The SunPedal Ride — Paris to Amsterdam on bicycles
700+ kilometres. 10 days. July 2020.
Summary
Anuj Karkare (IIT Bombay, INSEAD 20J Alumnus) and Sushil Reddy (IIT Bombay, HEC Paris Alumnus) completed a journey of more than 700 kilometres in 10 days on bicycles from Paris to Amsterdam between 17th July and 28th July 2020 as a part of the cause — The SunPedal Ride — to spread awareness about cycling as a medium to promote sustainable mobility. The current Covid-19 scenario has encouraged people to re-think the value of two factors — cleaner environment and healthy living. Cycling is an ideal solution for both, while keeping a social distance during commuting. Cycling is essential to the success of the European Union’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. The ambitious goals of the EU Green Deal to achieve a 90% reduction in transport emissions by 2050 can be reached only with a major modal shift to more cycling (Cycling Industries Europe). New bicycle pop-up lanes in Paris, push for cycling advocacy and funding by European cycling associations like the Dutch Cycling Embassy & BYCS, acceleration of the work to increase signages on the dedicated ‘EuroVelo’ bicycle paths by European Cyclists’s Federation are some of the experiences during the journey from Paris to Amsterdam. This report is a short travelogue of the daily ride experiences of Anuj and Sushil (narrated by Sushil, daily Strava ride data recorded by Anuj)
A big thank you to the main supporter -
Day 1–17th July 2020 — Paris to Compiègne
- Bicycle Pop-up lanes in Paris as we start from Gare de Lyon
- EuroVelo 3 and the French Countryside Landscape
- First tire puncture after testing a few unpaved bike paths
Thank you to Ibis Versailles Chateau hotel for hosting to ensure smooth pre-ride preparations. A wholesome breakfast later, I went to HEC Paris university campus in Jouy-en-Josas) to grab my bike and luggage, cycled more than 30+ kilometres to Paris and joined Anuj at the start point of Gare de Lyon at 11 am. Anuj met the Bicycle Mayor of Paris, Tomas, at Gare de Lyon, before starting the ride. Navigating through the Paris traffic, we followed the marked dedicated EuroVelo 3 bicycle route out of the city towards the Paris CDG Airport via canal Saint Martin route. I followed Anuj who was navigating the journey. Post lunch, we were treated to the beautiful countryside of North France after Anuj’s first tire puncture! After riding through corn and lettuce fields for the second half of the day, we reached the destination of the day, IBIS Compiègne. We had a bath and an ‘unlimited’ buffet dinner to gain back all the lost calories and dozed off almost immediately. Day 1 was equal amounts sun and pedalling!
Watch the Hypertrack Day 1 Recap
Day 2–18th July 2020 — Compiègne to Saint Quentin
- A quick Decathlon visit in the morning to check tire pressures
- Sunny Weather and Rolling Terrain throughout the day
A much needed rest and a wholesome breakfast at Ibis Compiègne later, me and Anuj biked to a nearby Decathlon store to check our tire pressures to adjust to the right amount, especially after Anuj’s tire puncture the previous day. We then continued along the bike path along a canal and the D (Departmental roads) towards the quaint French towns of Noyon and Ham on the way to Saint Quentin. To avoid further tire punctures, we decided to stick to paved roads and hence, we quit the EuroVelo 3 route to share the road with vehicular traffic. The weather was quite sunny with a rolling terrain. Anuj took the drone out to take some aerial shots. We reached Saint Quentin in the evening and rested for the day after a brief visit of the town.
Watch the Hypertrack Day 2 Recap
Day 3–19th July 2020 — Saint Quentin to Douai
- Riding on the French D(Departmental) Roads
- Windmills, corn fields and the drone comes out of the bag!
- Getting used to the quintessential French breakfast
An early start to the day saw me and Anuj diving into a healthy wholesome breakfast at Ibis Saint Quentin much needed to fulfill the morning calorie intake. We started riding at 10 am and soon we found ourselves surrounded by windmills and corn fields in the Northern French countryside, again with rolling terrain. For more renewable energy, energy storage and sustainable mobility solutions in Europe, check out the online events at The smarter E Europe and Power2Drive Europe. A brief stop in Cambrai for lunch(French Baguette Sandwich!) later, we followed a cycle path along a canal path for about 10 kilometres before joining the Departmental road towards Douai. Cloudy weather with a hint of wind in the face felt good while riding on this day, after consecutive sunny days.
