I spent almost half the last 15 years in the Netherlands because my Dutch partner, Anne Claire ( http://anneclaires.blogspot.com ) has a house there. Over that period of time I have come to the conclusion that I have Dutch bicycle karma. Let me explain...
The bicycle is king in the Netherlands. They have absolute right of way over anything else that moves, save trains and others of their own kind. This includes autos, trucks. busses and certainly people. The Dutch bicycle driver has, since childhood, cultivated the ability to charge ahead without making eye contact. They are seemingly oblivious to the destructive power of the moving beasts in or about to invade their path. The amazing thing is that it is not a demonstration of the famous Dutch tolerance, it is simply the way it is. Another thing is that there seems to be as many Dutch bicycles as there are cars in California. They are everywhere and they mostly travel in packs.
My karmic situation was pointed out right before I began writing this blog entry. Anne Claire and I were about to cross a busy street, close to her house, when a pack of bicycles approached us. The pack split around Anne Claire but headed straight toward me. I called upon my 15 years of learned bike invasion skills and got out of the way in time. There wasn’t the jingling of handlebar bells or “Dank u wel” (Dutch for thanks a lot) or sighs of frustration at my slow reaction time or, even for that matter, smiles at my plight. Eyes were straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to my reaction. Yep, they went straight for me but evaded Anne Claire.
If that experience was my first it would have been something else, but it wasn’t. I can relate many other similar instances. The only thing I can add is that Dutch cyclists have unreal reaction times. I haven’t been plowed into yet. Of course, my name being Holland does help!
Now, granted I am a foreigner and the Dutch have an uncanny way of spotting foreigners, but that’s a different blog entry. However, would the pack have split around me if I indeed was Dutch? I don’t think so. I think that it is my karma, pure and simple.
What do you think?
Sam
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Sam, your observations are spot on, but I'm 99,99% sure they would've split around you. Had they not, it would have meant lost momentum and valuable time. Dutch people on bikes may be stoic, agile, fast and would seem hostile to the out of towners, but when push comes to shove, they're not inhumane...save the 0.01% :)
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ReplyDeleteThanks Amsterdamize,
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct. That .01% is pretty small. I think that the problem (besides Karma) is that I'm too chicken to wait for the split! I have lots of very humane Dutch friends. :-)
Sam
I just Love your observation Sam Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteand Yes if you are not from the Netherlands it will definitively seem absurd cycling behavior.
Well I look at it this way if cyclist would not drive with the confidence that thy now do. The whole of The Netherlands would be ONE big traffic jam.
A Specially in the city's.. Can you picture that.
well of course you can.
Greetings from Utrecht, The Netherlands