tksindel

Sgt. Nicholas Brody. Bobby Axelrod. Major Dick Winters.

Inspired by Band of Brothers, Replacements, this was the perfect excuse for a 24 hour adventure.

Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during WWII in Sept 1944. Although the mission was deemed a failure, it led to a liberation of a large piece of the Netherlands at this time.

The Route

The Bike

Since the last trip, it was time for a proper upgrade. After weeks of research, I settled on the Canyon Grail AL 7.0 – the perfect workhorse for regular training around Amsterdam, and for adventures like this.

B&B The Villa Orchids

The adventure started by train from Amsterdam to Maastricht on Friday evening. A brief, misty ride from Maastricht across the border to Belgium, in a small town called Bassenade.

I would strongly recommend B&B The Villa Orchids for anyone cycling the area, or going to an Andre Rieu concert in Maastricht. Meals included, generous hosts and ideal location.

Fort Eben-Emael

Waking up to sun and a full breakfast, I was itching to set off. First stop was a recommendation by the hosts, Fort Eben-Emael, one of the largest fortifications in Europe during the 1930s.

National Park Hoge Kempen

Making good progress along the border, I set off into National Park Hoge Kempen. Dense forest full of pine trees.

Cycling Through the Water & Trees

Cutting through the woods, there was two key points of interest that I was looking for.

The first, cycling through the water. A bike path that goes below water level as it cuts between a pond.

The second, a spiraling bike path that goes above the tree line.

Hunting Grounds

Despite best efforts of the GPS, I kept running into signs that loosely translated to “do not enter for risk of being shot by hunters”. Reminiscent of the infamous “Boar on the Floor” episode of Succession, I searched for another route. Eventually I found a detour that brought me around a “Militair Domain”.

Riding in the Dark

As the long summer days shift to autumn, the sun sets quicker than expected in Northern Europe. With a solid lighting setup, it’s a hell of a lot of fun riding under the starts. Cutting through fields & woods without a soul in sight is a liberating feeling.

Neunen

Coming out of the woods and through a handful of small villages, I reach Neunen.

Neunen was a battle scene in 1944 and famously referenced from Band of Brothers Ep 4. There was a memorial I had planned on visiting that enshrined Easy Company.

An older women on her evening walk stopped by, curious what I was doing. After sniffing out my lack of Dutch, she was happy to share that she had visited New Orleans years ago.

Van Gogh Path

Unbeknownst to me, Van Gogh was from Eindhoven. He also lived in Neunen for a few years.

During the route planning, I stumbled on the Van Gogh Path: a bike path that paid homage to Van Gogh’s residence in the area. A path that illuminated like Starry Night, I did not see. After nearly 150km of riding, I was a bit delusional and thought the stars were an inspiration for the painting, hence the path.

Art History is not my strength.

Eindhoven

Coming into the final stretch that is Eindhoven.

Passing through a network of bike paths and an underground intersection that housed graffiti murals.

Finally on the train, back to Amsterdam in an hour.