Where to go pre- or post Velo-City?

Overwhelmed by the wide choice you can make for extra events arranged around Velo-City 2017 in the Netherlands, some people asked me to clarify the program and give them advice. Of course I am happy to help them and you to make the best of your visit of the Netherlands. So I drew this simple flowchart to question your interests and guide you to the appropriate choice. Of course it is my personal grouping, keep your personal preferences in mind and choose whatever you want. Early bird registration ends at the end of Februari, subscription to pre- and post events is limited!

Click to enlarge

To your comfort I made an additional map of the Netherlands with all activities pinpointed on location and date. As you have to arrange the travels yourself to and from these locations, it might be helpful to know where to go. Most locations are easily accessible by train.

Just in case people wonder what I will be doing: Probably I will cycle Monday 12th in the morning to Arnhem. The Dutch Cycling Embassy and the Cycling Embassy Denmark will have a special meeting in the afternoon. Stay tuned for more news and start your registration for the best cycling conference in Europe. Meanwhile I will enjoy the Winter Cycling Congress in Canada.

UPDATE of May 23: Some events have been canceled due to too low interest, so I updated my flowchart.

Steady infrastructure evolution

In October I had the pleasure to speak at the second edition of VeloFinland in Helsinki. In my presentation I gave some insights about 25 years being active in the field of cycling promotion. In the afternoon we had a nice tour in the fresh autumn weather of Helsinki.

Good excursion to see different aspects of cycling in Helsinki. #VeloFinland pic.twitter.com/m7CNS9pm8i

— Herbert Tiemens (@herbert_tiemens) 1 oktober 2016

We were shown some great examples of city building, but also some small tweaks on Baana, a section I have written before. It is interesting to see how cities, not only in the Netherlands, are evolving. Today I show some examples of changes I witnessed this year.

A morning of winter cycling

This morning we were surprised with snow. Sub-zero temperatures and freezing rain were predicted, but snow we had not really expected. Internet was clear that the Dutch railways were unable to cope with snow and black ice, and also on the roads there were big problems. Quickly I went out to have a look myself at the situation in the village. Because snow is not so very common and it was a free Saturday morning, parents took their children out to enjoy the thin layer of snow.

Parents & children having fun

My interest was particularly to Hoofdstraat, earlier mentioned as the “axis of evil”. 4 Years ago under similar circumstances a fourteen-year-old girl was killed by a lorry driver. As I was on the site to see how I could take a good picture of the situation, a motorist stopped in an unpleasant place.