The second blog post of my big cycling trip is cycling along the Rhein River, the Canal du Rhone au Rhin and the Eurovelo path. The Eurovelo is one of the major bike ways all across Europe. It is quite amazing and every cyclist most likely knows about it.
So, 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, after leaving Frankfurt, I was going very 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 follow the road. As I have learned cycling along a river doesn’t necessary mean you always follow the river. And although at parts, the bike way was amazing, I had to do a detour more times than others. So I chose the road. The bikeways are great and I felt very safe on the small roads, going from village to village. And I got to enjoy some small towns along the way.
Not to mention, that it made my trip south a little bit more straight forward, rather than cycling the Rhein River directly.
And finally, 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?
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.
From Mulhouse to Basel
I needed a break and decided to stop in Mulhouse. What to do when you have a day off from cycling? Visit another country! So I took the 20min train to Basel in Switzerland. No cycling.. remember, day off. It was 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!
Nevertheless, it was good to have a break. I am ready for more cycling.
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. Different to Germany and the first part of this cycling trip, in France, following the rivers is still the key when cycling. If it’s not the river, then there are cliffs and mountains. Which one would you prefer?
The Eurovelo
I almost finished two weeks 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.
I think I just finished 1200km all up? Wow.. what an amazing few weeks..
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
Read more about my long cycling trip in part 3, when I am approaching the Pyrenees Mountains.
