FITNESS & TRAVEL

By Guest Contributor

Cycling through Europe

5 Most Beautiful Routes

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Cycling holidays are not just for professional athletes. If you love to go beyond your weekend cycle routes and usual commute, there are many fantastic options in Europe which you can test including mountain bike treks, climbs, and races. Depending on your level of commitment we have made a list of beautiful bike trails that can be done in weeks or days.

Riding bikes boosts your happiness, health, and brainpower so it could be one of the best decisions you have ever made. Europe will offer you some challenges like mountain climbs as well as smooth rides through bucolic landscapes and along coasts. The best thing is that many of these routes are suitable for your whole family.

So, here is our list of 5 best cycling routes in Europe from extreme rides in the French Alps to car-free tracks in southern England.

If you want to know more, all you have to do is read on.

1. Yorkshire Dales, England

You can go on an occasional sunny weekend or use holidays to visit this beautiful destination with quiet roads. The climbs from the valley bottom to its top are a result of intensely steep pitches and false flats. But there is no better way to appreciate the curlew’s plaintive cry and the scent of heather than twenty minutes you have just spent toiling up Buttertubs Pass, Park Rush or Fleet Moss.

This landscape is one of the most beautiful destinations in the country with dry stone walls and spectacular limestone formations and the heather clad moorlands. There are many towns and villages that you can visit and explore along the way.

Yorkshire (Photo courtesy of Pixabay) Click to enlarge

2. French Alps

The Col d’Izoard, the Col de Galibier, and the Alpe d’Huez are the well-known names. But you don’t need to overlook some alternatives that are less known. The great thing about this destination is that it has trails that are suitable for the whole family.

Riding is a brilliant way to spend some time with your children. It is important to provide them best bicycle and equipment for kids to be safe on the trail. An excellent route for you and your family is beside Lake Annecy.

"This relaxed ride is ideal for beginners or families. Heading away from the lullabying sways of the boats moored at Annecy’s Quai de la Tournett, a piste cyclable (cycle track) winds along the lake’s west shore, past yacht clubs and people-peppered beaches, and onto a landscape of quiet parks, sleepy villages and fields of idly grazing cattle. The route follows a former railway, so gradients are minor, but there are plenty of opportunities to divert from the path. Just before the tunnel near the village of Duingt, you can leave the route to discover the fairy-tale wisps of Château Rushy." according to Lonely Planet.

Lake Annecy (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

3. South Downs, England

This may not be the best-known riding destination, but it will provide you a hundred miles of almost exclusively car-free cycling between Eastbourne and Winchester. 

"The 160km long South Downs Way is the only UK’s National Trail which is fully traversable by bike, and there are many ways to enjoy it. You could ride along the ridge to reach Ditchling Beacon and enjoy the view or cycle along the Hampshire Hangers and single-track mountain bike trails at Queen Elizabeth Country Park. With so many tracks, trails and leafy lanes to discover and great places to stop for locally produced food and drink there’s never been a better time to discover the South Downs by bike." according to South Downs National Park.

4. Maratona or Marmotte, Italy or France

This is an excellent opportunity to join one-day trail cycling sportive such as La Maratona dles Dolomites or La Marmotte, if you really want a challenge. It is a French event that features more than five thousand meters of climbing over hundred miles. It is shorter in Italy, but it is just as hard, so be prepared. You can also do them independently, but nearby accommodations and the events sell out quickly. 

Basilicata, Lucanian Dolomites (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

5. Ireland

If you are after plenty of Guinness to replace the lost calories, challenging terrain, or locals who will accommodate bedraggled cyclists then choose the roads between Galway and Cork. The Dingle, Iveragh, and Beara peninsulas are also incredible destinations that you can visit.

We have made this list and picked the best cycling routes in Europe. We hope that we help narrow down your choices and that you will enjoy in your cycling tour!

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