The ‘time trial course’ of Amsterdam
De Ronde Hoep. A circuit of only 16 kilometers, which is characterized by a lack of speed bumps and traffic lights and where only local traffic drives. It is a wonderful circuit for a weekday evening. The road to it is also quite nice and from the city you will have a total of about 35 to 40 kilometers.
From the city side of the Berlagebrug near Amsterdam Amstel station, you cycle parallel to the Amstel (with the river to your left) towards the south. You cycle along the Amstelpark, avoid some tourists who only have an eye for the mill of (…) and you slow down nicely so as not to scare off the waitresses of Restaurant het Kleine Kalfje.
Via several S-bends you cycle along the water towards Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. During these first kilometers you will often come across many cyclists, but also motorists and day trippers. So watch out.
After about 8 kilometers you arrive in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, where you cross the bridge to the left, turn right at the traffic lights and then straight through the village center. Most cyclists are already going at a lot of speed here. We blame the person who once made a Strava segment in the middle of this village. Fortunately, the villagers are used to it and it always goes well.
After a cute little church and an even cuter little bridge, you make a choice: do you cycle De Ronde Hoep East or West? From experience we can tell you that most cyclists cycle the route clockwise.
This is where the 16 kilometer stretch begins, along the water, with almost always a challenging amount of wind. Sometimes 50/50 with/against, sometimes such a strange crosswind that you wonder the whole way whether it helps you or not. Along the way, road narrowings and bits of bumpy asphalt are the only obstacles. Every now and then you come across a fanatic runner in addition to a cyclist. But there are still enough reasons for many cyclists to regularly visit this relatively short stretch of asphalt.
If you cycle De Ronde Hoep more often, your autopilot will be activated along the way. You know exactly which side road you need to hold back on, where you can expect road narrowing, what comes after that blind bend and where that one hole in the road is. This allows you to focus more and better on your technique, your posture and your speed. De Ronde Hoep will become your time trial, your favourite place to compete with yourself.