Fietsvierdaagse

Fietsvierdaagse ("bicycle four-days") is a Dutch bicycle event. The event consists of four days of recreational cycling. Mainly during spring and summer several fietsvierdaagses are organised throughout the Netherlands. The fietsvierdaagse is an annual event.

The fietsvierdaagse is a family event and many elderly people participate in it. Every year they subscribe to a tour of four days of cycling through the local environment. The fietsvierdaagses are organised by local foundations. These foundations set a route that the participants have to follow. The goal is not to set a time, but to enjoy nature and to finish the tour. Most fietsvierdaagses are located in the countryside of the Netherlands. A fietsvierdagse tour is always divided in four separate parts — one for each day of the event. When the participants have completed the four days and have passed through all checkpoints, they get an award in most fietsvierdaagses: often a small medal.

The fietsvierdaagse is a typical Dutch event. The Netherlands are full of special cycle-tracks (fietspaden) where participants aren't bothered by cars and other traffic. The land is flat enough to enjoy relaxed cycling.

Most famous fietsvierdaagse is the Drentse Fietsvierdaagse in Drenthe. Other major fietsvierdaagses are the Nijmeegse Fietsvierdaagse around Nijmegen and Fietsvierdaagse De Achterhoek in the Achterhoek, but almost every local community in the rural areas of the Netherlands has its own fietsvierdaagse.

A specific version of the fietsvierdaagse is the avondfietsvierdaagse ("evening bicycle four-days"). That's a four days cycle tour in the evenings. The Dutch tend to organise all different kinds of four days events: another example is the wandelvierdaagse ("walking four-days"). It's not clear why these events need to take exactly four days.

Contrary to the internationally more commonly known street races, the fietsvierdaagses are almost without exception legal events.