there's no bikeroad), and what is more if you're not in the tourist part of the Utrecht, you can see on the street more bikers than walkers. Quite an unbelievable sight for a foreigner.
I have seen and tried out many extrordinary and many hardly believable things connected with cycling, including 1) small race with retired ladies on 1000€ road bikes and dressed in race jerseys 2) cycling in the fierce rain and counterwind with an umbrella in one hand and 40kgs bag on my back (real delight) 3) a bunch of bussinesmen in versace suits happily cycling to the offices on their old squeaky bikes and many more...

...It is really amazing. So, what do you need to widen the masses of dutch bikers? Two things: 1. You must get a bike, and 2. You must know the traffic rules.

1. There is no problem to get a bike in Nederlands...the bikeshops are jon every corner and due to the never ending re-selling and re-buying of used student bikes, the average price (in the shop) fluctuates around 80€. Naturally, such bikes are everything but not in a perfect condition, so that it's not so easy to pick up the right one unless you're an experienced biker. On the other hand, almost everything is repairable and handy student won't have a problem.
There are also another ways to get a bike: The best thing is to buy one from a friend, or a leaving student...it's because bikeshops are raising the Value-added of their services to enormous levels..They just buy the thing for about 30€, and after inflating tyres and tightening two screws they sell the bike for 80€ or 90€.... So why pay more...hm?

When we follow the preceding question to the extreme, there is also one really naughty possibility... You can buy the machine from "surely verified, but a little drug addicted, wholesaler"; shortly - a junkie. In such situation, you are not expected to ask questions about the former owners, and you'd bet it's not because they've desired to remain incognito. Such adventure is nevertheless quite risky, because it's possible that the original 5€ price occasionally includes a 200€ fine and a night spent in a hotel Police***, which is gratis and has got amazing view on the Domtoren....well, it's up to you.

2. In Nederlands, there is really complicated system of traffic rules for bikers. It is known as a biker's code and it is summed up in the sacred book "The Tome of Cycling"

Which was written by the inventors of the wheel themselves. When we add up all the extensions and exceptions, the code contains two rules:
Rule No.1, "When the green light flashes, go!"
Rule No.2, "When the red light flashes, go faster!"

These two axiomatic sentences are fully explaning the attitude of dutchmen to the traffic rules... and that's really bad, because in such way of thinking, I am a really open minded person and hence I am very easily becoming as ignorant biker as most of the dutchmen really are. At least I wear my helmet, a thing which is also very exotic in the neighborhood...

---These things are really more for show than for any effect---

Oh, and by the way...starting today, I have my own bike, an early trekking provided by my frienf from IES Jirka. I am really grateful for that offer, thanks a million, bud! .....I think I'll call her Bubulina. (The fotos are on the way, stay tuned! ;-)