Discover the most beautiful cycling routes for racing bikes together with Cycle Capital. Our social rides are a fun way to meet other cyclists or to deviate from your regular laps. Cycle Capital helps you to discover new routes around Amsterdam, cycle capital of the world.
For both absolute beginners and advanced riders, our club member Jacco de Vries selected his most beautiful Strava routes around Amsterdam. Each route is available as GPX download for your Wahoo or Garmin cycling computer via
Komoot.
By Jacco de Vries
1. Ronde Hoep (36 km)
Whether you take it clockwise or counterclockwise, the Ronde Hoep is the right classic turn aroundAmsterdam in a southerly direction.
Follow the Amstel on the west side to Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, cross the Amstel briefly and via the old village center to the river Bullewijk.
The round Hoep really starts under the A9; takes you 15 kilometers along the classic Dutch polder roads. Enjoy your ride along high reeds and beautiful views without a single side street.
Admire the angular church tower of Nes aan de Amstel and use it as your beacon to continue your route. Take care when riding in groups, because hardly ever you'll find yourself the only bike rider around here!
On the way back you can vary by choosing the east side of the Amstel towards Amsterdam. Of course you can also cycle the Hoep several times in a row, by skipping Ouderkerk and using the road on the south side of the A9 as a connecting road.
Download GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Ronde Hoep via Komoot.
2. Zaanse Schans (40 km)
This route takes you through the western harbor area and recreation area 't Twiske.
Don't forget to bring a mouth mask. As long as Coivd-19 measures apply in the Netherlands, wearing a mask is mandatory when crossing the water by ferry. You'll have to board the ferry twice. The ferries are free of charge.
You start from the Isolatorweg and drive via the Westelijk Havengebied of Amsterdam to the Hempont. The Hempont takes us to the Zaanstreek, where we loosely follow the provincial road to Zaandijk.
On the other side of the Zaan you have the famous Zaanse Schans on your left – perhaps the most famous Dutch open-air museum.
Via the low moor area of the Oostzanerveld you enter the recreation area Het Twiske. Once a sand extraction area for various construction projects in Amsterdam, it has now become a beautiful nature reserve.
Via Landsmeer and Amsterdam-Noord we continue our route back to the ferry that will take us back to Amsterdam Central Station.
Download the GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Zaanse Schans via Komoot.
3. Rondje Marken (50 km)
Beautiful, rural drive to the former island of Marken, with the turning point of the photogenic lighthouse Het Paard on the easternmost point of the island.
Via the Schellingwoudebrug, Durgerdam and Uitdam you drive over the dike to Marken.
On the island of Marken, you pass the parking lot for the tourist buses and continue on the cycle path towards the lighthouse named horse ("Het Paard").
The lighthouse is a wonderful place to rest and take pictures. The way back leads straight through Waterland via Zuiderwoude to Broek in Waterland.
Along the Broekervaart and Het Schouw, we see the contours of Amsterdam North come into sight.
Download the GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Marken via Komoot.
4. Rondje Spijkerboor (60 km)
Nice, fast round through the varied landscape of North Holland; polders, reclaimed land, canals, ring canals; you will encounter everything during this 60 kilometer ride.
Don't forget to bring a mouth mask. As long as Coivd-19 measures apply in the Netherlands, wearing a mask is mandatory when crossing the water by ferry. You'll have to board the ferry twice. The ferries are free of charge.
The start is in a westerly direction to Halfweg.
There you drive a bit through the Spaarnwoude recreation area and you reach the Nauerna ferry.
After the ferry, use the water tower of Westzaan as a beacon and drive north to Krommenie and Wormerveer.
At the town with the remarkable Dutch name West-Knollendam you go in the direction of Spijkerboor (also such a beautiful name).
You return along the Beemster Ringvaart via Purmerend and Amsterdam Noord.
Download the GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Spijkerboor via Komoot.
5. Rondje Vecht (63 km)
The best of two out of 12 Dutch provinces North Holland and Utrecht and Dutch river landscapes at its best!
Via IJburg you go to historic Muiden. From there you follow the meandering Vecht via Weesp, Nederhorst den Berg and Vreeland.
At Loenersloot the return to Amsterdam starts via the Angstel.
At Baambrugge, pass under the drawbridge and drive via the polder towards Abcoude.
Before Abcoude, turn left, pass under the A2 and pass through the Winkel, Waver and Bullewijk to Ouderkerk aan de Amstel.
From there you will return to our capital along the Amstel.
Download the GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Vecht via Komoot.
6. Rondje Haarlemmermeer (78 km)
Special for tempo riders and time trialists: the Haarlemmermeer round.
Low on navigation skills, simple and relaxed cycling along the ring canal of the Haarlemmermeer.
By driving the route counterclockwise, you will encounter (even) fewer side streets, so you can work well on your average speed.
