For quite some time I had been blogging on developing software, which is my profession. I already knew many IT people were cyclist and when my Codebetter buddy Brendan set up Cyclebetter.com I could not resist joining in. .
I live in the Netherlands where bicycles are a very common means of transportation. To me cycling is the way to get away from work, try to get away from the endless loops of code in my head and create some space for fresh ideas. And it makes an ideal exercise, sitting behind a desk all day is not to good for your physical health. I'm self employed and can organize most of my time. So when the weather is not to bad I hop on my bike to take a tour. In the evening hours I'll continue with the project I was working on. Refreshed with fresh views. Very productive.
Fiets, the title of this blog, is the Dutch word for bicycle. It's pronounced something like feets. The word is only found in our language and despite it's short history it's etymology is not agreed upon. I do take cycling (fietsen) serious but do not race in competitions. This is my current bike.
It's an old trekking bike. Steel, very heavy; but enough possibilities to make some speed and strong enough to survive moderate off-road pathways. A couple of wrenches and an oil-canister keep it rolling; but I am looking around for something new. I'll be blogging about the many different 2-wheelers I have in mind and hope on your feedback in making a choice.
I live in the province of Groningen, which is the center of a high variety of the most beautiful landscapes in the (North of) the Netherlands. I also cycle to experience the landscape; that's another thing I will be (photo) blogging about. We have no mountains (over 6 meters), the main problem on a bike tour is the wind. I'll try to give an impression what it's like to cycle over here in later postings.
Ga toch fietsen