Watch the Hypertrack Day 3 Recap
Day 4–20th July 2020 — Douai to Kortrijk
- France-Belgium Border Crossing
- Bike upgrades at Decathlon HQ
- Meeting Jean-Pierre Haemmerlein, head of the Decathlon Foundation
Today was the day of the first of the two border crossings and bike upgrades! The Ibis Douai team was very helpful to keep our bicycles safe overnight. After a healthy and hearty breakfast in the morning, me and Anuj left towards the Decathlon Headquarters in Villeneuve-d’Ascq to meet Jean Pierre HAEMMERLEIN, the head of the Decathlon Foundation (Thank you to the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the connection!). Thanks to Jean-Pierre and the Decathlon Workshop team, we got upgrades to our bikes. My worn out bicycle tires were replaced by Schwalbe Marathon tires and Anuj’s bicycle got a new chain and cassette. With a new found confidence, we breezed past the France-Belgium border. There was a notable change in weather today with an increase in the wind speed and decrease in the temperature as we headed up north. We got our first glimpse of the Belgium bicycle lanes. Our first impression — wider lanes with more shoulder area separating the bicycle lane with the vehicular road, paved roads with marked signages and passing through the scenic Belgium countryside. There is a need for more sustainable mobility solutions in today’ times and the one place where these are showcased is the Power2Drive Europe, the International Exhibition for Charging Infrastructure and E-Mobility, part of The smarter E Europe. We entered the West Flanders region and reached the destination of the day — Ibis Kortrijk Centrum. Being in the Flemish region, we could hear more of Dutch than French in this town as we explored the town a bit before retiring for the day.
Watch the Hypertrack Day 4 Recap
Day 5–21st July 2020 — Kortrijk to Gent
- The amazingly flat Belgian Bike Lanes on the National Holiday
- Shortest riding day
- Getting used to hearing more of Dutch than French
The Belgium National Holiday! Ibis Kortrijk Centrum was an amazing host. It was good to see bicycles offered by the hotel to the guests to explore the local city. After a packed breakfast at Ibis Kortrijk, we started cycling towards Gent. Cycling along the canal with a light breeze and cloudy skies seemed like ideal weather to bike in. Being a holiday, we saw more cyclists on the bike lanes than usual, enjoying the weather and having a fun biking day and a lot of family picnics! We saw a lot of ebikes in these lanes as well. Infact, our main supporter in this journey, Power2Drive Europe, which is a part of The smarter E Europe, shares similar ideology to promote sustainable mobility solutions including zero-emission electric mobility. A relatively shorter day saw me and Anuj take some extra rest for the day in Gent. Belgium does give priority to cyclists and with a better infrastructure, it truly makes cycling a pleasurable and an effortless experience.
Watch the Hypertrack Day 5 Recap
Day 6–22nd July 2020 — Gent to Brussels
- Ride to the Belgian Capital and a welcome surprise at the hotel
- Celebrating the half-way stage with some good old Belgium fries and a visit to the city centre
We had a packed wholesome breakfast at Ibis Gent Opera Centrum to get the early morning energy for the day. Today’s ride was next to the car/bus roads on the highway from Gent to Brussels. We met with occasional traffic but the bicycle lanes proved to be effective to maneuver this traffic with ease. The extra shoulder separating the bike lanes with the vehicular roads helped to ease through the traffic. It was evident to see the sense of understanding on the road by motorists and pedestrians alike while interacting with cyclists on the road. Sustainable cities are formed by proper urban planning including sustainable mobility solutions, some of which are showcased in Power2Drive Europe — the International Exhibition for Charging Infrastructure and E-Mobility. The ride terrain was almost flat with minor elevations. A journey of approximately 50 kilometres got us to the bustling capital city of Brussels. Surprisingly, we could see quite a lot of people outdoors, on the streets of Brussels, inspite of the Covid-19 scenario, although precautions were being taken. Novotel Brussels off Grand Place was the destination of the day. Apples and Nutribars were offered by the hotel team upon arrival — a sweet gesture. Being in Belgium, we took the opportunity to eat the famous Belgian fries and explore the city centre before we relaxed for the day.
