Europe - How many Bike Forum Members ride mostly in Europe..

And if you are a European Bike Forum's member- which country in the E.U. do you spend most of your time..
...A poll. Where do you ride and how do you find the cycling.. Great cycling.. And how do you find the cycling conditions, such as infrastructure and relations with the motoring pubic..

I ride mainly in Italy and to a lesser degree in France. I don't want to get anywhere near a motoring pubic unless I'm already on intimate terms with her; however, the motoring public is generally quite courteous and friendly other than on busy trunk roads and in big urban centers. You're more likely to find a place with refreshments at the top of a mountain pass than in N. California (which is home), though not always.

Oddly, one has to keep an eye on the clock because if you don't get to a store before noon to buy provisions (or get to an eatery between noon and about 2 pm), you're not going to find any substantial food until dinnertime, which is late (after 7 pm, if not even later). There's also the Mediterranean thing where retail businesses close from noon through mid-afternoon; e.g., discover you need a bike part at your lunch stop? nothing's open until siesta time is over. Italian bike shops also tend to be closed Saturday afternoon through Monday afternoon AND have another day during the week when they close.

norway. No shoulders anywhere. There are MUTS everywhere, but they are like biking on a sidewalk. Motorists are much more patient than in the US.

Dorky. South of France is the same , regarding shops being closed during the Noon hour.. My local shop closes between 12:30 PM and 3:30 PM, but it is open until 7:30 PM.. Can't blame that bike shop owner, causes he's also a cyclist and bikes on Saturday's and Sundays..

Western Germany - Rhineland-Pfalz area. GREAT! area lots of trails to ride to keep away from cars and traffic.

Have ridden the Glan-Blies Weg a bit and will look at trying to find how to connect to that into France.

Planning a ride with some of my older Clydes buddies for next spring from Kaiserslautern area over into France and back. Looking for recommendations.

Oddly, one has to keep an eye on the clock because if you don't get to a store before noon to buy provisions (or get to an eatery between noon and about 2 pm), you're not going to find any substantial food until dinnertime, which is late (after 7 pm, if not even later).

Learned that (nearly) the hard way when we were in some little Italian village with 1500m passes to get home and everyone was hunger knocking. 12 hungry cyclists show up at a café and the owner says "No bread left. It's Wednesday." (Apparently bread wasn't delivered then.)

Eventually, he says "Wait a minute," and goes across the road and comes back with bread -- from where I don't know. He got a pretty big tip.

I ride primarily in Denmark (which is part of Scandinavia, by the way).

Tons of paths/side paths in the cities, narrow farm roads in the country. The cycling is pretty nice, if you don't mind rain and aren't looking for mountains...or even long hills. There are some hidden gems if you look for them.

Pedaleur.....I realized Denmark is a part of Scandinavia. But, my interest in separating Denmark from Scandinavia - Denmark and Holland are reported to be among the world most bike friendly countries.. I wanted to encourage special comments on cycling in Denmark and Holland...

I answered Scandinavia, mostly Finland with some riding in Sweden. I'm always planning a trip to Baltic states (which would deserve a poll option of their own, BTW). I hear there's some good cycling to be had there, but probably not on the bigger highways.

In Finland there's usually a MUP if you're in village of any size. In between villages there may not be much shoulder to speak of, but traffic volumes are relatively low too. There's lots of unpaved country roads, if that's what you desire. I've never had any problems with traffic outside the city areas. It's also relatively easy to throw the bike in a long distance bus or train, if you need a quick change of scenery.

Regions I can readily recommend as touring destinations inlcude the archipelago in Turku region (http://www.turkutouring.fi/public/?contentid=20440&nodeid=8117) + Aland (http://www.visitaland.com/en) isles between Sweden and Finland; eastern Finland (Saimaa lake region (http://www.visitsaimaa.fi/)) and Lapland (http://www.laplandfinland.com/In_English.iw3) (northern Finland) if you can deal with mosquitoes and 24h daylight in summer.

