Frequently asked questions

Register for the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour

How can I create an account?

You can only participate in the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour if you have an account. An account is a personal page and is required, among other things, to register for the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour and to register the completed tours. You can create an account on the website www.fietselfstedentocht.frl by clicking on the 'my account' button. Then go to 'register' and follow the steps that the system asks you to do.

I forgot my account password, what now?

You can click on 'forgotten password' (blue text) under 'log in'. You will then receive an email from us at the email address known to us - yours. The email contains a link with which you can create a new password. If you do not receive an email, it may also have ended up in SPAM/junk mail.

Do not create a new account, because then the system will view you as a new participant with 0 completed tours.

I have moved or have a new email address. Can I adjust this in “my account”?

You can change information such as address and email yourself by clicking the red 'my account' button on the website. You cannot change your name or date of birth. After processing the data in our system, the new address / email address will be used as a correspondence address after a few days.

Please note: until March 31, 2025, you can change your address details if you have purchased a card for the 2024 tour, in connection with the sending of your own card to your address!

Do not create a new account, because then the system will consider you as a new participant with 0 trips.

The registration

When can you register for the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour?

There are two periods in which you can register for the tour. A pre-registration period in November and a free registration in the first half of December.

Who is the pre-registration for?

Anyone who has completed the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour 5 or more times, including at least once in the past 4 years, is eligible for 'pre-registration'. When counting the number of tours registered by us, a maximum of 5 tours that have not been completed are permitted between 2 completed tours. The year 2020 does not count because the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour could not be held that year due to the Corona pandemic. To be clear: for the 2025 tour it is important that you have participated at least once in the years 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

How does pre-registration work?

Those who are eligible for pre-registration will receive an invitation to pre-register just before November 1 via the email address known to us. As of the 2025 tour, each participant must register personally and therefore separately. It is therefore no longer possible to register multiple people at the same time. An extra step has been built into the pre-registration process, in which you are asked to agree to our terms and conditions.

When is the pre-registration?

The registration period is set from 00:00 on November 1, 2024 to midnight on November 22, 2024. You will receive an email as indicated.

Who is free registration for?

Free registration is open to everyone over 16 years old

When is free registration?

Free registration is from November 28 (00:00) to December 19 (24:00). Here too, you can only register personally and therefore not for multiple people at the same time. With the 'free registration' button you indicate that you want to participate in the draw process.

Register together

When registering for free, you can not only indicate whether you want to participate in the draw process, but also with whom you want to cycle in the same starting group. That's new! This way you participate together in the draw process and you also get the same starting group. And that is possible with a maximum of 10 people. If you have been drawn, you can order a card.

What happens if there are more than 15,000 registrations?

If there are more registrations than the available 15,000 stamp cards, an automated draw process will follow. The result of this draw will be sent to the applicant's email address.

When do you have to pay for free registration?

You will be notified on December 20, 2024 whether you have been drawn for the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour or whether you have been eliminated.

If you have been drawn, you can order a card and you must pay immediately. You have until midnight on January 6, 2025 to order a card and therefore pay. If the order and payment have not been processed in our system on January 6, 2025 at 00:00, the right to participate in the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour will lapse and you will not receive a stamp card.

Together in the same group

If you have registered for the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour and you would like to cycle with someone else in the same group, you can do so. From February 1, you can invite another participant via your account to cycle with you. You will then get the same starting time. Please note: the person you invite will receive an email via our system and must accept the request!

If you have been selected, do you still have a chance to receive a stamp card?

On January 15, 2025, we will distribute the 'remaining stamp cards' among the selected participants. They will receive a message by email with a request to order and pay immediately.

I cannot participate in the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour, can I cancel my registration?

Registration is final after payment of the stamp card. It is then no longer possible to cancel the stamp card. You can transfer the stamp card to someone else until April 22, 2025!!

How do I transfer a stamp card?

Participants who want to sell their stamp card after the registration period can only do so through our organization. Trading via Marktplaats is no longer possible because a unique barcode is linked to the personal data. This barcode can only be transferred through the intervention of our organization. Only our organization can assign the barcode to the new owner and disconnect it from the original owner.

Someone who wants to transfer the card can send an interested buyer a unique invitation to purchase his/her stamp card via their own account. This is only possible at the original purchase price. We do charge an administrative surcharge of €3.00 for this. Participants cannot adjust these prices.

How does that work?

Person A wants to sell the card to person B.
Person A offers the card in his account by sending an email to person B. (Remember that this email address must be linked to person B's account)
Person B receives an email with a transfer request and can accept it.
By now going through the payment process, the card will automatically be transferred to person B.
After payment, an amount of € 30 will be refunded to the account of person A.

Once more:

You can only buy and sell tickets via the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour account. After March 31, it is no longer possible to resell a ticket. (This in connection with the printing of the personal card and its shipping).

Tour count

When will I receive a special memory/badge of honor?

Every completed Eleven Cities Cycling Tour is registered by us. This registration takes place at the finish when you sign out and the stamp card has been scanned. If you have cycled the tour 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 times, you will receive a special souvenir at the finish in addition to the regular medal. We call that a badge of honor.

How does the heat count work?

A special condition applies to the draft count (and to qualify for that badge of honor). There may not be more than 5 uncompleted tours between 2 completed tours. The year 2020 (Corona crisis) does not count. As soon as this condition is not met, the count expires. The count then starts again from the first completed tour. In concrete terms: if you last rode the tour in 2018, the continuous count will expire. If you complete the 2025 Eleven Cities Cycling Tour, the 2025 tour will be the first in a new series.

