One big velodrome

AMSTERDAM—A sports journalist can’t stop thinking about sports even if the journey to another country is not related to games, scores and athletes’ profiles.

As bicycles crisscross the streets of Amsterdam, I realize that the city is one big velodrome. In office attire or casual get-ups, the Dutch use bikes to go everywhere.

You are constantly on the lookout for bicycles as you cross the streets, careful not to ram a rider or hurt yourself. The Dutch are deft cyclists, though, as they negotiate the small streets and dodge the unaccustomed tourists.

The bicycles are not the racing bikes we are accustomed to seeing in our summer biking tour. Many are old designs, functional, and often with a basket in front or at the back for office gear or shopping bags.  There are many folding bikes that can easily be twisted for easy toting inside trains.

So why didn’t Manila become a bicycle town, given that we have many small streets like Escolta and Raon?

Dr. Ambeth Ocampo can probably give us a better explanation and I will definitely take this up with the popular historian.

Hanoi is a bicycle town and they may have picked this up from the French. So, why not Manila?

Many of our city traffic and pollution problems could be reduced if we were less dependent on fossil fuel to move around. Our humidity though may be the reason why we don’t ride bikes to work. Arriving sweaty and disheveled after pushing pedals may not exactly be the best way to make a good impression at work.

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Now let’s try to be a little cultured as we tell you about our first time to attend a free piano concert here in Amsterdam. But trust me that in a moment, a sports connection will be made.

Like many key European cities, Amsterdam is a center of great works of art and music. The place is, after all, the home of the masterpieces of Van Gogh, Monet and Rembrandt.

But classical music is also a big thing here.

Our Ateneo delegation is treated to delightful program of Bach and Debussy pieces at Het Concert Gebouw.  It features Daniel van der Hoeven, a tall and lean young man, smartly dressed for this lunchtime concert.

The hall packs about 700. It has been preserved to retain its Old World feel. Think of the movie “Amadeus” for a moment and you’ll get the picture. Clearly, the state provides opportunities for art to flourish and be appreciated by residents and tourists alike.

Now here’s the sports connection. A virtuoso at work on the keys is like a boxer as he jabs left and right, hooks occasionally to reach a key and lunges at times to accentuate a musical bar.

Van der Hoeven’s head bobs up and down as the notes rise and fall. There’s even footwork as the pianist attempts to prolong a note for emphasis or to end a piece. Each touch on the ivories makes a clear connection.

It was like seeing Manny Pacquiao. Just like a champion boxer, a great pianist’s work is the result of countless hours of rehearsing or training until it becomes second nature to his body.

Pacquiao’s 14 straight wins in America, crafted with tons of hard work to complement his immense talent, are classics we will always cherish.