In Sweden my experience is much more limited. With that in mind, basic infrastructure seems pretty much the same. The few times I've ever been harassed while riding were sadly in Sweden. Nothing serious, shouting and horn blasting, but still - a clear change from here. Bike transport in Swedish public transportation is a pain. Literally handful of train routes and even fewer buses accept bikes, unless it's packed and shipped as cargo. People (tourists?) seem to occasionally take their chances and just throw the bike in train and hope they get away with it. The ones I saw succeeded. On the other hand, bikes can be rented mostly everywhere - that's what we did.

--J

Another Danish rider here, about to pick up my first road bike in the next week, but have been doing a fair bit of riding around Zealand (the main island) on my mountain bike for the time being. Compared to my native Massachusetts and the UK, the amount of bicycle infrastructure here is amazing, the amount of times I've needed to take a car somewhere can be counted on one hand, and those were primarily trips out of the country or 5+ hour car rides to other parts of Denmark.

The only thing that the country is lacking is hills, running to school for cross-country practice in the States included more elevation changes then all of Denmark has put together

Thank you very much Juha for all the work you put into your response.. Finland is one of the parts of the EU we've yet to explore.. The two lake districts look very appealing.. We might even get to Scandinavia this coming September.. If Ryan air does not have a terribly restrictive policy towards bikes .

Canadian in Holland for the last 2 years.
The motorists are very careful around bikes, and generally very polite. Almost all of those drivers are cyclists too.
The routes are many and varied, yet very well marked and mapped.
All cities are ridiculously easy to ride and navigate through.
The islands off the north coast, especially Terschelling are great riding.
Limburg (in the south) is a special treat. All the features mentioned above, but add rolling hills, orchards, and castles.
Come during April/mid May for the intoxicating hyacinths and tulip fields in areas north of Leiden and north of Alkmaar.

Good routes in Belgium also, but don't forget your map! From what I've seen so far, a bit lower intensity of the bike culture there. Especially the urban, everyday stuff.

My favorite climb, path, track, whatever in the Netherlands is the Cauberg. I believe it is the only real "hill" in the Netherlands. A good 1.5 km with a max grade of 12%.

The largest climb in Denmark can now be found in Norway :P

The largest climb in Denmark can now be found in Norway :P

Since 1814. :thumb:

But what can you expect from a country whose highest point is the top of a bridge abutment?

Since 1814. :thumb:

But what can you expect from a country whose highest point is the top of a bridge abutment?
Øresundbron?

Øresundbron?

Storebæltsbroen (http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storeb%C3%A6ltsforbindelsen).

OK, technically, there are some radio towers in Jylland that are higher, but this is the highest "solid" structure.

Why do you have to make it political, and not geographical? Refer to the continent as Europe (geographical name) not the EU (political name). I live and mostly ride in Switzerland, which is not part of the EU but is in the heart of Europe, and so I feel left out of your poll.

Why do you have to make it political, and not geographical? Refer to the continent as Europe (geographical name) not the EU (political name). I live and mostly ride in Switzerland, which is not part of the EU but is in the heart of Europe, and so I feel left out of your poll.
The OP also separated Denmark from the rest of Scandinavia, with seemingly no intentions of it being political rather EU is much easier to type then Europe.

The OP also separated Denmark from the rest of Scandinavia, with seemingly no intentions of it being political rather EU is much easier to type then Europe.True. Scandinavia is a good example. If I understood correctly, OP's Scandinavia included Sweden, Norway and Finland, with Denmark having a separate entry. But strictly speaking geographic Scandinavia = Norway, Sweden and Denmark (excluding Finland). Nordic countries on the other hand = all of them plus Iceland to boot. EU does not include Norway and Iceland, and EU's monetary union EMU includes only Finland and Denmark. :)

It's not easy to find a suitable and absolutely correct collective term to fit the ones that were targeted here. Personally, I think Scandinavia is just fine. Same goes for some other points in the poll. I suppose the best is to vote whichever point seems appropriate and clarify with a post if needed.

--J

and EU's monetary union EMU includes only Finland and Denmark. :)


Almost. ;) Denmark hasn't taken the final leap to the Euro (even though the crown is thoroughly tied to it).

But to be fair, the poll can only have 10 choices, so Switzerland would have wound up under "other" regardless.

Sorry, my bad. :eek:

Sorry, my bad. :eek:

Heh. I'm just finding a way to give this thread some attention.

