This summer between jobs I have nearly 7 weeks off and decided to use them for a cycling trip through Europe. As I am not heat resistant, Northern Europe is the chosen destination.
My initial plan was to go with my parents (by car) to Austria first, spend some time in the village where my father grew up and then ride slowly back from there to the Netherlands. However as my father has a form of dementia and after a recent experience with him going on vacation to another place (Bayreuth) where he had spent many years in the past, my mother decided that it wasn't such a good idea to go on vacation. It seems to be much easier for him to be able to sleep at home where he knows everything. So with the starting point in Austria gone, I can now just start at my door steps. I haven't modified the overall plan too much... only that I added a lot more cycling kilometers to the plan. We'll see how it goes. Plans are there to be changed.
Overall the tour will be very roughly speaking 2700 km. Assuming a week at my parents place, that would mean about 66 km every day. That is definitely doable... at least here in the flats of the Netherlands. But every day??? We will see. Worst case in all countries I pass it is somehow possible to put the bicycle on a train. Not everywhere super easy, but possible in general terms. No stress!
Tour d'Europe - Part 1 Leiden to Colmar
Tour d'Europe - Part 2 Colmar back to Leiden
In Google maps this is just a VERY rough tour. I actually use Komoot to plan my rides. Although Komoot doesn't really know about already pre-existing cycling routes. For these I have recently found a very good web page: https://www.biroto.eu/de/ where it is possible to download (and then upload to komoot) GPX files of a lot of official cycling routes.
Roughly the idea is to head South towards Belgium pretty straight on, and then get on the Amsterdam - Venice cycling route, which follows the Vennbahnweg, later on the Mosel and the Rhine. Then a few days stop at my parents place before continuing to head South towards the Danube where I'll catch the Danube cycling way heading up to the spring of the river. Then over the black forest to Freiburg and Colmar and then up North again following Eurovelo 5 which kind of runs parallel to the Rhine up towards Luxemburg, Belgium and into Brussels. The last kilometers from Brussels back to Leiden are not yet planned at all... but at that stage I should be pretty comfortable with the day to day planning and also know much better how much time is left. If I am pressed for time, Brussels - Leiden are about 200 km, so easily doable in 2 days. If I am not, I can explore further Belgium. Maybe take in some famous cobbled climbs (likely pushing up the bike though)... or maybe ride a bit to the South to famous Roubaix and let my Spezialized Roubaix sense the air of proper Roubaix?
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