Polder Pedals

Cycling routes across the Dutch lowlands

About

About Polder Pedals

We are three friends who moved to the Netherlands for work, bought second-hand bikes in the first week and have been arguing about routes ever since.

The site started as a shared note of junction sequences that we kept sending to visitors. It grew a planner because we were tired of guessing when to book the return train, and a route-card builder because a wet piece of paper with numbers on it is still the best navigation tool on a bike.

Each route is ridden by at least two of us before it goes up and again whenever a path is rerouted. Distances are rounded to the nearest kilometre and stops are the ones we actually make.

We do not sell anything, take advertising or run accounts. If a sign has moved, the region that maintains the network is the authority, and the map panel at the junction is always right.

Ground rules on the dike

  • Keep right; faster riders and mopeds pass on the left.
  • Bell before overtaking, especially near the small ferries.
  • Lights are required from dusk, and the polders get dark fast.
  • Check the forecast for wind, not rain: the wind decides the direction of the loop.