Europe (all)

A massive travel site, this guy has been everywhere.

Hier finden sich einige deutschsprachige Reiseberichte von Fahrradtouren, die hoffentlich unterhaltsam und informativ sind, aber auch vielleicht die eine oder andere Anregung für Leute geben, die selber einmal so etwas machen wollen. Für englischsprachige Radtourenberichte habe ich hier auch einen Anfang gemacht, ebenso für schwedischsprachige Radtourenberichte, wobei noch ein bißchen auf norwegisch und dänisch dabei ist, aber diese drei skaninavischen Sprachen sind so ähnlich, daß man entweder alle drei ein bißchen lesen kann oder eben keine davon.

An enormous collection of bicycle tours all over the world.
Eine enorme Sammlung von Fahrradtouren in der ganzen Welt.

dozens of reports about bicycle tours in "Donauradweg, Neckartalradweg, Bodenseeradweg, Enztalradweg, Gotthardradweg, Rheintalweg und viele andere", including Bretagne and Ireland

A huge of collection of reports of tours, some by bicycle, some by other means, some in Europe, some elsewhere, including Sven's own tours

plenty of interesting reports in German

A large collection of bicycle travel related information: travelogues, bicycle travel info, general travel info, organised tours, books, maps and guides and touring equipment

If you like to read as much as you like to cycle, this is the site for you. Just consider the following entry from the BR dictionary: wheelbase. The shortest distance between two axles on the same bicycle in a Euclidean universe. Standard advice is that long wheelbase models are ideal for touring, because of the extra stability they impart. A unicycle has no measurable wheelbase, ergo it is not recommended for touring.

In BikeReader you can expect to find stories and entertainment. And we've got a non-fiction shelf, too. Helpful advice -- tips on bike maintenance, health, etc. -- isn't our raison d'être (French for 'thing'), but we'll link to sites which seem particularly good in that regard. Bear in mind that not everything in BR will have 'BICYCLE' written in large letters all over it, but a bike will always be propped up against the story line.

This site was conceived as an online archive of previously offline material: a reprinter of magazine articles. However, content will also include some stories available elsewhere on the web, as we aim to be a one-stop shop for quality bicycle writing.

This site has a wealth of reports of tandem tours in germany and all over Europe

I am an American bicyclist whose focus, since 1979, has been racing. [...] In the fall of 1996 I moved to France and in February, 1997 joined a French cyclotouring club. Except for some individual training and some rides at the velodrome, all my riding is with the club. [...] My pages provide information about French cycling organizations, the types of rides available through these organizations, and my cycling experiences as a member of a French club.

Includes direct experience on La Marmotte, Riding at Longchamp, VCL Tour du Vexin, La Randonnée de Gresivaudan, Le Reblochon, The Weekend at Auxi-le-Chateau, Levallois Criterium, Velodrome La Cipale. With an important note on Bicycles on Trains in France, 1998

``France is paradise for the cycletourist'' says Sheldon, who lived outside of Paris for a year (1988-89) and has plenty to tell. English/French bicycle dictionary, several tour reports, single and tandem rentals, biking in Paris, various articles.

Useful commentaries and plenty of fine photographs for their trips:

• Alps & Auvergne
• Pyrenees & Atlantic
• Provence & Jura
• Seine Valley
• Flanders
• Picardy
• Cotentin
• Normandy
, Brittany

I woke each morning, excited as a child on Christmas morning,wondering what adventures would be unwrapped for us that day. Though we were never disappointed, there were days which stood out as particularly magnificent. The journey from Cucugnan to Lagrasse, though hard, took us along beautiful gorges and woods from where we would emerge to wonder at the amazing sights of former Cathar castles high on inaccessible hill-tops. The quiet and simple attractions of the Canal du Midi led us into the bustling pink brick city of Toulouse. The craggy and rugged mountains of the Pyrenees, full of cycling legends and fantastic views, tested our stamina over several days. Perched along a mountain side, the Cirque du Litor was a fairy-tale path between two mountain tops and a place to which I would gladly return.

Dozens of reports (in German) about bicycle tours in ``Donauradweg, Neckartalradweg, Bodenseeradweg, Enztalradweg, Gotthardradweg, Rheintalweg und viele andere'', including Bretagne and Ireland.

Useful information about bicycling in general, policy, bicycle paths, safety and dangers, and links.

You will learn about what to bring, how to pack, tips on touring and using the trains. The many interesting travelogues have insights into German culture and even a little history. If you cannot find a tour that fits your needs among the ones we describe (probably because we have not written one up yet) feel free to invent your own tour and tell us about it. The information presented here on this site is accurate but, where possible, I have injected humor. Travelogues can be boring but a little humor helps improve their readability.