Watch the Hypertrack Day 6 Recap
Day 7–23rd July 2020 — Brussels to Antwerp
- Meeting with the European Cyclists’ Federation team — Omer & Alberto
- Biking path along the canals
We met the manager of the Novotel Brussels Off Grand hotel, Kevin Martens, thanking him and his team for the amazing hospitality! After a quick packed breakfast, we met the European Cyclists’ Federation team, Omer and Alberto (Thank you Florence Grégoire for the connection!). It was good to know about their work to increase the EuroVelo Network to encourage cycling in the EU. While walking towards the EU Commission, Omer also mentioned the increase in the behaviour towards cycling from the citizens post Covid-19 and the long term collaboration work with the stakeholders to accelerate the cycling advocacy. Similarly, there is an increase in the people using electric bicycles and electric mobility in general, since they have become conscious of the environment during the covid times. I share the same goals of sustainable mobility as our main supporter — Power2Drive Europe, part of the smarter E Europe. We then left Brussels towards Antwerp via a mix of canal-side, townships and highways bike paths which Belgium has to offer.
Watch the Hypertrack Day 7 Recap
Day 8–24th July 2020 — Antwerp to Tilburg
- Traces of rain while biking along the “Bels lijntje”, previously, an old railway track
- Belgium-Netherlands Border Crossing
- Our first host of the journey in Tilburg, Purvi Sankhla
We had an early morning breakfast at Ibis Antwerpen Centrum hotel and started riding towards Turnhout — our lunch spot for the day. Today was a relatively longer riding day of 80 kilometres. From Antwerp to Turnhout, we followed a canal-side bicycle path. After a sandwich+salad stop at Turnhout, we took a bike path — “Bels lijntje” which was earlier an old railway track. We crossed the Belgium-Netherlands border, after a brief photo-op stop and biked onwards to reach Tilburg in the afternoon. There was a slight hint of rain as we crossed the border into the Netherlands. We were hosted by a student and a sustainability enthusiast, Purvi Sankhla, in Tilburg, who was kind enough to offer us her room!. We got our first glimpse of the bicycle culture in the Netherlands. The bicycle infrastructure level rose up exponentially from France to Belgium to the Netherlands.
Watch the Hypertrack Day 8 Recap
Day 9–25th July 2020 — Tilburg to Rotterdam
- Tejas Sherkar joins the ride on this windy and rainy day
- Lunch hosted by Frank Manders, the founder of 80 Day Race
- Kinderdijk windmills of the 1700s
Thank you Purvi for hosting us in Tilburg! Our friend from India, Tejas Sherkar joined us in Tilburg to bike till Amsterdam on his road bike. We three had a light breakfast at the Tilburg train station and started biking towards Rotterdam. The weather was cloudy and rainy for most of the first half of the day. We were completely soaked in rain by noon. Frank Manders, the organiser of the 80 Day Race on electric vehicles, hosted us for lunch at their countryside home. Thank you Frank for being an amazing host! We also met Steef de Ruijter, who was traveling in an electric car in the Netherlands and making a journal of her meetings of ‘Making a Difference’! Such positive energy! Post lunch, we biked along some scenic bike paths, crossed a couple of ‘waterbuses’ and breezed past the scenic windmills of Kinderdijk built in the 1700s. A long riding day of 95 kilometres later, we reached ibis Rotterdam City Centre, our night stop. The longest riding day so far.
Watch the Hypertrack Day 9 Recap
Day 10–26th July 2020 — Rotterdam to Amsterdam
- Mixed feelings on the last biking day
- Overwhelming number of bicycles as we entered Amsterdam
- Fun fact — The Netherlands has more bicycles than people!
After a wholesome packed breakfast at Ibis Rotterdam City Centre, myself, Tejas and Anuj started riding towards our final destination — Amsterdam! The weather on this last day of riding was beautiful — sunny and no hint of rain. Headwinds did slow us down on a few occasions but the scenes of the pretty towns, canals and farms made us enjoy the last riding day. Mixed feelings is the best description of this day 10 of The SunPedal Ride — Paris to Amsterdam. As we entered the city, we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of cyclists on the streets of Amsterdam. It seemed like an orchestra of bicycles sharing the road infrastructure seamlessly. This ride wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our main sponsor — Power2Drive Europe, part of the Smarter E Europe.
