The Rhein, Rhone, Basel and the Eurovelo

This part of my trip was cycling along the Rhein River, the Canal du Rhone au Rhin and the Eurovelo path.

After crossing Germany following the Main river I felt like I was flying, going south along the Rhein River. It was nice to go with the wind for a change. Is that why I managed over 100km three days in a row? Or was it because I really wanted to have breakfast in Strasbourg? Either way I was going fast and I enjoyed it.

The Rhein River & Rhone au Rhin

To be honest, I wasn’t really following the Rhein River cycling path but chose instead to mainly follow the road. The bikeways are great either way and I felt very safe on the small roads, going from village to village. It made my trip south a little bit more straight forward, rather than winding along the Rhein River.

So, with a stopover in beautiful Speyer and a quick ride through Mannheim, after 7 days and 700km I made it to the French border. What a great feeling! I definitely deserved my french croissant now. Or maybe two? …. continue….

It was great to be back in Strasbourg again as well (I was here last year too). After a nice breakfast at a french cafe I was ready for another 125km of cycling following the ‘Canal du Rhone au Rhin’ (which was partly also Eurovelo 15). Mulhouse was the destination, with a one day break.

Basel

What to do when you have a day off from cycling? Visit another country!

So I took the the 20min train to Basel in Switzerland. Awesome! Basel is a gorgeous town, sitting along the Rhein River. That said, Switzerland can be quite expensive, it definitely breaks my daily budget. Maybe that is why I haven’t explored Switzerland too much yet.

That said, it was my second time back to Switzerland after my quick drive through last year, seeing 4 countries in one day!

And so, well rested, I went west from Mulhouse following the ‘Canal du Rhone au Rhin’ and the Eurovelo. The cycling path along the canal was quite beautiful and the scenery definitely nice to look at. Following the rivers is still the key when cycling, especially in this part of France. If it’s not the river, then there are cliffs and mountains. Which one would you prefer? 

The Eurovelo

I almost finished weeks two of my journey and my daily rides continue, following the rivers and the Eurovelo. After Montbéliard it was easy just to follow the Eurovelo 6 (map here) along the La Doubs. The route is mostly flat unless the E6 cycling path sends you up the hill through a detour to see a small village. Oh well, what had to be done, had to be done. The signage is great though and the paths are well maintained.

After Besancon I headed towards Dole, still following the river and the Eurovelo 6. Dole looks amazing and was a great spot to stop for lunch, Once I got out of the mountain range it was time to leave the Eurovelo behind and cut across to Chalone-Sur-Saône. It was a 130km long ride, so a glass of French wine was definitely well deserved.

Did I really just finish 1200km all up?

The weather seems to be holding up well so I am heading south again, following the Saone River until I have to ride west across France. But there is no need to think too much in advance anyway. In general, I am working on a day to day cycling trip. And my body is slowly adjusting to this crazy adventure as well! xx