On the way you come close to the runways of Schiphol, the Cruquius pumping station, a large number of windmills and the Westeinderplassen.
Keep in mind that it is often windy on this barren ring canal.
Download the GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Haarlemmermeer via Komoot.
7. Eilandspolder (92 km)
North Holland at its best; polders, reclaimed land, the IJsselmeer and small, picturesque villages.
You start along the IJsselmeerdijk and drive through villages such as Durgerdam and Uitdam with the rugged polder landscape of Waterland on the left and the IJsselmeer on the right.
After that you go via Monnickendam to Edam and you end up on the ring canal of the Purmer.
Via Kwadijk you enter the world heritage site De Beemster; the most pristine polder in the Netherlands.
Follow the route through the nature reserve De Eilandspolder, the former Schermereiland, with its many ditches and narrow strips of peat soil and drive through historic villages such as Grootschermer and Graft.
Via Spijkerboor you end up on the other side of the Beemsterringvaart and you go back to Amsterdam via Neck and Purmerend along the North Holland Canal.
Download the GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Eilandspolder via Komoot.
8. Amstel, Kromme Mijdrecht, Meije (92 km)
Do you like winding roads? Then this is a great round for you!
From Amsterdam you follow the west side of the Amstel via Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Nes aan de Amstel to Uithoorn.
At the bridge to Amstelhoek, cross the Amstel and follow the water on the other side towards De Hoef. The winding route is car-free and the asphalt is fine.
At Woerdense Verlaat you turn right onto the Hollandse Kade along Lusthof De Haeck towards the village of Meije.
Note; at the weekend this can be a busy cycling route - not surprising, because it is a beautiful part of South Holland.
Via Zwammerdam you drive along the Oude Rijn to Alphen aan den Rijn.
Choose this route especially if there is wind from the southwest; you can now blast back to Uithoorn along the Aarkanaal and the Amstel-Drecht Canal and then return to Amsterdam via the Amstel.
Download the GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Amstel-Kromme Mijdrecht-Mije via Komoot.
9. Rondje Waterleidingduinen (100 km)
Nice tour for the more advanced cyclist.
The route goes through the Westelijk Havengebied via Halfweg in the direction of Haarlem.
Dwars through Haarlem you always have to pay attention (especially behind the station it can be busy).
Via Bloemendaal and Bloemendaal aan Zee you reach the North Sea. Via the boulevard, along the F1 circuit and the center of Zandvoord you now reach the beautiful Amsterdam water supply dunes – source of our drinking water.
You now follow the beautifully asphalted and considerably undulating dune path to Langevelderlag and leave the dunes there in the direction of Noordwijkerhout. In spring you can enjoy beautiful, colorful bulb fields here.
At Sassenheim you end up on the ring canal of the Haarlemmermeer. Follow the ring canal to Leimuiden.
Cross the bridge at Leimuiden. and follow the route via the Drecht to Bilderdam.
The beautiful narrow cycle path takes you to the picturesque lock in the Amstel-Drecht Canal.
Then past Vrouwenakker and Uithoorn, back to Amsterdam via the Amstel.
Download the GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Waterleidingduinen via Komoot.
10. Rondje Markermeer (150 km)
Dutch classic for the advanced cyclist – the merciless round of Markermeer; always windy, always long boring roads, but always great to drive and have driven.
We drive clockwise from Amsterdam to Het Schouw and via Broek in Waterland, Monnickendam and Edam to the IJsselmeerdijk.
To take the dike directly at the Schellingwoudebrug and start via Durgerdam and UITdam is also nice, but your trip will be a lot longer there!
Passing beautiful dike villages such as Warder, Schardam and Scharwoude you drive through Hoorn towards Enkhuizen where the merciless Markerwaarddijk is waiting for you. Here too you can choose to follow the dike and make extra meters via Schellinkhout and Oosterleek – but that is not necessary of course.
The dike is long, but fortunately not too long ago provided with a better layer of asphalt.
At Lelystad there is an opportunity for a coffee and/or snack stop at the snack bar on Bataviaplein.
After this, another long, long dike along the beautiful Oostvaardersplassen and Almere Noorderplassen to the redeeming Hollandse Brug – known for the sprint training sessions of Dylan Groenewegen.
Arrived on the 'mainland' you drive back into Amsterdam via Muiden and Diemen.
Download the GPX of Cycle Capital's Rondje Markermeer via Komoot.
Cycling is all about story-telling
Which one of the above routes turned out to be your epic ride? Share your tales and experiences!
We are all ears at our
clubhome in the Amsterdam Westerpark. Share your rides enjoying a real good espresso or capuccino at our clubhome or tag Cycle Capital in your stories via:
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Strava!
Want to discover more cycling routes with us?
Join our monthly Social Rides. Every last Sunday of the month we organize Social Rides in which everyone with a racing bike and helmet can participate. You don't have to be a member of our club and participation is free.
