Day 2 - Ouddorp to Middelburg (Leiden -> Venlo trip)

Bicycle: 16 km

Bus: 42 km

Riding time: 1:20 h
Total ascent: 50 m
Avg speed: 13.0 km/h
Route: Ouddorp - Port Zelande - Middelburg
Weather: Very windy and then rain (ZW6), 16 C

The cycling photo of today is this one:

I have spent more time today sitting in my warm and cozy B&B in Middelburg watching 2017 Tour de France rides than actually on my own bicycle. But there is a (good) reason for this. 

After the strong wind yesterday, for today the wind forecast was just a slightly bit less fierce, but it also had some rain forecast to start around 13:00. Well, rain did start earlier, around 10:00 (about 40 minutes into the ride) and the wind was still extremely strong and - unfortunately - blowing in the "wrong" direction. 

My original plan was to follow the LF route along the coast, which for sure is very scenic, but I had given up on that plan already yesterday evening and instead went for the shortest route between Ouddorp and Middelburg, which would have been anyway 53 km, but after about 10 km, while struggling against the wind on top of yet an other dam, rain started. The wind was so fierce that it was even hard to get the rain gear on, the helmet toppled away and I managed to catch it only with a good sprint. 

This picture I took about halfway into the dam. It started raining right when I was at the height of that square building that one can just see on the horizon. And that was a lucky coincidence. Not because that building actually allowed for some cover, but because it is part of Port Zelande, a holiday park, which has a bus stop! 

Actually shortly after I had managed to get my rain gear on and found the bus stop (which looked like a good place to hide... until I saw that it actually didn't have any side walls (who builds such a stupidity?) the rain had stopped again, and even the sun came out peaking.

But at that moment I was cold, wet and well, the wind was still there and further treats of rain. So I waited for the bus, got on ... 

... and road all the way to Middleburg. An apparently nice old, fortified city... which I didn't give any chance to shine... as I only wanted to have a quick, hot lunch, and get out of the cold and wet weather as quickly as possible to my B&B. 

Truth be told, it didn't rain again on me while riding from Middelburg to the B&B (nor while I was in the bus). But it did rain, when I was already safely here, and in a much better form of water:

Day 1 - Leiden to Ouddorp (Leiden -> Venlo trip)

Bicycle: 80 km

Riding time: 6:06 h
Total ascent: 271 m
Avg speed: 13.1 km/h
Route: Leiden - Delft - Brielle - Ouddorp
Weather: Cloudy, sometimes sunny, and very, but very windy (ZW6), 17C

Today was Day 1 in my 1 week trip through the Netherlands. The plan is to ride from Leiden down to the Southern tip of the Netherlands (Middelburg) and then inland to Venlo on the German border, then jump over the border briefly to a closeby supermarket and buy sweet mustard. Everyone needs a goal in life, right?

Let's see if this plan will succeed. Today was Day 1, a ride from Leiden to Ouddorp, a small village on the North Sea and on an island in the South of the Netherlands that reaches into the sea like a finger. A 80 km ride, which was made into much more of a challenge by the wind blowing at ZW5 and later ZW6 right against me.

It seemed already quite strong from Leiden to Brielle... but I had no idea what would be in store for me after Brielle and especially over the dam between Voorne-Putten (the island where Brielle is) and Goeree-Overflakkee (the island where Ouddorp is). 

But I am getting ahead of myself. Originally actually the plan was to ride on the LF route along the sea to Hoek van Holland and take a ferry from there. However, the ferry is currently only riding with a much reduced frequency and I didn't want to risk to either have to wait really long (several hours!) in Hoek van Holland or to just miss one. So I went instead along the Vliet to Delft and then onwards to Maasluis where there is a ferry departing every 20 min (an in my specific case a few minutes after my arrival at the ferry port). 

From there over Vooren-Putten, which is half nice nature ...

... and half industrial due to Rotterdam port. 

... and onto a very small boat over to Brielle.

I visited Brielle already twice by bicycle, but actually never really had the time to explore it. Also not today. Although it is a nice small, fortified town and definitely warrants an entire visit of its own.

Somewhere in the fields I also came across these impressive looking cows:

As said, behind Brielle the wind got worse and worse and finally making it over the dam (Haringvlietdam - part of the protection against flooding of the Netherlands) between Voorne-Putten  and Goeree-Overflakkee this wind reach new strengths, always blowing right into my face. The dam logically is the highest thing around, so the wind could batter it full speed ahead and no place to hide for me. So there was nothing else than to fight over it, one pedal stroke a time and nearly always in the lowest gear on my poor brompton, as if it were a mountain. But I made it. 

Over on the island, the wind continued to batter hard, but on some streets I had a little bit of protection through some trees or houses. But when I finally arrived at by B&B of tonight (around 19:00), the last 20 km had taken me at least 2 hours and I was exhausted. But also welcomed by the B&B hosts - who looked at my poor, little bike in disbelieve - with a hot, self-made zucchini soup. Jummy!