​CROMVOIRT, Netherlands — When was the last time you were on a bike?It’s a popular question this week, given that here in The Netherlands, there are more bikes than people. It’s not uncommon for residents to have a bike they use to commute to work and a second weekend bike for recreation.At the 20th playing of the Solheim Cup, history will be made outside the ropes as thousands of fans will bike to Bernardus Golf. There is no car parking. Those who don’t want to pedal their way in can take a 30-minute shuttle ride.Reporting for this week’s event began at the Den Bosch train station, where Golf Channel reporter Brentley Romine and I picked up our Solheim Cup bikes. Around 5,000 fans are expected to arrive by bike this week. Many will take their own, of course, but for those who are coming from overseas, they’ll pick theirs up from the mobility station, and then simply take off down the road in search of the next yellow Solheim sign.More: No cars at the 2026 Solheim Cup in the Netherlands? Many fans will arrive by bikeTo be honest, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ridden a bike. I took a bike tour in Thailand in 2010, and I rode along the Erie Canal in 2014, the last time the LPGA Championship was held in Rochester, New York.Brentley shouted back gear-shifting instructions as we started out through the city. Bike paths are wide and plentiful in The Netherlands, but the bikers move fast with authority. As I fiddled around going up a slight hill, I’d accidentally made it more difficult to move the pedals rather than the other way around. As I quickly then walked the bike across the street, a one-armed gentleman gracefully rode past with a wry grin. Luckily, the Solheim bikes come with a sizable blue flag on a long orange pole, a strong warning sign to the locals to kindly watch out.It’s a mostly peaceful ride to the golf course, past grazing cows and cornfields. More: Mel Reid sets record straight on why Charley Hull was late to Solheim teeI don’t know how much my work backpack weighs, but enough that after the first 20 minutes or so, it felt like 1,000 pounds on my back. Gathering extra steam going up a hill by standing up simply wasn’t happening. The chivalrous Brentley lightened my load as we made the final stretch.I don’t know why I thought this would be a bike-only route, but as a semi drove past, I questioned my decision to not wear a helmet (which is the norm here). Much of the ride through the countryside is on a one-lane road. A tractor with wheels as tall as my Tahoe squeezed past as I tried to hold steady. It was around that time, after I’d shed a layer of clothing, that I realized I had a button undone on my top and had likely flashed a few farmers along the way. There was a point, when the ride shifted into the wind, that I suddenly recalled the last time I was on a bike – the Golden Gate Bridge in 2018. Pro tip: check for wind before you book a trip across a long bridge.The ride to Bernardus Go