Originally Posted by
viplala
No she doesn't.
Let me see, you have been to the city center of Amsterdam once, which means you know f*ck all about commuting in this country.
The size of the country is completely irrelevant, unless your commute is 250+ miles.
Or are you suggesting that Netherlands is less than .39 miles across?
Country may be flat (the western part at least) but its full of canals and rivers that have bridges high enough to let ocean going ships pass underneath. I'm pretty sure that few urban areas in US have bigger elevation changes.
I, for example, cross this one daily:
Besides, Limburg province (southeast) looks like this:
Near Nijmegen:
Near Arnhem:
Vaals, south Limburg:
Point stands: when you are used to cycling, doing reasonably good speed on a bicycle demands just as little from your body as walking. (of course, a nice walkabout for an hour or so is besides the capabilities of many americans..)
What a beautiful place to be. Makes my too-brief commute look boring in comparison.
Anyway, as far as planning is concerned, most of the stuff I carry is already in the backpack. Maybe add some lunch or a snack, fill the water bottle, and go out. If it's really hot, or if I'm going to be trying to get some actual exercise out of the deal, I'll wear my wicking clothes and carry the work clothes. Really, my commute is generally so brief, that I don't really spend time planning. It's developed into a nice little routine.