Knowledge EuroVelo Conference 2026: Panel on Dutch Cycling Culture and Its Influence in Europe 1 October 2026 Cycling News General How does Dutch cycling culture influence the rest of Europe and what can the Netherlands learn in return? This question opened the EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference 2026 in Utrecht on 30 September. The opening panel brought together Esther van Garderen of Fietsersbond, Eric Nijland of Fietsplatform, Frank Bouma of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and our director, Skadi Tirpak. The discussion was moderated by Jesper Pørksen, Director of Danish Cycling Tourism and Chair of the EuroVelo Council. Independence, freedom, health, and abundance The panellists were first asked to describe cycling in the Netherlands in one word. The answers: independence, freedom, health, and abundance. For Skadi, abundance captures the breadth of cycling. Not only lots of bicycles, but an abundance of safe routes, destinations, purposes and opportunities to cycle. Everyday journeys, recreational cycling and cycling tourism are not necessarily separate worlds. They often use the same infrastructure and can reinforce one another. An audience poll highlighted that this relationship develops differently across countries. In the Netherlands, everyday cycling largely created the network and cycling culture on which recreational cycling and tourism could build. Elsewhere, the sequence may be reversed. A tourism route can generate investment, visibility and public support before also becoming part of people’s daily journeys. There is no single starting point. The model and the method The Netherlands is often presented internationally as a cycling model. That can provide useful inspiration, but it does not mean the model can simply be copied. The model is what we see: cycle paths, bicycle parking, networks and design standards. The method is how those results came about: commitment, cooperation between different sectors, and an approach that connects infrastructure, behaviour, services and organisation. At the Dutch Cycling Embassy, we often describe this through three connected elements: Hardware: infrastructure and facilities Software: community engagement and the user experience Orgware: the organisations, partnerships and agreements that make the system work Infrastructure is essential, but it is not enough on its own. A successful cycling network also needs clear responsibilities, maintenance, reliable information and cooperation between public authorities, businesses, civil society, knowledge partners and local communities. As Esther noted during the panel, users do not care who owns each individual part of the process. They care whether the complete experience works. This is especially relevant to cycling tourism. A cyclist experiences a journey, not a municipal or provincial boundary. Destinations may compete for visitors, but they also need to cooperate on continuous routes, clear information, services and overall quality. A two-way exchange Sharing Dutch cycling knowledge should not be a one-way export. The Netherlands also has much to learn. Because everyday cycling is so normal here, we can sometimes take the wider cycling experience for granted. Other countries and regions may be particularly strong in storytelling, hospitality, local identity, links with nature and heritage, or developing cycling as a complete tourism product. For the Dutch Cycling Embassy, international cooperation is an exchange. We interpret local questions, connect the relevant Dutch expertise and help translate experience to the local context. At the same time, international knowledge and approaches can be brought back to our Dutch network. The success of that exchange should not be measured by how Dutch another country becomes. It should be measured by whether our shared experience helps local partners develop solutions that work in their context and become genuinely their own.