On the trail of the Elfstedentocht by water bike

Siri Schubert

22/9/2025

Translation: machine translated

The last time the famous Dutch ice skating race, the Elfstedentocht, took place was in 1997. Since then, the canals have not been closed. However, the tour through historic towns and green landscapes is also worthwhile on a water bike.

It's a legendary track: the Elfstedentocht in the Netherlands, also known as the Eleven Cities Tour. It is traditionally the venue for a speed skating race with absolute cult status. The tour was organised for the first time in 1909; the last time the speed skaters raced across the canals between eleven Frisian cities was in 1997. Since then, no winter has been cold enough for the waters to completely freeze over.

Iconic races on SUP and bike

The race has such high significance that former speed skate world champion Erben Wennemars in a television interview, he said he would give up all his medals if he could skate the Eleven Cities Tour just once.

The tour now exists as a less weather-dependent bike and SUP race, which was won by Switzerland's Andrea Forrer in the women's race and Canada's Tim Oliver in the men's race in 2025.

I also rode the 220-kilometre SUP race in five stages three times. An incomparable experience in which the physical and mental effort pays off with scenic highlights, new friendships and a strong sense of community between the participants.

And each time I thought: How nice it would be to be able to take this tour to see the medieval towns, the surrounding nature reserves and life on the waterways in peace. After my husband and I sat on water bikes for the first time, it was clear that we would cycle part of the tour on water bikes.

«Why only part of it?», you may be asking yourself. Quite simply, the whole tour would have degenerated into stress in the time available - and we didn't want that.

Successful start against a historic backdrop

We set off from Leeuwarden past historic flat-bottomed ships, modern yachts and restaurants on ships. The city is a real water town, with numerous canals connecting the neighbourhoods and meandering past historic buildings, museums and under bridges. Leeuwarden is the capital of the Dutch province of Friesland; it was the European Capital of Culture in 2018.

After a city tour on the water with a stop at an ice cream parlour, we set off in the direction of Dokkum. In addition to Leeuwarden and Dokkum, the cities of Sneek, Ijst, Sloten, Stavoren, Hindeloopen, Workum, Bolsward, Makkum and Franeker are part of the traditional 11-city tour.

On the way to Dokkum, we encounter a stubborn obstacle for the first time: aquatic plants. They insidiously wrap themselves around the propellers that propel our bikes underwater and slow down our journey considerably. We have to stop again and again to remove the greenery from our drives.

After 4.5 hours, we've made it: we drive past the historic windmill in Dokkum and can relax with a cold drink on the terrace of our hotel next to the water.

In addition to the windmill and the historic Frisian brick houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, the old weighing house is particularly worth seeing. It now houses a restaurant. It used to house the butter scales and the office of the first Dokkum town inspector on the upper floor. It is not known whether he had to go out particularly often because of the Dokkumer Kofje, a coffee flavoured with the herbal liqueur Beerenburg and cream.

Accommodation right on the water

We planned a relaxed tour and booked the accommodation in advance. Each one right on the water. This meant we could stop, tie up our water bikes and arrive directly at our destination. Without having to dismantle or carry our vehicles - which wouldn't be a problem due to their relatively low weight and inflatable floats.

We transport our luggage in waterproof bags on inflatable luggage platforms that we bought for the tour. This works very well. As we take our time on the route, we sometimes travel without luggage on day trips.

Information about the skating tour everywhere

The importance of the Elfstedentocht in the Netherlands is evident everywhere. Everyone we talk to is familiar with the tour, the cities and the special features of the long-distance race, which now takes place as an alternative Elfstedentocht on Lake Weissensee in Austria.

A bridge near Leeuwarden commemorates the racers with a mosaic of portrait tiles. The portrait of the uncle of a friend I met here at the SUP race is also immortalised there.

Headwind makes progress difficult

Cosy and relaxed - that's how we wanted the tour to be. And that's how it is for the most part. On two days, however, it gets quite violent. In addition to the aquatic plants, the strong headwind and waves on the boat were a real headache.

We can only make progress at walking pace - or slower. Instead of the planned five to six hours, we pedal for eight. On the way, we run out of drinking water in the hot and humid weather. We are still kilometres and therefore hours away from the next village. Fortunately, we meet a fisherman who fills our water bottles. We appreciate the help and another nice encounter.

There are always such encounters. Boat captains wave and we often strike up a brief conversation as we pass by. This is motivating and makes the tour even more enjoyable.

A view of the sea

We arrive at the North Sea in Harlingen. We admire the many historic and modern boats in the harbour, including a faithful reconstruction of an expedition ship from 1596 and a fireboat that first served as a mobile lighthouse and later as a disco.

After visiting the town of Franeker with its canals and harbour, we head back to Leeuwarden. As we don't always want to wait for one of the many drawbridges to open for a larger ship, we often travel underneath - sometimes in a crouched position.

The country's focus on transport by water is not only evident in the fact that many people use their boat to travel to the nearest town for shopping. The aqueducts that run over expressways and motorways are also evidence that boats, SUPs, kayaks and now water bikes are popular means of transport.

Back in Leeuwarden

A highlight awaits us at the end of the tour. The Bonkevaart - the Elfstedentocht finish line. The metal arch above the water is shaped like half an Elfsteden cross, the medal for the best speed skaters. The whole cross appears on the water or ice due to the reflection.

The water bike tour through the canals and canals of the Frisian province was a fantastic experience. On the one hand, because we were able to fully enjoy our passions of water sports and cycling and, on the other, because the Elfstedentocht really came alive for us on the water and in the cities.

If you fancy doing the tour yourself, by boat, kayak, SUP or water bike, you can find tips and inspiration here.

Guidebooks

Friesland

German, Anna Bunde, Manfred Fenzl, 2023

Siri Schubert

Senior Editor

Siri.Schubert@digitecgalaxus.ch

Research diver, outdoor guide and SUP instructor – I love being in, on and around water. Lakes, rivers and the ocean are my playgrounds. For a change of perspective, I look at the world from above while trail running or flying drones.

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