Author Topic: Dutch brevets in 2020  (Read 28374 times)

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #175 on: 26 June, 2020, 09:02:27 am »
My shoulder isn't fully recovered yet so I'll skip the july brevets. For august I'll settle for the Heerlen one, I could cycle to it. (If I use the train it'll be Arriva and not NS so probably less bureaucratic). For september I've already scheduled 3 days off at work so I can cycle to Merselo, camp there and return by bike on sunday. No planning possible for november and december though as these months are blocked for  holidays at work.

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #176 on: 26 June, 2020, 10:46:12 am »
The latest word is that you are requested, not required, to register your bike. The aim is to help fellow cyclists plan their journey by giving an indication whether there is (likely) room available for your bicycle or not.

Works for me.

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #177 on: 26 June, 2020, 11:53:26 am »
My shoulder isn't fully recovered yet so I'll skip the july brevets. For august I'll settle for the Heerlen one, I could cycle to it. (If I use the train it'll be Arriva and not NS so probably less bureaucratic). For september I've already scheduled 3 days off at work so I can cycle to Merselo, camp there and return by bike on sunday. No planning possible for november and december though as these months are blocked for  holidays at work.

Weren't you planning to do the Silk Route this year? Or has that been cancelled?

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #178 on: 26 June, 2020, 08:47:00 pm »
My shoulder isn't fully recovered yet so I'll skip the july brevets. For august I'll settle for the Heerlen one, I could cycle to it. (If I use the train it'll be Arriva and not NS so probably less bureaucratic). For september I've already scheduled 3 days off at work so I can cycle to Merselo, camp there and return by bike on sunday. No planning possible for november and december though as these months are blocked for  holidays at work.

Weren't you planning to do the Silk Route this year? Or has that been cancelled?

I indeed planned for the Silk Route 1200 and even scheduled some holidays around it. But due to the current situation I prefer not to fly. And I doubt if the cheap flights to Uzbekistan still exist.
Furthermore my shoulder issues really slowed my cycling down, I don't think that it would be wise to attempt a 1200 with a not fully healed shoulder.

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #179 on: 02 July, 2020, 07:30:02 am »
I decided that I needed a holiday (and some audaxing). So, I entered the Heerlen event (and probably cycling back home over a couple of days).  Now I'm trying to figure out how to take a bike on a train. It turns out the "app" is a website, where you need to login with your NS-account. Then you can register your bike for a specific train (but only 36 hours in advance). Since this is per train, every leg of the journey needs to be registered separately. After you go through all this trouble, they tell you that registration is not a guarantee that you will have a place for your bike and that registration is not mandatory... So why bother? Oh yeah, the bicycle ticket itself can also only be purchased via the "app". Somehow I'm thinking that it's easier to go via Germany...

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #180 on: 02 July, 2020, 08:17:14 pm »
I decided that I needed a holiday (and some audaxing). So, I entered the Heerlen event (and probably cycling back home over a couple of days).  Now I'm trying to figure out how to take a bike on a train. It turns out the "app" is a website, where you need to login with your NS-account. Then you can register your bike for a specific train (but only 36 hours in advance). Since this is per train, every leg of the journey needs to be registered separately. After you go through all this trouble, they tell you that registration is not a guarantee that you will have a place for your bike and that registration is not mandatory... So why bother? Oh yeah, the bicycle ticket itself can also only be purchased via the "app". Somehow I'm thinking that it's easier to go via Germany...

Well this is a good start, can't remember my NS password, and it doesn't seem to want to send me a reset email... Maybe I should just create a new account...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #181 on: 02 July, 2020, 08:55:54 pm »

Bloody hell that's a faff. At least it seems to work on the web browser of my mobile. Going for a bike ride tomorrow, needs 6 trains. Have reserved them all...

They really don't make this easy do they ?

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #182 on: 02 July, 2020, 10:20:35 pm »

Bloody hell that's a faff. At least it seems to work on the web browser of my mobile. Going for a bike ride tomorrow, needs 6 trains. Have reserved them all...

