Ride in the Snow (’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands)

Last week was exceptional and this called for an extra post! The Netherlands had not seen this much snow in about five years. The video I recorded and published last week was filmed in Utrecht on Monday morning, when many people were heading to work for the first time in 2026. At that moment, we had no idea what was still to come.

Since then, the video has been making the rounds online, and the reactions have been remarkable. Quite a few people are convinced the images must be AI-generated. Surely nobody would ride like that — and without helmets! Hospitals must have been overwhelmed by such recklessness, especially with so many people cycling at once. In German-speaking countries in particular, comments often take that line of thought.

Interestingly, that was not true at all. Emergency departments did prepare themselves that Monday morning, but when the Dutch press agency asked hospitals in several regions, they found no unusual pressure.

Due to the snowfall, the roads are extremely slippery, but so far this has not led to major pressure on hospitals in the region. According to the hospitals, it is no busier than usual. “It’s really not too bad; people seem to have set out well prepared,” a spokesperson said. Source: RTV Utrecht

Two days later, on Wednesday, the situation had not changed much:
So far, hospitals are not particularly busy as a result of slippery conditions and snowfall. While more people than on a normal Wednesday are arriving at emergency departments, the situation is comparable to the previous days. Source: Skipr

That Wednesday, I went out for longer ride and filmed it: a tour of my hometown, ’s-Hertogenbosch, starting and ending at the Market Square. The route was 19.4 km and took me 1 hour and 20 minutes — considerably slower than my usual average of around 20 km/h. I had no intention of adding to hospital statistics myself.

Below are a few photos from that ride. I chose routes that were supposed to have been cleared of snow and ice, although, as you will see, this had been done with varying degrees of thoroughness. I also deliberately rode into a neighbouring municipality, where differences in snow clearance priorities were clearly visible.

Enjoy the ride. As a bonus, I also made a three-minute Short for those who prefer that format. It was recorded later that same Wednesday afternoon, after I returned from this ride, and shows people cycling past on the Market Square in ’s-Hertogenbosch.

A main street in the city centre. This street was treated with salt to melt the snow. You can see that the side street to the right was not cleared. Typically, such streets only form the beginning or end of a journey; for most of the distance, people use main routes like this one.

Another main street, this time with a separate cycleway that was also cleared of snow. Because fresh snow kept falling lightly, a thin new layer formed on the treated surface. The car on the left has clearly not been used since most of the snow fell.

This is meant to be a main route in the municipality of Vught. According to official maps, it should have been treated, but clearly it was not — at least not recently. Judging by the heaps of snow in front of the car, it may have been cleared earlier. This car, too, had not been used since the snowfall.

The approach to ’s-Hertogenbosch from the south is always pleasant. For historic and landscape reasons, this area has remained open, meaning the historic centre is still directly adjacent to fields. This approach has looked much the same for centuries. Note that, because of the snow, the open water had not frozen over — so skating, so beloved by the Dutch, was not possible during this period.

Another street in the city centre. The snow-clearing vehicle came from the right and continued straight ahead, leaving ridges of snow that now have to be crossed. These spots can be tricky — especially once they freeze again — but here the slush was still easy to ride through.

A main cycle route that had been cleared reasonably well. Not to its full width, but as everyone was riding more slowly, overtaking was still easy. Pedestrians also used the cleared cycleway, which is entirely acceptable under such conditions.

Even cycle paths that run independently of roads are cleared when they are considered main routes, such as this one through a park. The scenery was beautiful, and I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the ride.

At the other end of the spectrum are industrial areas. This street appeared less well cleared, although some of the snow may have been deposited there by passing lorries. (It seemed to be happening when I saw lorries pass.)

Towards the end of the ride, snow accumulated on the camera lens. I did not notice this at the time, or I would have wiped it sooner. Still, the essential details remain visible, and it clearly shows that it was snowing for much of the ride.

Back where I started: the city hall of ’s-Hertogenbosch.