Mr. J.T. Schotte of Amsterdam became Holland's first importer of the velocipedes in 1868, and his main customer was Mr. H.H.Timmer.

When Timmer went on a business trip to the town of Deventer he met a brilliant blacksmith named Henricus Burgers. Timmer sold one of Michaux's first wooden velocipedes to Burgers. Burgers studied the model carefully and by the end of 1869 he began to manufacture his own bicycles. His factory was a success. Today, Burgers is acknowledged as the founder of the Dutch bicycle industry.

When the joy of cycling was first discovered it was primarily a rich man's sport. In 1871 the first Dutch bicycle club was founded in Deventer, named "Immer Weiter" (always forward in German). Soon other clubs sprang up among which the Algemeene Nederlandsche Wielrijders Bond (ANWB) in 1885. Today this is Holland's National Automobile Club.

In 1896, the slogan "Everybody on the bicycle" indicated that the bicycle had finally trickled down to the middle and lower classes. Farmers abandoned their horses and postmen, policemen, and even the Dutch army, used bicycles. The army had a machine-gun mounted bicycle battalion. By the turn of the century there was a demand for cheap, good transportation which only the bicycle fulfilled. Today, almost every Dutch person rides a bicycle, or "fiets", to work, school, or for pleasure. Holland has a population of 15 million and there are 12 million bicycles.

Cycling holidays

Holland is the perfect place to spend a cycling vacation. It is a relatively flat country with a mild climate and has many bicycle paths. The distances from one town to another are never great.

All 12 provinces have something unique and different to offer so that a cyclist will never be faced with a monotonous landscape. First there are the rural provinces of Friesland and Groningen in northern Holland. There is the green heart of the urbanized Randstad, the densely populated triangular area between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague. In Overijssel, Drenthe, and North Brabant the cycle paths traverse woods and heath.
A journey around the IJsselmeer (the former Zuiderzee) includes traditional fishing villages and cheese towns, and in the spring there are the bulb fields. For those craving more exertion there are hilly routes through the dunes of Texel and the provinces of North and South Holland, through the Veluwe forest in Gelderland, and in the rolling hills of southern Limburg. Each province has its own cycling routes.

Holland offers packages to cyclists of all levels. Packages offer everything from day trips, weekend trips to fully fledged cycling vacations for both groups and individuals.
Special blue and white signposts and route signs point the way for cyclists. The white toadstool-shaped milestones found at ground level indicate, in red, the numbers in kilometers to the next place.

All bike paths are mapped out and the maps are available in Holland in any local book store, local tourist offices (VVV's), or at all of the ANWB branches.

Special cycle routes

The Dutch have built a network of separate bike paths exclusively for cyclists in both rural and urban areas. The network stretches into each of the 12 provinces. Some of the paths run parallel to the roads, but there also paths designed for cyclists that takes them through the woods and heath where cars can not travel. There are traffic rules the cyclist must abide by on both these paths and on the roads where there are no paths. Some bike paths even have their own traffic lights.

Accessible and inexpensive

The bicycle is always at hand in Holland. Individuals who find themselves without a bike, Dutch and tourists alike can rent them by the hour, day, week, or even longer. They can be hired at most train stations, or bicycle shops. Many renters ask for a deposit between EUR 20 and EUR 100 depending on the quality of the bike. More than 100 railroad stations rent bikes between EUR 8 a day and EUR 35 a week. These bikes can be taken on the train (not at peak hours). There are approximately 220 places/companies where bikes can be rented throughout Holland.

If a cyclist prefers to bring their own bicycle to Holland, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Martinair Holland provide special packing boxes. The bicycle will be charged as excess baggage.