They really don't make this easy do they ?

J

I do suspect that this is a deliberate action of the NS. They are forced to accept bikes again by the parliament so now it's very tempting to obstruct.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #183 on: 03 July, 2020, 07:46:20 am »

I do suspect that this is a deliberate action of the NS. They are forced to accept bikes again by the parliament so now it's very tempting to obstruct.

That is the feeling I got.

On the plus side, at least you don't have to phone them up to make it work...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #184 on: 03 July, 2020, 08:55:01 am »
Well that was a pointless exercise. Got to sloterdijk early, got an earlier train, now 30 mins ahead of schedule, can't add reservation, can't delete reservation. Site says "system unavailable"

Stupid system...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #185 on: 03 July, 2020, 09:25:42 am »
I decided that I needed a holiday (and some audaxing). So, I entered the Heerlen event (and probably cycling back home over a couple of days).  Now I'm trying to figure out how to take a bike on a train. It turns out the "app" is a website, where you need to login with your NS-account. Then you can register your bike for a specific train (but only 36 hours in advance). Since this is per train, every leg of the journey needs to be registered separately. After you go through all this trouble, they tell you that registration is not a guarantee that you will have a place for your bike and that registration is not mandatory... So why bother? Oh yeah, the bicycle ticket itself can also only be purchased via the "app". Somehow I'm thinking that it's easier to go via Germany...

Aside: The Guardian newspaper is wrong about taking bikes on trains in the Netherlands. "There is a blanket ban on bikes on trains in the Netherlands, including services to and from Belgium or Germany, and that’s likely to remain until early September." From https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/jul/03/europe-by-rail-train-summer-2020-service-updates-great-deals
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #186 on: 03 July, 2020, 09:35:05 am »

Aside: The Guardian newspaper is wrong about taking bikes on trains in the Netherlands. 

I suspect it's hard for even the journos to keep up with the constantly changing rules. I am still clinging to a hope of cycling the Alpine route from Geneva to Nice later this year, travelling by train to and from each end.  A few days ago one of the trains I was hoping to use was showing no space for bikes but yesterday they magically appeared. I'm hoping that the same may happen with regional services from Nice up to Paris soon. Otherwise, I'll have to shelve the idea as I can't spare the time to cycle back from the Med!
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #187 on: 03 July, 2020, 09:47:59 am »
Well that was a pointless exercise. Got to sloterdijk early, got an earlier train, now 30 mins ahead of schedule, can't add reservation, can't delete reservation. Site says "system unavailable"

Stupid system...

J

Do keep us updated about the experience! Also where are you heading to? 6 trains from Amsterdam must be quite an exotic location.

@LittleWheelsandBig: I know the Guardian is wrong about bikes on trains. There was never a blanket ban on bikes on trains. Some regional providers still allowed bikes on their services. The ban was mainly on services run by NS, the company who operates all trains on the main lines. However there was some pressure on them to allow bikes back on their trains before September.





quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #188 on: 03 July, 2020, 11:15:46 am »

Do keep us updated about the experience! Also where are you heading to? 6 trains from Amsterdam must be quite an exotic location.

After so much of my riding focus has been on Audax or racing i decided what I really need to do is just ride my bike for the hell of it. No time limits, no racing the clock. Just for the fun of riding my bike, and maybe ice-cream.

I started in Rijen, I've made it to Raamsdonk, where I am having appeltart. My destination will be either Helmond or Vennray. Depending how my legs feel.

Why Rijen? Well I might not be risky against a clock, but there's no reason not to hunt some Gemeente... 4 down so far...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #189 on: 03 July, 2020, 01:09:37 pm »
Well that was a pointless exercise. Got to sloterdijk early, got an earlier train, now 30 mins ahead of schedule, can't add reservation, can't delete reservation. Site says "system unavailable"

Stupid system...

J

Do keep us updated about the experience! Also where are you heading to? 6 trains from Amsterdam must be quite an exotic location.

