Homebodies - I did it! – part one

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Published on Sunday, May 8, 2016

By Rita Friesen

The Neepawa Banner

‘I did it. I absolutely did it. They said it couldn’t be done, but I did it!’ This mantra, a combination of a line of poetry and a line from a movie, cycled through my mind as I cycled through the beautiful countryside of the Netherlands. Beautiful is too modest a word for what I saw, but it keeps the memories real. 

When I shared with friends and family that I was embarking on a seven day bike and barge tour, the reactions were mixed. One faction thought I was slightly more insane than usual and the other group was supportive and perhaps a bit envious. I admit that there were days that I wondered if I could do it, the spring weather was not always conducive to practicing, but I did my best and it was enough.

The barge, The Elodie, was waiting for us in Amsterdam. Eight of us, ranging in age from a young sixty to a fit seventy-two (I was not the oldest!), were eager to begin the adventure. And it was an adventure. Leaving the city early afternoon, we travelled down the Amstel to the outskirts before beginning the biking. The first day was a modest twelve miles to Kudelstaart. Enough to limber up the leg muscles and get a glimpse of cycling in the Netherlands.

The next morning, we had a quick snack before heading out to Aalsmeer, where we witnessed the biggest flower auction at work. The auction complex is massive, the size of two hundred and twenty soccer fields. We watched as a bank of brokers determined the market prices for millions of flowers and plants from all over the world. Flowers bought in the morning will be on sale in America by afternoon. It was mesmerising to watch the flow of trays and carts of fragrant flowers move through the warehouse.

We headed back to the Elodie for breakfast and then started for Gouda. Six miles before breakfast and another twenty-seven before days end. This portion of the route took us through a country side dotted with windmills, lakes and calm pastoral scenes, sheep and cows and Highland cattle – imported to maintain the growth in the low lands.

It was as we headed into the city, a mile from the barge, I impressed my fellow travellers with an impressive score ten face plant. The front tire of the bike caught a drain run and over I went. As I went down, all I could think about was – Oh God, not my teeth, not my teeth! And my teeth were fine. My glasses were fine, my helmet unscratched. The left side of my upper lip suffered abrasions, indeed for several days it looked like I had a botched botox job and then for another week it looked like I had a perpetual five o’clock shadow. Slightly skinned the palm of one hand, stretched my shoulder muscles when I braced for “The Fall”, as it was referred to and banged a knee on the curb. After assessing the situation, I remounted the bike and continued on my way! There were a few other falls, but no one else scored as high.