The Dutch are famously great bikers. That is, until there is even the slightest incline — then the poor Nederlanders start struggling right away.
You’d think all that cycling would make the Dutch super-fit, but they actually tend to get exhausted pretty ridiculously easy.
What is it?
Everyone bikes in the Netherlands, that’s just the way life has been for decades, if not centuries. But the Dutch are visibly not used to biking uphill, making them totally unprepared for biking over even the smallest bridge.
So graciously floating across the flat Dutch countryside, yet so clumsily panting their way over the thousands of bridges in this watery country. The Dutch biking culture has its downsides.
READ MORE | How the Netherlands became a cycling country
Because the Netherlands might be flat, but it has A LOT of bridges. So, although they might prefer biking on the flat lands (because, let’s face it, who doesn’t), the Dutch have to deal with those nasty bridges, too, all the time.
Why do they do it?
Why do the Dutch get exhausted when cycling over a bridge, when they’re supposed to be master cyclists?
The first explanation that comes to mind is naturally this: the Dutch are not used to hills. And by hills, we mean literally any inclination whatsoever. The Dutch find comfort in their pancake-like landscape, and have learned to use it to their advantage in most aspects of life.
Biking, of course, included. 🚲
But the general flatness of the Netherlands might have caused more harm than good. The Dutch have gotten too used to biking in first gear, making very little effort to get anywhere.
This brings us to the second possible reason why Dutch people get exhausted from biking over bridges: they’re just not used to things being hard.
READ MORE | 19 things the Dutch did to make cycling easy and attractive
What struck me the most when I moved here, is that the Netherlands is such an easy place to live. Everyone speaks English, everything is designed to be efficient and productive, and everything is either a bike ride or a train ride away.
Is it simply too easy living in the Netherlands? Have the Dutch become spoiled? When you see Dutchies struggling their way across even the tiniest bridge, you might be inclined to think so.
Finally, the reason Dutch people get absolutely exhausted when biking across bridges might be because they’re (surprisingly) unhealthy people. Landing on a pitiful 15th place in the World Population Review’s annual ranking, the Netherlands certainly has some way to go compared to other countries.
Perhaps that’s why the Dutch seem to be struggling with biking anywhere that isn’t (Dutch) pancake-flat. 🥞
Why is it quirky?
If you bike in (basically) any other country in the world, it means you’re a health freak (more or less). If you bike in the Netherlands, you’re just trying to get through daily life. You have to bike, no matter your lifestyle, your life situation, and your shape.
So, Dutch bridges are full of people struggling to get across, simply because the Netherlands is designed that way.
Should you join in?
You might find yourself struggling on the Dutch bridges, and don’t worry, it’s part of the lifestyle here. But it might be a nice fitness goal to aim for an exhaustion-free bike ride in the long term.
What do you think of this Dutch quirk? Have you experienced it? Tell us in the comments below!
Could the bridge struggle be because many Dutch bikes tend to be single speeders? When I visited I brought single speed folding DaHon that worked nicely on the flat terrain. Back in the USA I was pushing that bike up hills which never happened in NL.