DUTCH TREAT: BIKERS FROM HOLLAND TOUR THE AREA

Ruud Vincent and Bart de Jong are graphic designers in Rotterdam, Holland, when they're not circling the globe on mountain bicycles.

But for the next two and a half months, the two adventurers will be crossing the Midwest and Western U.S. on their bicycles, taking in the scenery, meeting the people and absorbing the culture.

"We started in St. Louis about 10 days ago," de Jong said. "We're just going to keep going until we get there, or until the money runs out."

The duo previously have toured Southern Africa, Vietnam, Central Asia, Spain, France and other European countries on their bicycles. This is their first trip to the U. S.

"We see images of the United States on our televisions in Holland," Vincent said. "The landscape and the houses are remarkably similar to those shown in American films. The people are a bit different.

"People we have met so far are very friendly and very interested in us," Vincent continued. "We will be at a bar and people will be buying us beer, asking us questions about our home."

De Jong said that traveling by bicycle is the perfect way to see a country.

"If you walk, it's too slow. If you drive, it's too fast," he said. "Also, if we were driving through the United States, we probably would not have stopped in cities like Waterloo (Ill.) or Chester (Ill.), but instead would have taken the interstate directly to New Orleans."

Bicycling also affords the men an opportunity to experience the culture and countryside without barriers imposed by cars, they said.

The men plan their trips several months in advance, obtaining what maps they can.

"Some countries are very hard to find maps of," de Jong said. "We found it almost impossible to find maps of Vietnam there just

aren't any made."

But some plans for the Midwest trip had to be changed when the Mississippi River left its banks during the recent flooding.

"We wanted to stop in Valmeyer, Ill., on our way down here, but we came to find it was flooded and had to turn around," de Jong said.

"We had heard news in Holland that some of the United States was flooded, but nothing specific."

When they are on the road, de Jong and Vincent travel an average of 70 miles a day, depending on the terrain and weather conditions.

"If our journey is relatively smooth and flat, we can travel a lot farther in a day," de Jong said. "But if it's hot or there are a lot of hills or even mountains in our path, we don't get quite as far."

While in Africa, the men saw the desperation many people there face daily.

"We rode on desolate roads and could feel the heat, taste their hunger and their thirst," de Jong said. "People who had next to nothing invited us in to share what food and drink they had."

Traveling in the U.S. is another story. "We don't carry much gear," de Jong said. "In America, nothing is very hard to find."

On Wednesday, the men were looking for a "nice hotel" and "good French food" for dinner. After spending a few days in this city, they will head to Cairo, Ill., then to Memphis and on to New Orleans before turning west toward San Francisco, Calif.

"We're going to stay here for a while and meet some of the people here," Vincent said. "We're rather tired right now."