Annually since 1912 (apart from war and pandemic years), cyclists have taken to the roads of Friesland in the Netherlands on Whitsun Monday to visit the eleven cities in the province. Now, the event is firmly established in the region and beyond as a day of cycling and enjoyment.
Whitsun Monday (the 9th June in 2025) is a national holiday in the Netherlands, and the spirit of this event is a celebration of folklore tradition and achievement. Achievement? That’s because riding 235km in a single day is just that!
What is the event? It’s a kind of sportive meets Audax, and therefore not on closed roads, but with 15,000 entries cyclists get priority during the day. Entries are capped at 15,000 so there is a ballot to take part, but this is now an international event in every sense. In addition to the thousands of Dutch who participate, this year saw entries from many countries, including 893 from Germany, 290 from Belgium and 71 from the UK.
This year, due to previous problems with getting brevet cards to overseas entries, there was a place set up for us to collect them instead, which was most useful. This also gave me a chance to speak to someone from the communication team who gave me lots of information to assist with this article! While talking to the young lady, I remarked that the next day (the day of the event) was also my birthday. Not only did she remember that when she saw me at the start line next day, but she remembered my name and face too. That’s because when I thought I had lost my wallet to a pickpocket near Amsterdam, but ended upon the ring road (how it got there I’ll never know) she recognised my name and got it returned to me!
Although the event is billed as the eleven cities ride, the cities you visit are more like small towns and villages. The route, while flat, almost always has a stiff wind, and visiting the coast twice this is almost guaranteed.
In the whole of 235km, I do not recall a single set of traffic lights. Altogether I had three stops for lights: two while a bridge opened to let vessels out, and another for a train level crossing. For the rest of the route cyclists have priority, and motorists always stopped to allow us out. No hooting of horns, no hot hatch backs with young drivers who think they have the road to themselves, just plenty of courtesy.
The ride
The alarm went off at 4am on the day of the ride. I was now officially 62 years and one hour old!! Happy birthday to me… I looked out of the window, and the weather looked dry. Over the past ten days I had been keeping an eye on the weather, which had fluctuated from bright sunshine to torrential rain. I had at one stage thought that I’d be riding at the event in my Barbour jacket and waterproof trousers, but with the improved forecast I opted for a short sleeve jersey and shorts, then just packed a thin rain jacket.
As it was 4am I didn’t fancy much for breakfast, so decided on black coffee and bananas and packed two more bananas for later in the morning. My allotted start time was 5:16am, so I need it to be on the start area about 30 minutes before my start time.
When I arrived, there was already a large contingent of fellow cyclists all eager to make a start. The first start time is 5am, and more set off every eight minutes until 8:30am. Each start time had a different brevet card so the start area was very well controlled, and everyone knows their starting time. Each start had about 200 cyclists.
To navigate during the event, there are several large yellow arrows painted on the road; however, with so many entries everyone just follows the person in front, and a long snake of cyclists can be seen stretching out in front of you, and also behind. With the early morning overcast and cool with the addition of a headwind, the journey to the coast was reminiscent of a UK event… that was until the first village came into view. Had the bars opened early, or had they not shut at all? People were stood outside them at 6:15am! They were drinking merrily, and this was a boozy fixture of the entire route.
The further into the route you get, the parties outside bars and in private gardens are amazing. Lots of beer was drunk, there was lots of cheering, but there was no trouble of any kind. No interference with cyclists, because there is massive respect for cyclists in this most cycling-friendly of nations.
As I approached the first control, I could see hundreds of riders all milling about and taking in the early morning air. Situated near to the control, families were selling coffee and chocolate bars, which is the reason the organisers themselves don’t actually provide food. I got myself a cup of hot coffee and a Snickers bar, and got through my remaining banana. I have suffered before on long rides by not eating soon enough, but I wasn’t going to let it happen this time.
The distance between controls varied between 5-35km, and at each one there were a vast number of toilets, plus water stations and places to purchase food. There is no looking for the person to stamp your brevet card, because you’re guided into an area where several marshals are stamping the cards. What I did have at the last control was some freshly made doughnuts, which gave me all the sugar rush I needed to complete the route.
As I set off towards the finish line, I came across a plaque to commemorate the crew of an RAF Lancaster Bomber which was shot down on route to Germany in 1943. This area of Holland was the route many planes of bomber command took to reach Germany, and many made the ultimate sacrifice.
Upon reaching the finish, I had my card checked and received my medal. With that it was back to the hotel for the quickest shower ever, and off to the lively bars.
This event is a ride to be enjoyed. It’s not about getting KOMs on the 170 Strava segments, it’s about having a great day in the saddle, hopefully some sunshine, and guaranteed wind! It is 235km, which for me was the longest ride I have ever done. I did enjoy the challenge, and also enjoyed the training and build-up towards it.
The organisation is amazing and has to be commended. To put on an event with 15,000 riders, fully marshalled, safe and enjoyable is some feat. When you see the prices charged for shorter closed road events in the UK, this certainly must be one of the best value events on the continent. The price? The equivalent of £25!
One of the most enjoyable aspects of this event is to see the sheer numbers of people spectating during a national holiday in the Netherlands, and it would appear that the whole area comes out to watch. Even in the first villages at 5:30am, there were people watching and cheering us on. By the time you reach the later controls, the crowds have grown and so have the noise levels. There is constant music to be enjoyed, and the sheer volume of wine and beer drank is amazing. Yet with all this going on, there is no trouble and nobody interfering with the cyclists, just lots of cheering and enjoyment.
I would recommend this for anyone who wishes to enter an event and enjoy themselves, however accommodation is at a premium so booking early is essential. There are large campsites that are set up specifically for this event, however.
A recent development is the introduction of another event in the same area which takes place in August over two days. It’s a very similar format, but more suitable for gravel bikes, utilising the many canal towpaths and light trails in the area.
3 thoughts on “The biggest (and most affordable) cycling tour you’ve never heard of: taking on Friesland’s legendary Eleven Cities Cycling Tour”
‘Tis always a pleasure to
‘Tis always a pleasure to read about the simple pleasures of a day out on two wheels rather than the pretentious nonsense that pervades so much cycling discourse. There was nothing about your training regime, nutrition strategy, your power output or the aero gains you’d managed to utilise, thank you David!
A great write-up for what
A great write-up for what sounds like a challenge the rest of us can realistically aspire to! Also sounds like the kind of event that perhaps in the future local tourist boards / business associations in the UK might get behind?
Here’s what we could win… and another reason why “slow cyclists” in NL may beat those in the UK – they can just keep rolling.
I imagine it may be possible to work out such a route in the UK but I’d bet it would include things like “gravel plus”-quality NCN paths, awkward barriers, dicey NSL country roads. And it probably wouldn’t be possible to visit any urban centres…
How the latter is done:
https://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2014/02/every-traffic-light-in-assen.html
I read about the original
I read about the original Elfstedentocht on the BBC website, an absolute epic ice-skating marathon that can no longer be planned in advance due to climate change, so this one has become the annual event.
I was steered toward this by a guy from Friesland I met on a campsite last year and signed up for the ballot last December. Really easy process and got drawn through the ballot, so I was one of the “other 70 Brits” this year for the first time.
This event is a pleasure! Even the bit into Stavoren into the teeth of a gale (dutch hill) along the Ijselmeer. Organisation is superb, support is unwavering.
Sign up for this! It’s the longest fastest ride you will likely ever do. Now, how can I get a pass for next year………..