How to cycle like a Queen (or King!)
Yesterday was a whirlwind of parties all over the city and what was the best way to get there? By bike of course. How did you flaunt your flair on your bike? Here are six ways some Amsterdammers showed their orange pride.
1. With a hat
2. With a traveling party
3. Tagging along with a friend (and ‘flag’ your cheeks!)
4. Bike together and scarf your orange
5. Adorn yourself in a King’s robe
6. Proudly fly your flag!
by Meredith
Tuxedo Tuesday!
Tis the season for parties! Judging by their speed and frantic faces, it looks like these two are definitely late to the party–and might not know the address!
by Meredith
Classy Sunday
Where is this well-clad couple heading? The opera? The ball? A wedding? Where ever it is, they’re getting there in style.
by Meredith
Sunday pause
Doing two things at once can be a little tricky sometimes, especially on two wheels and in this windy, cold weather…so it’s never a bad idea to just pull on over to take a pause. Especially on a Sunday. Slow down and take it easy!
by Meredith
OV chic
Heels, tights, and sub-zero weather–a great combination. This girl proves that you can still be chic on the OV Fiets.
But really, Amsterdam, who’s ready for spring?! I know I am.
by Meredith
No hands Sunday
Do you ride with no hands? Ever since I fell off my bike last July because I tried to ride without hands, I’ve been too scared to do it again. This chick makes it look so easy!
by Meredith
Mohawks ride faster
There’s so much going on here. First of all, the mohawk. (No, it wasn’t just the wind). Awesome! Then the Louis bag. Classy. Bright blue jeans? Totally hot. Old school Nike’s. Yes, love it. Slick wheels–obvi. Should I expect anything less in the 9 Streets?!
I don’t think so.
by Meredith
Snow bunny days
I love this part of the winter, when the snow is frozen in your chains; stuck to the fender; caked on the rims. But I’m so thankful for the little fietspad snow plow that helps us stay cycling chic. Like, super sheeeeek.
By the way, cycle on over to Rotterdam’s IFFR, the best film fest in the world. I just got my tickets–first show is at 9h30 on 2 feb. Come on down, Amsterdammers!
by Meredith
Sunny Sunday
I saw so many people with sunglasses on today, like this cutie pie. Love it.
Did anyone else get a suntan today? I turned up the heat and sat near my closed window (with a bikini and sunglasses!) and relished the sun this morning. I don’t care if it’s -10, if it’s sunny I’m a happy camper.
xoMeredith
Pink Sunday
Two’s a company, but three’s never a crowd in my book! Especially if it involves parkas and pink bikes. Do you think it was planned?
Any new year’s resolutions out there? I’m still deciding between “learn Dutch” and “watch 80 movies from the 80s.” Tough choice. But in the meantime, what a fabulous winter day today. Or is this winter? The sun and 10-degree weather confuses my winter hibernation mode. Maybe the Dutch weather made a new year’s resolution: be more sunny and cheerful!
by Meredith
Double-up Sunday
The best way to get around Amsterdam on a Sunday? Hitchin’ a ride on the back of your friend’s bike. Backpacks in tow, these chicks ride in style, too.
by Meredith
Cycle Piet!
Happy Sinterklaas!
I was a lucky girl this morning. I woke up to one of those Dutch organs playing the Sinterklaasje song–at 8 o’clock in the morning. I stumbled over to my balcony only to learn that Sint was coming! I had the best view, too. A million small children lined the alleyway and were waiting for Sint. He finally came, escorted by cycling Zwarte Pieten and he himself was on a motorbike! Maybe the white horse was ill?
Are you celebrating Sinterklaas tonight? I have my poem ready and the zuurkool is on the stove!
by Meredith
Ride with an expert
Last weekend I took a ride through Amsterdam with Dr. Steven Fleming, an academic, theorist, and urban planning philosopher with a knack for cycling. His recent book Cycle Space, like his blog and twitter feed, closely inspects the relationship between architecture and cycling. He was in town for the (wildly successful) Rotterdam Urban Bike Night, hosted by the NAI.