@LittleWheelsandBig: I know the Guardian is wrong about bikes on trains. There was never a blanket ban on bikes on trains. Some regional providers still allowed bikes on their services. The ban was mainly on services run by NS, the company who operates all trains on the main lines. However there was some pressure on them to allow bikes back on their trains before September.
I bet you could get as far as the extreme north of scotland in fewer than 6 trains from amsterdam

Eddington  127miles, 170km

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #190 on: 03 July, 2020, 01:39:04 pm »
I bet you could get as far as the extreme north of scotland in fewer than 6 trains from amsterdam

For clarity, that's 3 trains out, and 3 trains back... Not 6 in one direction...

But yes, Eurostar direct St Pancras, night train to th Highlands. Done...

It used to be that Vladivostok was a single change from Amsterdam, in Moscow, but the night trains are messed up still...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #191 on: 03 July, 2020, 01:57:18 pm »
After so much of my riding focus has been on Audax or racing i decided what I really need to do is just ride my bike for the hell of it. No time limits, no racing the clock. Just for the fun of riding my bike, and maybe ice-cream.

Uh huh.

* continues reading *

Quote
Well I might not be risky against a clock, but there's no reason not to hunt some Gemeente... 4 down so far...

I knew it!

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #192 on: 03 July, 2020, 05:10:44 pm »


Btw, next time RNL riders tell me off for my relaxed attitude towards red lights... Today i got told off by a Dutch cop for stopping at a red light... Which is new...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #193 on: 03 July, 2020, 08:54:19 pm »
Be careful in Helmond... We have had street riots and a curfew down here in recent weeks.
Nobody seems to know why though  ;D
Regards,

Alan

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #194 on: 03 July, 2020, 08:56:16 pm »
Boredom?

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #195 on: 03 July, 2020, 09:20:51 pm »
Boredom?

Maybe, anti 1.5m measures is another possibility... But that's stuff for POBI
Regards,

Alan

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #196 on: 03 July, 2020, 09:25:14 pm »
Be careful in Helmond... We have had street riots and a curfew down here in recent weeks.
Nobody seems to know why though  ;D

Maybe someone else got told off for stopping at a red light too, and decided to react differently.

I'm pretty certain I only didn't get fined cos she thought I was a tourist. I didn't stick around, got the first train out of there.

Returning to the previous subject of the reserving thing. The site is basically bollocks, you can't easily use it on the phone, so if you have to change anything you can't really do much. Noone checked my reservations, noone checked my bike ticket, noone checked my ov chipkaart. I think the on board staff are doing the bare minimum they can to keep the trains working, with the absolute minimum of contact with the public (NS Really do know how not to waste a good crisis!).

Had to take the non HS home, as I missed my connection in Breda, only made my connection at Den Haag Centraal by about a minute. Running with a bike from the far end of platform 1, to the middle of platform 9 in under 5 mins is not an easy feet. I wish they'd stop putting bike spaces in the ends of trains and just put them in the middle...

Had a good ride tho. 6 Gemeente in total, just 5 left, only one of which doesn't require a ferry. I need to build up a bit more before I attempt a 200. Hopefully I can do an AUK DIY by the end of August, and finish my RRTY by October. I won't be restarting my RNL RRtY, There's not enough time to finish one before the TCR next year, so will use winter and spring to concentrate on training for that, rather than playing chicken with frostbitten toes from Bunnik like I have the last 3 years.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #197 on: 03 July, 2020, 09:27:21 pm »
Boredom?

Maybe, anti 1.5m measures is another possibility... But that's stuff for POBI

1.5m? you mean 5 tegels?



I thought this country had a metric system to use...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #198 on: 03 July, 2020, 11:00:56 pm »
I think 1.5m is a vague concept for the average Helmonder, they can probably count to 5 though.  :facepalm:   except when it's carnaval
Regards,

Alan

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Dutch brevets in 2020
« Reply #199 on: 03 July, 2020, 11:20:07 pm »
I think 1.5m is a vague concept for the average Helmonder, they can probably count to 5 though.  :facepalm:   except when it's carnaval

South of the river is weird...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/