During the corona crisis, cycling (and also walking) has shown a huge peak. The peak has now leveled off somewhat, but the number of cycling trips is still well above the pre-corona level. This is evident from the National knowledge report Recreational cycling 2024 of the Cycling Platform. This provides an overview of the state of affairs regarding recreational cycling in the Netherlands.
Start from home
The vast majority (94%) of bike rides start directly from home. The average distance is 23 kilometers. Almost half (47%) of bike rides are done on an electric bike. The high share of e-bikes is also reflected in sales. In 2023, 56% of new bikes sold were e-bikes.
Cycling holidays
Of the Dutch (16+) who cycled for fun in 2020 or 2021 (78% of the Dutch), 65% cycled during a holiday in their own country. This can be a specific cycling holiday, but also a holiday where cycling is one of the activities undertaken.
Zooming in on cycling holidays shows that more than one in five (21%) recreational cyclists went on a cycling holiday. In addition, 8,5% of recreational cyclists undertook a cycling tour where they cycled from overnight accommodation to overnight accommodation. These percentages are the average for 2020 and 2021.
In 2021, the Dutch undertook approximately 5,4 million cycle station holidays and approximately 1,9 million cycle tours in their own country. In total, around 30 million nights were spent in the Netherlands during these holidays and approximately 942 million euros were spent.
Provincial differences
The knowledge report also zooms in on the differences between provinces in various subjects. For example, Drenthe, Utrecht, Overijssel and Zeeland attract relatively many cyclists from outside their own province. In South Holland, North Holland and Utrecht, there is relatively little kilometer of cycling infrastructure available in the rural area per resident. These are also the provinces where relatively much traffic is experienced.
About the Recreational Cycling Knowledge Report
In addition to the extensive National knowledge report Recreational cycling 2024, with all source references, there is a fact sheet. This is also available in English. Fietsplatform provides an annual update of the knowledge report, so that the sector has the most recent figures on recreational cycling. In addition, Fietsplatform creates a custom fact sheet for provinces with key figures about their region. These are for the provinces' own use.
Source and more information: National knowledge report Recreational cycling 2024 (pdf)