We had a great ride from the Station to Java Eiland, to Brouwerij ‘t IJ, then around Oost, and wound up on Utrechtsestraat–at my favorite herring stand. The whole time we talked about bikes and the future of cities.
My favorite quote from him went something like this, and say it with a really thick Australian accent: “Cycling here is like a hand-me-down blanket from your Oma–it’s ancient, but you love it and you can never get rid of it!”
by Meredith
Mellow yellow
Did you see those blue skies today? I guess it got people in the mood to wear some yellow.
I love sunny days like this–even though it’s chilly out. I sat outside Coffee Company on Ceintuurbaan, closed my eyes and felt the warmth. Where were you?
by Meredith
Mr. Sunday
Oh hello there, Mr. Sunday! Where are you pedaling off to with those goodies from de Bijenkorf and AH? Looking super chic in those yellow pants and that 5 o’clock shadow (not too bad for Movember).
by Meredith
Music and bikes: last chance to win!
This weekend is your last chance to send in pictures for the Music & Bikes competition to win a Hotelfietsbel. So we thought we might give you some more inspiration with these pictures of Amsterdam cyclists.
Boy giving an ‘air-drum-concert’ on his dad’s front carrier
Carrying a drumset on a bike while listening to music
Cycling with a guitar
Mum cycling home after her violin classes
To win a Hotelfietsbel (hotel bike bell), the coolest bell in Amsterdam, you can post your pictures of Music & Bikes to our Facebook wall, our Flickr Group, or just email them to amsterdamcyclechic@gmail.com
For more inspiration check out the Flickr group and the ‘Cycle to the music‘-post
Visit the Hotelfietsbel website for more information about the bell or read our blogpost about it.
Style and Speed
In the Cycle Chic Republic it is all about Style over Speed. In Amsterdam it generally is, you do not see that many sporty cyclists in the city that just want to go as fast as possible. What you do see are stylish speedy cyclists. They wear normal clothes, they cycle a Dutch bike, but they are going really fast! Probably late for a date, or just work, or a boring meeting or maybe their kids are waiting to be picked up from school…
pictures by Ayolt
Amsterdam through Hungarian eyes
The final video that our friends from Hungarian Cycle Chic made of our city.
Thanks! It makes us love Amsterdam even more.
Amsterdam – bicycle city from Cyclechic hu on Vimeo.
Three kids, one mum (2)
In Amsterdam you see many parents cycling with their kids. With one or two kids it is easy enough, but cycling on one bike with three kids is quite a balancing act. Especially when it is not a cargo bike. Our friends from Hungary managed to capture this on film:
The Amsterdam Cycle Chic team spotted this mum. Cycling with two of her kids on her bike (one sitting backwards) and her third child on her own bicycle in Amsterdam City Centre.
This is not the first time we post images of one mum cycling with three kids, check out our other post.
Amsterdam rush hour
Heaven – Amsterdam rush hour from Cyclechic hu on Vimeo.
This weekend our friend Áron from Hungarian Cycle Chic visited the Netherlands. He made this cool video of rush hour in Amsterdam’s city centre. Check out all the people chatting, making phone calls and rushing to work. You can also clearly see how popular the bicycle crate is in the Netherlands. The Mr Visserplein, where the video was shot, isn’t what you call the most beautiful spot in Amsterdam, but for Áron it was ‘Heaven’….
A window view
Through a window of a house on a canal we shot pictures of these typical Amsterdam scenes. It was one of the first sunny and warm days of the year. Cyclists looked so small from high above.
Snow cycling and ice skating
For the first time since 1997 it is possible to ice skate on Amsterdam’s canals. Tonight there will be a ice-skate-disco party and tomorrow a race at the Keizersgracht. So we all get on our bike, cycle through the snow to the canals and start ice skating! (We also tried ice-cycling but will need some more practice to learn that properly…)
Amsterdam loves bicycles
Nice video of cycling in Amsterdam from Paul Rogers from Madison, Wisconsin. He visited Amsterdam for a conference and was amazed by our cycling culture. He made the video in the spring of 2011 with a small Canon VIXIA HF camera.
Can’t wait till it is spring again!
