The Dutch are proud of skating, and Utrecht's Silver Skate is the sort of name that makes sense only here: a country of canals that freezes about one winter in ten, where the whole nation drops its work when the ice holds and goes out to skate.
The idea was ingenious. Instead of building a wall, the Dutch simply let in the water. Starting in the seventeenth century, they developed a belt of land from the Zuiderzee down to the Biesbosch that could be flooded to a depth of about forty centimetres, too shallow for boats and too deep for marching soldiers, and defended the dry spots with forts. The New Dutch Waterline ran right past Utrecht, which was kept inside its protection. Locks, sluices and culverts controlled the water, and forts like Rijnauwen and Vechten stood on the high points.
A modern rider enjoys the city differently. Utrecht's old centre has canals with wharf cellars, which sit below the street level and now house cafes, and the Dom Tower, which at 112 metres is the tallest church tower in the country. Motorbikes are tolerated in the centre but parking is tight, so leave the bike at a garage on the edge. Fuel is easy in a city of this size, and the ring roads connect to the A2 and A12 motorways.
Surrounding country is flat and green, crisscrossed with cycle paths, windmills and small villages. For a ride, aim for the Vecht river to the north, with its string of old country houses, or the polders south of the city.
Eat a stroopwafel warm from a market stall and look for a cafe on the canal. The best months are May to September, but the real magic is a hard winter, when the canals go solid and the city gets out its skates.