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70 cyclists returned from OrchidCycle Holland on 4th August. Read Ann Tull’s account of her fantastic cycling adventure.
For any of you, who have ever wondered, could I cycle 200miles, could I go on holiday with 70 people, 67 of them being complete strangers, then don’t think twice. The answer is a resounding YES. That exactly what my son (aged 16) his girlfriend and I did this summer, and it was a great success. Not only did we have a great holiday, but we managed to raise £2,000 for Orchid.
At the tender age of 45, hormonal and in a midlife crisis, I wondered if I was up to the challenge of teenagers on holiday and bunking down with strangers in a youth hostel. Even physically it was a challenge as 10 weeks before I had knee surgery. Ironically all that fancy physio and rehabilitation had left me still with a swollen knee with limited movement, but one week on a bike cycling 200 miles was the exact tonic I needed. I came home a new woman. I no longer had a sore knee (although I did have a slightly sore a….), and life was good again.
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Cycling in Holland is a wonderful experience. You have your own lanes your own traffic lights and roundabouts too. The drivers even apologise if they accidentally do not stop for you, nothing like the rat race we have here on our roads when a two fingered salute is a regular occurrence!!!
Then there are the little ferries that you have to wind yourself across the canals on, the sand dunes you ride between and the beautiful scenery that greets you every day. On the day when the heat got too much for us we kicked off our shoes and dived fully lycra’d up into the inland sea. Obviously there are the cafes and watering holes that are a must to stop at. You can even join the group that stop at several watering holes, and finally reach the next hostel well oiled and only just in time for tea!
As for the youth hostels, so much has changed since I was a school girl on my first holiday. No longer are they like prisons with slop for tea, but full of things to do, smaller rooms and en-suite facilities. The food is good too, although the recipe book may be 101 things you can do with pasta!
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The youngest of our group was 13 and the oldest 76. We all came from different walks of life and were all cycling for different reasons. Some came on their own and some with friends or family. Whatever made us sign up for what some may suggest a weird ‘holiday’, we were all there to have fun and that’s what we did.
For me and my small party we will always remember that summer holiday in Holland for all the right reasons. So thanks to the gang who we rode with, Orchid and Bike Events. Thanks for a great experience, and good luck to the men who we may have helped.
Ann Tull, August 2008
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