There are quite a lot of triathlon teams around, I guess the closest one ot Den Bosch will be https://www.tvrdg.nl/. On the NTB website you can find most of the races happening in the Netherlands. However, also consider the fact that both Belgium and Germany are not that far and might have nice races too. Us Dutch people consider 1.5 hours driving far (whereas in the US you would do that one way to go for coffee :) ). Within that radius around Den Bosch, there are at least 20 races that you can enter in a season. The typical registration fee is anywhere between 25-100 euros, depending on the organizer and distance. The triathlon race season usually lasts from the beginning of May to the end of September, however, there are numerous (cross) duathlons in winter.

In case you have more specific questions about a certain triathlon you can also ask on the Dutch language forum https://www.triathlonforum.nl/ which is mainly used by Dutch and Belgian athletes .No one will mind if you ask in English. And welkom in Nederland!

Welcome to The Netherlands! I'm not too familiair with the Den Bosch area but as written above The Netherlands is rather small so finding races should not be a problem. Make sure to check out the largest race, Challenge Almere on September 14 which organizes a half and a full distance race. Even if you're not participating it's great to watch the action. There are more than enough pools in our country, just make sure you manage to find the quiet hours as it can be rather busy sometimes. Joining a club is a great idea if you can find one nearby, especially if they organize a decent swim training. Cycling will probably be a different experience compared to what you're used to in the States, curious how you will experience this. If you have time driving to Valkenburg and cycle the Amstel Gold Race route is definitely worth it.

Please let us know how your experience was and what you consider the major differences between the US and The Netherlands (also or maybe especially the negative ones ;-) )

Here's a Dutch Facebook group that might be interesting:
https://www.facebook.com/...Triathlonliefhebbers

Richard Murray has a bunch of really good YouTube videos where he trains in the Netherlands.

The good news is that you only need one gear.

Maybe not on the Amstel Gold race...

You defnitely have wind here, Den Bosch is close to the mayor rivers (Maas, Waal) with dykes (dijken in Dutch) where the wind has free play (i.e. 25 km/h one way, 45 km/h the other for the same effort). From Den Bosch the hills close to Nijmegen/Groesbeek) are also not too far. The "Oude Holleweg" (https://climbfinder.com/...mingen/oude-holleweg) is actually listed in the top 10 of Dutch "climbs".

I don't know much about the Netherlands tri scene, but I've ridden that challenge Almere course on Rouvy. Whatever you do, do that race. Judging by that bike course it has to be a major PR course.

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Team Zoot 2023

i follow a few dutch pros on strava and always get a laugh out of their training rides. "85km ride, with 20m of elevation gain."

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMinwf-kRlA&ab_channel=TomScott


Of course there's always this as an option. Racing the wind.

Yes and no. The wind can wreak havoc on a good bike time. The bike course is on our reclaimed province, meaning it's completely flat and exposed to the wind.

Welcome to Den Bosch! I live in the area and train and race with the team mentioned by Tom. You are always welcome to try a few training sessions to see if these are what you are looking for. There are also plenty of running or cycling dedicated training groups in the area, with a varying degree of competitiveness / aspirations.

For an overview of races (not all local, but many are) I suggest https://www.we-tri.nl/

If you have any specific questions about the area, or would like to go for a run or a ride when you get here, feel free to send me a PM!