A large list of cycle tours, 30 at the last count. Most are in Germany, but others go all over central and northern Europe. See the overview page. English translations are available for all pages.

Contains a lot of pictures in connection with our cycling and hiking activities.

Has some beautiful photos of Icelands, great maps and descriptions of hiking trips and bicycle tours, and plenty of excellent information - a must-see if you plan to visit the country.

First the easy part: why Iceland? Because it's a country with magnificent, raw, bizarre and fascinating landscapes, unique in Europe and probably the world. A place where you can see scenery that makes you wonder what nature had in mind when it was created. But why cycling? I don't think it's the ideal way to move around in Iceland. You are less limited and vulnerable with a 4-wheel Drive. You can cover longer distances and stay drier in a bus. And you're closer to nature on foot. The first reason for me to go cycling is, that this way of transport gives a good balance between money and freedom. Renting a car costs loads of money, and you keep a distant feeling with the environment. The bus or walking limits you to the places where you can stop or go. But I have to admit, that on every cycling holiday, I also used the bus to cover long distances. And I always had some hiking days. I even did an organized one-day trip on my last vacation. You just pick the best way of transport for your goal : to see Iceland.

The weather is often mentioned as the reason not to go to Iceland. I think I've seen nearly all weathertypes there, except snow. Luckily I missed that in July1998 when it snowed in the north east. The first time I was in Iceland we had three weeks of bright sunshine. My second was pretty good, with a lot of sunshinebut also some rain. My third tour was one with a lot of dark clouds and rain. On my fourth I had a lot of mist, but it was mainly dry. And my last tour was excellent again, with only 2 days with mainly rain. My prediction for a three week holiday in the summer are

• temperatures between 5 and 15 degrees Celcius
• at least three days with bright, sparkling sunshine
• at least three days with mostly rain
• the rest of the days ever changing weather
• at least one storm
• and there will always be wind!

This site offers a wealth of information about cycling in Veneto.

BiciVeneto is a homage to my two greatest passions: bici *(bikes, short for biciclette), and the Veneto region of Italy, my adopted home. It's an apt combination, because contrary to the common perception, all of Italy is not cycling crazy, and there are, in fact, regions where you will not encounter many cyclists at all. The Veneto, on the other hand, is a land of generations-old cycling heritage and traditions, and bicycling in all forms is a way of life. If you ask the Veneti why this is so, they will answer that cycling is a tough sport which demands hard work, stubbornness, and sacrifice, qualities which are an integral part of their character. The Veneto is arguably the most ``cyclistic'' of Italy's 20 regions: There are an estimated 25,000 licensed riders, belonging to several federations (in a population of 4.4 million).

La bici è un modo per scoprire le meraviglie naturali che arricchiscono le Alpi e l' Appennino, ed è sembrato giusto presentare una finestra abbastanza ampia (in collaborazione con Apt, Pro Loco e Privati) sulle varie località trattate. La parte di utilità ciclistica raccoglie ciò che interessa ad un appassionato: recensioni sulle riviste e sui nuovi prodotti delle aziende che collaboreranno con noi, mercato dell'usato, opinioni, link per i siti delle gare ed altro ancora [...].

[P]roponiamo itinerari per conoscere e visitare i colli ed i monti del Nord Italia. La descrizione degli itinerari trascende le tecnicità dei cicloamatori professionali proprio perché vuole rivolgersi a tutti, come una guida turistica. Ma ovviamente con le note della descrizione e con l'ausilio delle mappe, disponibili ormai per metà degli itinerari proposti, anche i più ``preparati'' possono affrontare l'itinerario con tutte le notizie necessarie.

Questo sito si rivolge a chi ama organizzare i suoi viaggi per conto proprio, fuori dalle rotte del turismo di massa, senza acquistare ``pacchetti preconfezionati'' da tour operator od agenzie di viaggio.

This site is for those persons who like to plan their travels by themselves, out of the road of mass tourism, not inclined to buy something ready made from big tour operators.

Trail descriptions, maps and very tempting pictures (see at right) among others.

A quarterly magazine aimed squarely at trail riders in the best traditions of the magazines that have been and gone. We make no apologies for taking inspiration from MTB World and Max MTB. They were great mags, full of the sort of riding that the majority of mountain bikers have adopted as their lifestyle. In fact the buzzwords 'Inspiration' and 'lifestyle' are key to the philosophy behind the magazine.

This site is intended to offer ideas for cycle trips in and around SE Scotland and NE England. The routes are not graded in any way but comments should give some idea of their nature. They are not meant to be prescriptive but are just suggestions - obviously you can adapt them to suit your own needs.

A collection of some 84 (as of October 2005) routes in the triangle Edinburgh-Carlisle-Newcastle. Click the number on the map to access the page for the relevant tour - you will get a detailed description and a map of the tour. A very fine job, John!

