Cycle round Europe? Crazy? Help!

Was thinking of cycling around Europe starting from England. I've got roughly 3 weeks before I have to be back before university starting. haven't even bought a bike yet. :P help!? Is 60 miles a day an easy feat? i would say i'm fairly fit not sure about stamania but i'm training. how easy is it to get round Europe on bike alone? places to definitely not miss out on?

Sorry, I can't ride a bike, but try: European Cyclists' Federation

Hi there!

First of all, Blinq, you are living in Holland but not able to ride a bike? tut tut...

Vak,
It is hard to give you an exact answer for the 60 miles because only you know how much your body can handle but I think it is going to be quite heavy. My father did the route Holland to Santiago de Compostela, biked different distances every day depending on hills / mountains / weather etc. I remember that he mentioned one day where they biked a little over 70 miles and he was beaten, and he is used to biking 25 miles a day for his work... So, it is doable but you will probably have some heavy days.

Keep in mind that on a straight road you will bike about 12 miles an hour, especially if you also want to see something of the surroundings, on a mountain road this is going to be less especially if you are not really used to it. Also keep in mind that you need some days to take a rest for at least half a day otherwise you are going to be completely broken I am afraid.

As for the locations: why don´t you take the tunnel train to France start there with a route? It is a beautiful country to do some cycling in, hills, surroundings, lovely small villages etc. You could take (a part of) the St. James route (to Santiago de Compostela) it is supposed to be very special, even a bit spiritual (don´t know if you are into that). Another tip is to go to Spain, like France a perfect country for biking. I would not go to far off from England if you have to be back in three weeks and would just bike one way and take plane or train back.

http://www.bikespain.info/ - bike routes in Spain

http://www.biketoursfrance.com/ - bike routes in France

OHannemarie
(Oh-Holidays)

Quoting OHannemari

Hi there!

First of all, Blinq, you are living in Holland but not able to ride a bike? tut tut...

OHannemarie
(Oh-Holidays)

Yes, I know.

My girlfriend tried to teach me once, but I kept crashing into cars, so she decided that I would likely become a hazard to other road users and gave up on the idea.

Quoting Blinq

Quoting OHannemari

Hi there!

First of all, Blinq, you are living in Holland but not able to ride a bike? tut tut...

OHannemarie
(Oh-Holidays)

Yes, I know.

My girlfriend tried to teach me once, but I kept crashing into cars, so she decided that I would likely become a hazard to other road users and gave up on the idea.

On my list: 3 cars, 2 ditches, some trees, numorous other bikers and countless bruces for trying to avoid hitting more...

Maybe you should try the stabilizers (they sell them for ´grown up bikes´ as well) Because honestly.. Biking is the best way to enjoy Holland outside of the cities I think, at least when it is not too windy.
Well if you do decide to ´integrate´ go to this website http://www.edith.partnersaanhetwerk.nl/htmledith/scherm_thema_totaal_00001.html and then to ´fietslessen´ (not sure if you are able to read Dutch but you probably have someone around to translate) plenty of them in Amsterdam!

OHannemarie
(Oh-Holidays)

Quoting OHannemari

Quoting Blinq

Quoting OHannemari

Hi there!

First of all, Blinq, you are living in Holland but not able to ride a bike? tut tut...

OHannemarie
(Oh-Holidays)

Yes, I know.

My girlfriend tried to teach me once, but I kept crashing into cars, so she decided that I would likely become a hazard to other road users and gave up on the idea.

On my list: 3 cars, 2 ditches, some trees, numorous other bikers and countless bruces for trying to avoid hitting more...

OHannemarie
(Oh-Holidays)

I'd be too scared of falling off and breaking a leg. The thought of not being able to go on holiday for six months fills me with a sense of trepidation.

60 miles a day?? Of course it's possible - but there are hills all over the place and there won't be too much time to see things while you're wearing yourself out. I would suggest 40 miles a day.... tops. 20 after brekky, a bit of lunch (energy bar, banana, orange and water) and another 20 before dinner.
Sounds fun.

Hi Vak,

it is quite easy to get around in europe by bicycle alone. It depends upon a lot upon the country, the Netherlands, Germany and some areas in Switzerland and Austria are very bike-friendly, other countries are less so. As a rule the more the locals use bikes the easier it will be to get around by bike.

But with only 3 weeks you better plan on seeing only one or two countries.

The Netherlands would be great if you want to do a circle. Three weeks would also be a decent timeframe in which you could cycle from Amsterdam to Berlin at a fairly leisury pace covering about 35 miles per day. If you cover more distance you could start out from England to Berlin, flights to Manchester and London are very cheap from Berlin and on most airlines flying the route you can take your bicycle with you for an extra 20-25 EUR.

Check out this website:

http://www.fietsrouteplanner.eu/

and for Germany:

http://www.radweit.de/ (bunch of pdf files based upon the ADFC cycling maps for Germany)

Amsterdam-Berlin (via Enschede, Osnabrück, Braunschweig and Magdeburg if you use fietsrouteplanner.eu) is approx. 1000 kms, that is around 625 miles.

That is just a suggestion of course, feel free to ask for more info.