Heh. I'm just finding a way to give this thread some attention.
Speaking of giving this thread attention, today is the first time since moving to Denmark that I've not cycled to school, snow is 3-4cm thick on the bike paths, and the town seems to have no intention of clearing. How's the weather in Odense?

Speaking of giving this thread attention, today is the first time since moving to Denmark that I've not cycled to school, snow is 3-4cm thick on the bike paths, and the town seems to have no intention of clearing. How's the weather in Odense?

Stram F'en op! ("Danglish" for HTFU :wink: )

But the paths here, at least between my house and the university, are fine. I saw two sweepers on the way home last night, and one passed behind our house two or three times before I went off to bed.

Are you in CPH? DTU or KU?

Stram F'en op! ("Danglish" for HTFU :wink: )

But the paths here, at least between my house and the university, are fine. I saw two sweepers on the way home last night, and one passed behind our house two or three times before I went off to bed.

Are you in CPH? DTU or KU?
If I could find my knobbies I'd have no qualms over riding in the snow, but with a 28mm slick even with lower tire pressure on my commuter, I'd rather not risk having to sit through class in wet pants if I were to wipe out while cornering. They finally got around to clearing the roads, although it took them until ~11:00, and even then traffic was fairly bad on Strandvejen for cars, only saw two or three cyclists on my walk home.

I am in CPH, albeit not in university quite yet, although I am looking at DTU once I graduate.

If I could find my knobbies I'd have no qualms over riding in the snow, but with a 28mm slick even with lower tire pressure on my commuter, I'd rather not risk having to sit through class in wet pants if I were to wipe out while cornering. They finally got around to clearing the roads, although it took them until ~11:00, and even then traffic was fairly bad on Strandvejen for cars, only saw two or three cyclists on my walk home.

I am in CPH, albeit not in university quite yet, although I am looking at DTU once I graduate.

Yeah, that's why I keep my bike with the 2x26's on it. Occassionally it comes in handy.

Ride most of the times in Switzerland, where I live. I also lived in the Netherlands, so I love the contrast between these two cycling "cultures": my personal opinion is that one is more around cycling for leisure and sports (quite popular though) while the other treats bicycles as a fundamental part of their daily lives. The latter (Holland) has much better cycle lanes and paths while scenery in Switzerland is quite breadth taking.

I live and work in Ireland but I tour mostly in France.

Urban cycling in Ireland is dangerous but if you have been doing it long enough like I have you develop a survival instinct. We do have cycle paths/lanes but many are poorly designed. Many motorists are inconsiderate of cyclists. I always wear a helmet cycling at home.

On the otherhand, when touring (mostly in France) I never feel the need to wear a helmet as motorists are invariably considerate and courteous towards cyclists. The food is better, the wine cheaper and the secondary roads quieter.

u ride in France- I can understand that...
. We just got back from a trip to Ireland. ( the west coast.. especially the Ring of Kerry.._) Saw a couple cyclists about.. Dam few.. Those narrow roads are terrible. And traffic Ridiculously fast for such curvy, narrow roads- hardly ever with shoulders....... The only bike friendly city we saw was Limerick... If I were to ride in the Ireland, I saw: I'd have to wear body armor and and put a jigger of Jamison in my water bottle, in order to calm me nerves.
Other than that, Ireland was great. I just not take my bike when visiting the Emerald Isle..
ps. You take the ferry to France..?. Do they charge an arm and a leg to put your bike on board.. Crossing by boat many times gets a bit pricey.?

We just got back from a cycling trip in France. Loved it! Most cities we've been to had bike lanes, I also noticed a lot of people riding the bike sharing bikes (Bixi here), even in smaller cities.

I found drivers a lot more comfortable around bikes, and a lot more patient and respectful than what I'm used to. And we were on some pretty busy roads, some with shoulders and some without. In almost three weeks of riding in cities and countryside, we only got honked at once. My theory is that it was a North American tourist. ;-) We had cars, buses and huge trucks patiently waiting for a good time to pass us, quite amazing.

Also, it's worth asking local cyclists about bike paths in the area. There were more of them around that I was able to find while planning our trip.

Can't wait to go back!

ps. You take the ferry to France..?. Do they charge an arm and a leg to put your bike on board.. Crossing by boat many times gets a bit pricey.?

