A compilation of my 2021 posts and videos

It is time again for the traditional review video. I finally feel I can say “traditional” because this is my seventh end-of-the-year compilation video. It contains clips of all 2021 videos. This gives you the opportunity to see what you may have missed this year, or you could be alerted to something that you might like to see or read again over the holidays. Especially the longer rides could really give you something to do! Every scene shows the blog post title and its publication date in the bottom left corner which, I expect, will give you enough information to easily find the post and/or video you are looking for.

Surprisingly, my post about riding to the blooming tulip fields made it into the top 10 this year!

In the second pandemic year, there were almost no other activities for me. I only had one online presentation at the beginning of the year. Over the summer, I did just two guided tours for a total of three people. There are some requests for next year, which I cannot really take on. That again is related to my personal health situation. To give you a short update on that: I am now on the waiting list of the university hospital of Utrecht, where the average waiting time for my type of operation has now increased to 133 days due to pandemic related problems in the healthcare system. The waiting list is weighted, meaning that people with a more severe condition will be treated before people with a mild condition. This is completely understandable, but I am in the latter category, and that means I could be waiting for (much) longer than over 4 months (starting from mid-November). When I first announced that I have this heart condition which requires open heart surgery, I almost expected to have had that operation behind me by now. But, alas, the pandemic – with all of its consequences – has made this impossible. On the bright side: it did mean that I could continue blogging and making videos for the entire past year. I will try to continue running my blog as much as possible, but considering my situation, I must reduce the frequency of posting. This means that I have decided to only post on the first and third Wednesday of every month in 2022, until the operation takes place. Hopefully, after the rehabilitation, I can then increase the frequency again.

Rotterdam removed two travel lanes for motor traffic from a main thoroughfare in the city centre. The space was reallocated to walking and cycling. This was reason for third place in the top ten. A similar project in Eindhoven ended on second place and that is why that project is the opening picture of this post.

Back to the posts and videos and the top ten. Although I see a slight decrease in the number of visitors to my blog (and a considerable increase in YouTube views) many people do still read the posts. Some were read more than others; people seem to be especially attracted to posts about taking away space from motor traffic. Fortunately, that is not the only topic that draws a crowd. I am very happy that the top ten is a nice mixture of things, infrastructure, as well as policies and human interest, and it even includes one ride. Rides are typically less attractive to the general public. You need time and patience to watch a full ride and that is not something most people seem to have nowadays. I am especially thrilled that my remake: “How did the Dutch get their cycle paths?”, which was posted less than a month ago, is already my most watched post and my second most watched video! I would love for this post and video to become the starting place for people who want to learn more about the Dutch cycling.

Top 10 Posts 2021

1. How did the Dutch get their cycle paths?
2. Cars are no longer wanted in the city centre
3. Rotterdam takes an important step towards becoming a cycle friendly city
4. The world’s longest rainbow cycle path is in Utrecht
5. Europe’s longest cycling bridge opened
6. It’s time for tulips!
7. A cycling viaduct that isn’t really convenient
8. When does a street no longer require protected cycleways?
9. Winter ride in the countryside
10. Utrecht wants less cycling on the busiest cycleway of the Netherlands

This longest cycling bridge in Europe was opened between Blauwe Stad and Winschoten in the province of Groningen. It may well be the longest wooden cycling bridge…

The top 5 of most watched videos is slightly different, but that is mainly because the number 1 video was watched ridiculously many times, well over 357,000 times to be clear, which is almost once for every person living in the city of Utrecht!

Top 5 Videos 2021

1. Do the Dutch cycle in the snow?
2. How did the Dutch get their cycle paths?
3. How Utrecht tries to reduce the number of cyclists…
4. Why Utrecht removed cycle paths to improve a street
5. Sustainable Safety in the Netherlands

“Do the Dutch cycle in the snow?” My rhetorical question was too much for many Dutch viewers, “of course we do”, was their grumpy response.

At the bottom of the list, we find most rides as was to be expected, but also the post of the fast cycle route from Apeldoorn to Deventer. The reason for that is that it was only published last week.

Bottom 5 Posts 2021

1. Snow in April
2. Ride from Huis ter Heide to station Driebergen-Zeist (Province of Utrecht)
3. A ‘social cycling tour’ in ʼs-Hertogenbosch
4. Riding in the snow in ʼs-Hertogenbosch and Vught
5. The Fast Cycle Route from Apeldoorn to Deventer

My least read post of 2021 was one with an extra ride in the final snow of the year, snow in April.

I would like to thank you for your support by visiting these posts, watching the videos and writing comments and messages, here or on YouTube and Twitter. I was especially touched by all the good wishes for my health. This year more than ever, I had to disappoint many people, when I turned down their requests for presentations, interviews, or when I simply couldn’t answer their questions. I’m sorry, but I often simply run out of time and now also energy. Thanks also to the many people who decided to support me financially with a donation, I appreciate that very much!

I would like to wish you Happy Holidays and a great and healthy 2022!

Recap 2021

Next week I will post a festive video, which will be the last publication of 2021. The first post of 2022 will be published on 5 January. The first and third Wednesdays of the month will be my new publication schedule, until further notice.