From Amsterdam, the route slips quickly out of the city and into the wide, watery calm of South Holland. Canals, parks and quiet suburbs give way to flat polders, straight cycle paths and big skies above lakes and waterways. Around Aalsmeer and the Braassemermeer, the Netherlands feels wonderfully classic: boats, wind, glasshouses and endless water. Past Boskoop, the ride turns greener before Rotterdam’s skyline slowly appears ahead. A smooth first day. Easy to ride. Hard not to smile.
