My Morning in Utrecht

Nice windows and notice the utilitarian bicycles parked everywhere – the Dutch use their bikes for everyday transportation, like taking their children to school and shopping for groceries, so the bike must be durable, with fenders.

Bikes Belong’s Zach Vanderkooy gave me the referral; when Jeff Miller also named Tom Godefrooij, I knew I had a good interview subject. Making contact with Tom was easy enough, all I had to do was get myself to Utrecht from Rotterdam and back in time for a big event tonight. It proved to be a nice little adventure.

First I had to take the Rotterdam Metro to Rotterdam Central; every city’s train station is named like this, my eventual destination was Utrecht Central. Keeps everything uniform.

Since I’ve arrived there’s been a small army of Erasmus University graduate students caring for my every need; when Thomas van Huijgevoort heard I was traveling to his home town he put together my entire itinerary. I think my hosts were nervous that I wouldn’t return in time for the “Get In The Ring” event tonight, so Thomas volunteered to pick me up and return me to Rotterdam. Of course, I was thinking: getting back from Utrecht would be easy; I’d know the way – getting there was going to be the interesting part. I went to bed last night knowing the route, times and even the track numbers of the train I’d be taking, thanks to Thomas.

But by the time I woke up Thomas had emailed a new, slightly more complicated itinerary. It seemed like there was a delay on the tracks between Rotterdam and Utrecht. No problem, if I traveled first towards Amsterdam and transferred at Schiphol Airport to Utrecht. I was up for anything.This addiction to public transportation can be a little tricky, but I enjoy the mental challenge of finding my way around in a foreign city.

Thomas gently insisted I take a cab from Utrecht Central to my interview and after complying I wonder how else I would have ever found it. The route to Tom Godefrooij’s office wound around the narrow streets that only natives would know; as a first timer I would still be wandering around. But this plan was precisely executed by this interview seeking vagabond. I arrived a few minutes early for what would prove to be a real treat: Tom Godefrooij has great stories to tell of the Netherlands’ commitment to cycling, where they came from in the 1960’s as the automobile started to encroach and what challenges they face as they go forward. His business is arranging tours and interviews for mostly U.S. municipal visitors as they consider making their cities more cycling friendly. I enjoyed my visit and you can look forward to listening in; I’ll be posting the interview in time for the long Thanksgiving weekend.

The Dutch Cycling Embassy’s Tom Godefrooij