Cyclist Day in the Netherlands(Landelijke Fietsdag)

Holland is an amazing country of tulips, delicious cheese, windmills and bicycles Here these two-wheeled vehicles are found everywhere They are used by elderly people and children, adults and teenagers, businessmen and ordinary workers, men, women and even nuns In their passion for bicycles, local residents unite every year on the second Saturday of May and go to parks and country trips - for picnics or regular walks In this way they celebrate the annual date of Cyclist Day Despite the lack of official status, this holiday is quite popular in the state The popularity of this transport is due not only to the ideal climatic conditions for cycling, but also to its well-developed infrastructure Almost all cities have special bicycle tracks and traffic lights The Dutch spend virtually their entire life on a bicycle saddle: without getting up from the seat, they can flirt, write SMS, eat and hold umbrellas from the downpour Today in the Netherlands even law enforcement officials ride bicycles There are numerous rental points for tourists People often forget exactly where they left their bike Then they sadly rust under the rain, turning into an integral part of the Dutch landscape The average resident of the Netherlands has several bicycles at his personal disposal When traveling regularly, the Dutch tend to choose the most ordinary, mostly old, two-wheeled “friends” You don't mind parking them in the free parking lot right on the street It is these bicycles that are most often stolen in public places, despite the several locks used by the owner The cost of a normally working, maintained bike is about 50-80 euros You will have to spend a lot more money when purchasing quality locks for such a vehicle More expensive models, which have several speeds in their arsenal, are used only for recreational purposes (sports, recreation, and tourism) Without a clear need, the Dutch do not park such bicycles near shops, in the subway or other public places Usually they are left either in guarded parking lots or at home • According to statistics, there are 18 million bicycles in the country, so on average there are 13 vehicles for every Dutch person 84% of people have a personal bicycle • 17,075 km of bicycle lanes and 1,909 km of roads have been built on the territory of the state • The approximate speed of cycling is about 15-18 km/h • About 900 thousand bicycles are stolen every year • The average distance covered by local residents every day by bicycle is 25 km Approximately 900 km increases per year • Every year in the Netherlands the state spends 400 million euros on the development of cycling infrastructure According to historical data, during the Second World War, German soldiers greatly angered the inhabitants of Holland by encroaching on their bicycles Different versions of these events differ quite a bit in detail According to the main version, German patrol officers, tired of running after Dutch cyclists who did not obey the new rules, began to take away vehicles from all people and dump them into the nearest canals Other sources report that the German soldiers simply took the bicycles during the retreat, most likely to avoid having to leave on foot After all, the Dutch have not been able to forget the loss and, every time, during football competitions between Germany and Holland, you can often hear cries calling for the return of the bicycles Cyclist Day in the Netherlands is traditionally celebrated on a weekend People go on bicycle rides, country picnics and excursions