CROMVOIRT, Netherlands — When was the last time you were on a bike?
It’s a popular question this week, given that here in The Netherlands, there are more bikes than people. It’s not uncommon for residents to have a bike they use to commute to work and a second weekend bike for recreation.
At the 20th playing of the Solheim Cup, history will be made outside the ropes as thousands of fans will bike to Bernardus Golf. There is no car parking. Those who don’t want to pedal their way in can take a 30-minute shuttle ride.
Reporting for this week’s event began at the Den Bosch train station, where Golf Channel reporter Brentley Romine and I picked up our Solheim Cup bikes. Around 5,000 fans are expected to arrive by bike this week. Many will take their
own, of course, but for those who are coming from overseas, they’ll pick theirs up from the mobility station, and then simply take off down the road in search of the next yellow Solheim sign.
To be honest, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ridden a bike. I took a bike tour in Thailand in 2010, and I rode along the Erie Canal in 2014, the last time the LPGA Championship was held in Rochester, New York.
Brentley shouted back gear-shifting instructions as we started out through the city. Bike paths are wide and plentiful in The Netherlands, but the bikers move fast with authority. As I fiddled around going up a slight hill, I’d accidentally made it more difficult to move the pedals rather than the other way around. As I quickly then walked the bike across the street, a one-armed gentleman gracefully rode past with a wry grin.
Luckily, the Solheim bikes come with a sizable blue flag on a long orange pole, a strong warning sign to the locals to kindly watch out.
It’s a mostly peaceful ride to the golf course, past grazing cows and cornfields.
I don’t know how much my work backpack weighs, but enough that after the first 20 minutes or so, it felt like 1,000 pounds on my back. Gathering extra steam going up a hill by standing up simply wasn’t happening. The chivalrous Brentley lightened my load as we made the final stretch.
I don’t know why I thought this would be a bike-only route, but as a semi drove past, I questioned my decision to not wear a helmet (which is the norm here).
Much of the ride through the countryside is on a one-lane road. A tractor with wheels as tall as my Tahoe squeezed past as I tried to hold steady.
It was around that time, after I’d shed a layer of clothing, that I realized I had a button undone on my top and had likely flashed a few farmers along the way.
There was a point, when the ride shifted into the wind, that I suddenly recalled the last time I was on a bike – the Golden Gate Bridge in 2018. Pro tip: check for wind before you book a trip across a long bridge.
The ride to Bernardus Golf is supposed to be a 25-minute route, but it was taking significantly longer, and I’d lost sight of my traveling companion.
But, I kept seeing the yellow Solheim Cup bike signs, so I carried on.
After receiving a “you OK?” text from Brentley, I decided to look at the signs going the other direction. It was at that point that I realized there are two kinds of yellow Solheim Cup bike signs with arrows. And some of those signs said “retour.” I later learned those are the signs to follow when leaving the venue. Apparently, that means “return.”
Only one car honked at me on the trip, which was totally expected as I made a wrong turn into the pedestrian gate.
The 25-minute trip took about twice as long after all the misfires. The bike parking lot is about 50 yards from the first tee, which is usually hole No. 3 at Bernardus. My wobbly legs were grateful for a shuttle ride to the media center.
While it was sunny and pleasant this morning, it poured rain for much of the afternoon, which could certainly spice up the return trip.
As the wise woman who stood behind me for two hours in the immigration line at the Amsterdam airport said, it’s the unplanned parts of life that lead to the best stories.
Take the bike – at least once. But check the forecast first.
Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA and women's golf.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: I rode a bike to the Solheim Cup and survived to tell the tale | Nichols
