Landgraaaaaf

Holland. At first view, you might pass it over. You might say, "the dutch are worthless, and don't know how to make beer". Sure, they clog all the motorways in summer with their camper vans, and sure they talk too loud in public places, usually about how liberal and great Holland is. And yes, they do put peanut butter on their french fries. And ok, so maybe they're even worse than the italians at road signage. But just like anywhere else on earth, they do have some good qualities, some attractive features that compel you to visit every now and then.

A recent weekend was just one of those times. Alex somehow convinced me to go mountain biking with him and Yannick in Landgraaf, Holland. And it was brilliant. Now some of you might say, hey, Landgraaf, that's Limburg, not really Holland. But the Dutch flag flies there and the road signs are confusing, so...it must be Holland.

So those guys dragged me out at the crack of dawn to ride some Dutch singletrack. Landgraaf is waaaay down in the south-easternmost point of Holland. There's a little peninsula of Holland that sticks into Germany like a knife and Landgraaf is the tip of the blade. To rub it in, the dutch built and indoor ski resort there.

Alex does his pre-ride Yoga


When you park at the soccer field/sports centrum in Landgraaf, there's a trailhead with a trail map and 3 loop alternatives. We set out on loop "#2", a 30km jaunt through the woods. Alex had his fitness on as always and man-handled the Blaze up and down with ease. Yannick immediately impressed by executing a steep descent flawlessly, a tasty sample of what was to come. In fact, the trails there in Landgraaf were real, bonafide mountain bike trails. Not straight, flat, wide bridle trails like we get here in Belgium.

Yannick gets his groove on


Alex takes risks when he rides. Sometimes that puts him on the ground


Yannick puts all fingers on the brake levers


Is Alex going fast? Or is the photo just blurry....


DA getting a bit sassy on the single speed


Being in a densely populated country, the trails were broken up by plenty of asphalt sections, but for the most part it was ripping through the woods on fun, and remarkably well-marked, singletrack. Well done, Holland!

Just when you think it's ok in Holland, you see this...