dgpcolorado
high altitude member
It helps that the Netherlands is flat. I bicycle commute here in the mountains when I can but it is way too difficult for most people — 18 miles round trip, 300 feet of vertical gain outbound and 1000 feet of gain homebound, most of it in a two mile stretch, maxing out at a 14% grade. That's no big deal for serious bike riders but it is a workout for a commuter. This time of the year I also have to deal with lightning, something I try to avoid.
[Also bicycle commuted in San Diego (six years) and Boulder (14+ years, year 'round even in snow, rain, cold) for 43,000 miles, but those were relatively flat commutes.]