Watch the Hypertrack Day 10 Recap
Meetings in Amsterdam
We were hosted by Ibis Amsterdam City West hotel. Thank you Janine Kots for the help and support from you and your entire team to make our stay comfortable! In Amsterdam, we met Chris Bruntlett at the Dutch Cycling Embassy which uses a multi-stakeholder approach to encourage cycling advocacy via collaborations with industry and academia, knowledge sharing and events. We also met the EVBox team who hosted us for lunch at their new HQ (Thank you Ryan Ford!). EVBox has a constant presence at the Power2Drive Europe (the International Exhibition for Charging Infrastructure and E-Mobility) event with their Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions. Later, we met Alexander Baum and Charlie Burnside at the BYCS office to understand the work of bicycle mayors across the world via knowledge sharing and collaboration. India has a growing list of bicycle mayors who take responsibility at their local level to encourage cycling. I got an opportunity to meet the inspirational Wiebe Wakker who drove more than 90,000 kilometres on an electric car across the world!
Conclusion and Learnings
The SunPedal Ride — Paris to Amsterdam journey on bicycles was a great learning experience to know more about the efforts taken by various organisations in the European Union to encourage cycling in the post-covid scenario. We hope that this push towards cycling grows stronger across the world as people appreciate the benefits of cycling and tie it to the current scenario. The bicycle infrastructure in the European Union definitely makes cycling a viable option for daily commuting as well as long distance touring, thus leading to sustainable cities.
We also plan to take these learnings from Europe and share them with relevant associations in India to encourage cycling. While it has taken a global pandemic to make many Indians realise the value of cycling, it is still far off from becoming as commonplace as in Europe. The car is still the ultimate status symbol, and India has gone from having 89m cars in 2006 to 253m in 2017. Indians want to get back to work but travelling on public transport is a huge fear in the current circumstances. A survey in April and May by Deloitte showed that 77% of consumers want to limit the use of public transport and 70% plan to avoid ride-hailing options. About 79% want a car. But not many can afford a car to remain isolated while travelling. The next best option is a bicycle. In June, when the lockdown was lifted, sales went up by 25% compared with the same month last year, says the All India Cycle Manufacturers’ Association (source). At an individual level, one can incentivize cycling to promote daily commute within his or her residential complexes and offices. The Energy Resource Institute has published an socio-economic assessment report on cycling in India which clearly states the challenges and opportunities.
India Cycles4Change Challenge, an initiative of the Smart Cities Mission under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, aims to inspire and support the cities to implement quick cycling-friendly initiatives in response to Covid-19. In addition to creating extensive cycling-networks through low-cost interventions like pop-up cycle lanes and traffic-calmed or non-motorised zones, cities could launch programmes such as community-led cycle rental schemes that increase the availability of cycles to citizens and promote the usage of cycling through public events and outreach. In the longer term, the Smart Cities Mission encourages cities to convert temporary interventions into permanent. The network of Bicycle Mayors in India are helping in this mission locally in their respective cities by co-ordinating with the right stakeholders.
For example, organisations like World Resources Institute, Smart Commute Foundation (SCF), and Project Mumbai are assisting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the challenge. “We had our first meeting on Sunday, during which we decided to undertake a survey of how Mumbaiites travel and also identify roads where pop-up lanes can be introduced,” said Firoza Suresh, Mumbai’s bicycle mayor. (source)
If you are keen to support the work of bicycle mayors and BYCS.org, here is the fundraiser link https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-sunpedal-ride-bycs-paris-to-amsterdam
Thank You!
Here is the journey video made by Anuj Karkare (using the Drone and GoPro footage)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duMmO45u5yg
Supporting Organisations of The SunPedal Ride — Paris to Amsterdam Edition
Power2Drive Europe; #P2DEU; @PowerToDrive, part of The smarter E Europe; #TSEEU; @the_smarter_E (Event dates are June 9th-11th, 2021)
LIVE Tracking partner Hypertrack Daily ride tracking highlights here https://hypertrack.com/the-sunpedal-ride
Ibis Versailles Château, Ibis Compiegne, ibis Saint Quentin Basilique, ibis Douai Centre, ibis Kortrijk Centrum, ibis Gent Centrum Opera, Novotel Brussels off Grand Place, ibis Antwerpen Centrum, ibis Rotterdam City Centre, ibis Amsterdam City West, Novotel Paris La Defense (Supporting Planet21 Sustainability Commitments and positive hospitality of Accor Group)