An UK bicycling magazine. Articles, forum, tests, workshop, routes, race calendar, race results, ads. The routes are especially interesting and include East Anglia, Northumberland, New Forest, Hampshire, Kent, Peak District, Hebridean Islands, West Cork in the Republic of Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, and others.

An UK bicycling magazine. Forum, bike tests, kit tests, ``grime time'' (articles about preparing for races, pedal repair, suspensions, etc.), sport, videos, ads, events.

Journey planner, timetables, today's rail travel information, train operating companies, travel bureau links.

Bike shops in Bath, links, magazines.

South Downs (North of Brighton);
Buckinghamshire/Chilterns;
Autumn in the Chilterns;
Isle of Wight;
Dorset;
Oxfordshire;
Weald (Kent);
North Downs (Kent);
Peak District (Southwest): May 2, 1999;
Peak District (North): May 3, 1999
And many more.

Corvara, has been the starting point of several 'Maratona dles Dolomites', I have been participating. We said: we do the Sella Ronda in winter. On Snow board. The tour takes just 4 hours (if you are lucky on queues before the lifts...).

Worth to see the little city of Arabba, just before the Porte Vescovo. We made a side trip to the Marmolada (there are two ways of correct spelling: Marmolada and Marmolata - one is in local language 'ladinisch'). Enjoy the pictures! Good luck to all the followers!

This year the event shall start on Saturday June 19th from Senj www.senj.hr in Croatia. All information shall be kept at the website of the Tourist Office www.tz-senj.hr or can be obtained from malojcic@yahoo.com .

Last year event can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1kg3A9EM_4

Everybody welcome!

Man on a bicycle can go three or four times faster than the pedestrian, but uses five times less energy in the process. He carries one gram of his weight over a kilometer of flat road at an expense of only 0.15 calories. The bicycle is the perfect transducer to match man's metabolic energy to the impedance of locomotion. Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well. [...]

Bicycles are not only thermodynamically efficient, they are also cheap. With his much lower salary, the Chinese acquires his durable bicycle in a fraction of the working hours an American devotes to the purchase of his obsolescent car. The cost of public utilities needed to facilitate bicycle traffic versus the price of an infrastructure tailored to high speeds is proportionately even less than the price differential of the vehicles used in the two systems. In the bicycle system, engineered roads are necessary only at certain points of dense traffic, and people who live far from the surfaced path are not thereby automatically isolated as they would be if they depended on cars or trains. The bicycle has extended man's radius without shunting him onto roads he cannot walk. Where he cannot ride his bike, he can usually push it.

The bicycle also uses little space. Eighteen bikes can be parked in the place of one car, thirty of them can move along in the space devoured by a single automobile. It takes three lanes of a given size to move 40,000 people across a bridge in one hour by using automated trains, four to move them on buses, twelve to move them in their cars, and only two lanes for them to pedal across on bicycles. Of all these vehicles, only the bicycle really allows people to go from door to door without walking. The cyclist can reach new destinations of his choice without his tool creating new locations from which he is barred. [...]

For 7 years an amateur MTB race ``Hillclimb to Mount Zavizan from 0 to 1594'' starts from the Adriatic shore up to the mountain peak Zavizan at 1594 m. Last year organizers had to limit the number of participants because they could not accomodate them all in the tiny haven Sveti Juraj. This year they decided to extend the race to 40 km and move the starting place to Senj. You can learn more about the event which shall start on Saturday 20.06.09 from Senj by searching Yahoo or Google for ``Hillclimb Zavizan'', ``Aufstieg Zavizan'' or ``Uspon na Zavizan''. Race has no commercial interests and organizers want only to bring cyclists together and introduce them to the beauties of Mount Velebit forests. Information offered by malojcic@yahoo.com . Following pages give more information on past races:

http://www.np-sjeverni-velebit.hr/Biciklijada_2008/Fotogalerija/content/index_9.html
http://www.np-sjeverni-velebit.hr/novi_web/Velebit_htm/Karta.htm
http://www.np-sjeverni-velebit.hr/novi_web/Velebit_htm/Profil.htm

These will be the longest single stage mountainbike races in Europe.

Teams have 24 hours to complete 250km courses.

A collection of photographs and anecdotes from my father on cycling in the late 1930's and 1940's. Racing, touring, pass-storming, you name it, they did it - usually on fixed gear, and wearing corduroy shorts - ouch! No chamois leather for these boys.

In May, 2008, I spent two weeks in Albania. First week I stayed in the city of Vlora, during the second one I crossed the country from Ionian sea coast to the Greek border near the Prespa lake. All this gave me an opportunity to acquire my own experience in cycling in Albania, which I would like to share in this short review.

Contents: roads, maps, drivers, city driving, bicycles and parts, communicating with people.