My heat count is incorrect, what should I do?

You can then send an email to info@fietselfstedentocht.frl in which you explain why you think the tour count is incorrect. We ask you to use the stamped stamp cards to show which tours you have completed. If it turns out that the completed tours are not properly registered in our system, we will adjust this.

The stamp card

When will I receive the stampcard?

Stampcards will be sent onMay 15, 2025 via PostNL, to the address in your account.

What does the barcode on my stamp card mean?

The barcode is linked to your personal data. At the finish we scan the barcode printed on the front of the stamp card. The finished tour is then immediately registered in your account.

Does the organization have any stamp cards left?

15,000 people are allowed to participate each year. 15,000 tickets are sold every year, so we as an organization have no tickets left. Stamp cards that are returned to us will therefore no longer be for sale.

The tour itself on Pentecost Monday

How do I prepare for Pentecost Monday?

Good preparation is very important. This means sufficient training in advance. We also recommend participating in other tours, such as the Elfmeren cycle tour on May 4, 2024, so that you also get used to cycling in groups.

On the day itself, make sure you wear good clothing, adapted to the weather conditions. In case of rain, make sure you wear good protective clothing and dress warmly. It is best to work with different layers of clothing. In sunny weather conditions, make sure you drink enough and apply sunscreen regularly.

What about food and drinks during the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour?

You must provide yourself with sufficient food and drinks. The organization will give you an apple from supermarket chain Poiesz in Bartlehiem and a cup of soup from Van Smaak in Bolsward (interim check).

There are also so-called aid stations in Winsum (between Leeuwarden and Bolsward) and Kippenburg (between Balk and Oudemirdum), where you can buy all kinds of food and drinks. In addition, there is plenty of food and drink for sale at each stamp post.

What time can I start the tour?

The stamp card contains a start number and a time at which you can start. There is no point in arriving at the start very early, because we work with a pre-selection system. From that preselection you get access to the start. We advise everyone to be present 20 minutes before the start and to follow the instructions of the people at the pre-selection.

Can I also start later than stated on the stamp card?

Yes, that is possible, starting later is always possible, but starting earlier than stated on the stamp card is not possible. The last group leaves at 7:56 am. After that it is no longer possible to start.

How long can it take me to complete the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour?

Every participant must be at the finish line at 12:00 AM on Whit Monday. From approximately 10 p.m. we will move the finish to Cultuur Historical Center de Tiid, Jongemastraat 2 (start location). This does depend on the number of participants still on their way.

Where should I stamp?

You have to get a stamp in every city and also in Holwerd and Oudemirdum. The route leads you to the stamp post in each city.

When should I stamp?

The stamp card shows a time at each stamp post. If you arrive at the stamp post later than the specified time, you will no longer be able to receive a stamp and you will have to abandon the tour.

Time control

There are time controls to prevent participants from turning the tour into a competition. These are in Dokkum, Bolsward (interim control) and Stavoren. If you arrive at the stamp post earlier than the specified time, you will have to wait. You are only allowed to continue at the time stated on the stamp card. Only at that time can you receive the stamp. We assume an average speed of 25 km/h for the time control times.

How do I know which route to cycle?

The route is indicated with large yellow arrows on the road surface. There are traffic controllers at various intersections who guide participants and other traffic. There are 14,999 other participants, so the easiest way is to follow the large group.

Can I download the route of the tour for my navigation?

The routes can be downloaded from our site a few days before the event. Don't do this too early, because there may be changes to the route at the last minute. It is also wise to follow the instructions during the tour and not to stick to navigation. The entire tour has large yellow arrows on the road surface.

Other questions

In 2021 I cycled the tour with the Eleven Cities Cycling app, is this still possible?

Cycling with the Cycling Eleven Cities app as an alternative to Pentecost Monday is no longer possible.

The Eleven Cities Cycling app is only available if you are a volunteer on Whit Monday and have registered in time (before March 1, 2025), prior to the tour, and you have actually volunteered on Whit Monday.

Want to become a volunteer?

As a volunteer you will then have the opportunity to cycle the tour in the months of July and August. If you want to cycle the tour with the Eleven Cities Cycling app, register as a volunteer before March 1, 2025. You can register via the website via the 'become a volunteer' button on the right. Fill in all the requested information so that we can best reach you. You can specify your preference for how you want to be deployed, but we cannot guarantee that preference.

Can I also spend the night in Bolsward?

Yes, this is possible, especially for the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour there is an '11-city campsite' on the sports fields in Bolsward. This is on the sports fields at Bolwerkplein in Bolsward.

The organization of this 11-city campsite is in the hands of a separate Foundation. You will find all information about this campsite here. At the beginning of 2025 we will indicate how you can reserve a spot at this 11 city campsite.

You will also find the necessary accommodations in the Bolsward area here.

How long has the Eleven Cities Cycling Tour been around?

The first Eleven Cities Cycle Tour was held on Whit Monday, May 27, 1912. An Eleven Cities Cycle Tour is not organized every year. Since 1947, an almost uninterrupted series of Eleven Cities Cycling Tours has been held, with the exception of 2002 (FMD crisis) and 2020 (Corona pandemic). This means that the 2024 Eleven Cities Cycling Tour will be the 87th edition.