Distance = 93.0 miles
Time = 8hrs 37mins
Average Speed = 10.79 mph
Elevation = 1095 feet
Calories = 3630
Staring at my Hotel on the Princengracht it was a ride into town and past the train station to the River Amstel where I took the ferry to Amsterdam Noord. From there it was across the flat wet lands to Purmerend followed by the straightest road you'll ever see for 2.5 miles - then up through Opmeer and Middemeer before pushing on to my first sight of the Ijslmeer or Inland Sea.
A mile further and I was suddenly on the Afsluitdyke - 18 miles straight across the sea with the North Sea behind the dyke with the cycle path & a motorway running along the dyke. All the way along the dyke I was presented with a Northerly headwind gusting at up to 40 mph - Tough.
In 1 hour 48 minutes I was eventually to reach the other end of the dyke having seen 4 cyclists going the other way and having overtaken 7 heading my way.
Then it was down to the small town of Bolsward and straight across small roads to Leeuwarden and every time the roads headed the slightest North that wind was bang in my face again - Finally got to my Hotel which was the Campanile in Goutum on the southern outskirts of the City at about 7pm.
Day 1 : Photographs
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| My Bike at the start of the ride on a bridge over the Prinsengracht just beside my hotel. |
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| A picture of a church near the Nieuwmarkt in the centre of Amsterdam. |
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| The best Fondue restaurant in Amsterdam - Cafe Bern again just near the Nieuwmarkt. |
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| Leaving North Amsterdam and into a land full of ditches and dykes. |
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| A house near Den Ilp with lillies in the polder and huge white hydrangeas in the garden. |
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| Anotheer nice house near Den Ilp |
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| An old house 'De Oude Pasorie' just near Purmerland. |
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| The 4 mile straight line Avenue just north of Purmerend. |
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| My first sight of a sign for my destination Leeuwarden - only76 km to go - this is just near Middenmeer - Decisions - which way to go ! |
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| My first sight of the Ijsmeer - the inner sea which lies inside the Aflsuitdijk which keeps the North sea at Bay from lots of Holland - the Ijsselmeer is fresh water and lies about below sea level - there are huge sluice gates on the dyke which release water out to sea and when the dyke was created in 1932 two huge polders where formed creating huge areas of new land. |
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| The sluice gates on the south end of the Afsluitdijk which release tonnes of water to the North sea every day draining the Ijsselmeer |
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| And there it is first view of the mighty 18 mile long Afsluitdijk. |
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| This monument on the Afsluitdijk is to the architect Cornelis Lely. |
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| Another statue on the dyke near the Service Station - this was put up to commemorate 50 years and is a monument to the men who built the Afsluitdijk. |
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| An action shot of me about half way across the Afsluitdijk. |
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| The sluices on the North side of the dyke. |
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| Wind surfers on the Ijsselmeer which gives you an idea of how strong the headwind was. |
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| A nice view I passed about 15 miles west of Leeuwarden. |
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| Day 1 Destination - the City of Leeuwarden. |
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