No, I generally fly Aer Lingus. This summer I flew Dublin to Bordeaux and returned Lyon to Dublin. Bike was €40 each way. I never box bike flying Aer Lingus in Europe and bike always arrives in good shape. Flying works out cheaper especially in the summer.

I have taken ferry in past both to Cherbourg (Normandy)and to Roscoff (Brittany) and find it a bit of a pain getting to ferry port and then an overnight onboard. Current ferry prices for bikes are €10/€5 Irishferries/Brittanyferries eachway.

Wanna see my holiday pics?

http://cid-ee2d580a9b948dff.photos.live.com/browse.aspx/Cycling%20Bordeaux%20to%20Lyon%20July%202010

One location I'd like to cycle Caretaker is Scotland. Scenic, quite, I expect the roads are not heavily traveled.. . 40 euros is not a bad price , considering what many charge..
I've seen some wrap their bikes in plastic.. It's reasonably priced. Looks like it would offer some protection.. Wish I could say I've had the same luck on B/A.. Once they ruined about 6 spokes on my front wheel and bent my handlebar, even though I had it quite well protected within a bike box.

Wish I could say I've had the same luck on B/A.. Once they ruined about 6 spokes on my front wheel and bent my handlebar, even though I had it quite well protected within a bike box.

There you go. To box or not to box that is the question.

If you box the temptation for baggage handlers is to use this nice flat box as a platform to put heavy cases etc. on top of, whereas leaving your bike unboxed it probably has a better chance of ending up top of the pile. I may be proved wrong next time but it's a theory that's worked for me up till now.

I live near Bourg d'Oisans and cycle in the area most of the time... and I tend to cycle on some flatter areas near Grenoble.
If by any chance anyone needed any advise regarding the French Alps or l'Alpe d'Huez please feel free to ask ! Ced x

I live near Bourg d'Oisans and cycle in the area most of the time... and I tend to cycle on some flatter areas near Grenoble.
If by any chance anyone needed any advise regarding the French Alps or l'Alpe d'Huez please feel free to ask ! Ced x

I've always wanted to know if there is any way to get between Grenoble and Bourg d'Oisans, or further up the valley, by public transport with a bike. I live in Switzerland, so I can get to Grenoble by train quite easily, but getting around most of the rest of the French Alps without a car seems quite difficult.

Of course, I could ride my bike, but this is not so easy with a racing bike and luggage, or I sometimes want to skip the boring sections in the big valleys to save some time on shorter trips.

I do nearly all my regular cycling in Languedoc, France (http://cyclinglanguedoc.com). The infrastructure is excellent, if what you mean by infrastructure are lots of small, quiet roads. If you mean cycling lanes and paths then, well, it's not Holland or Denmark, to put it mildly.

Riding in France is probably the best in Europe, but not because of cycling paths or greenways. It is because of the thousands of tiny roads that take you everywhere you want to go - and plus the incredible diversity in landscapes, climate and culture that exist here. But, I would love to see a few more places I can ride without ever having to worry about things with motors.

Gerry

Agree Gerry , follow the D roads. They are almost always perfect for cycling.. Low traffic flows , small scenic villages. I"ll second Roussillon. Down here adjacent the Pyrenees we have a bike path for every mood. Here we can bike the hills adjacent the coast , mountain roads , or one area, it even sort of looks like America's wild west.

Agree Gerry , follow the D roads. They are almost always perfect for cycling.. Low traffic flows , small scenic villages. I"ll second Roussillon. Down here adjacent the Pyrenees we have a bike path for every mood. Here we can bike the hills adjacent the coast , mountain roads , or one area, it even sort of looks like America's wild west.

Not all D roads have been created equal. From my experience, they go from tiny roads through the vineyards (also canal du Midi had a D road marking) to quite busy highways. Still, even on those busy roads we got way more space and respect from drivers, than we would here at home.

Which country of the EU do your most often cycle within...

I cycle in the Netherlands, and while I accept the nickname 'Holland' some of the time, I do not want to vote for the 'country' "The Low Countries" as they do not exist.
It might have been right if it was asking for regions, but even then I would not have been sure whether to tick the thing or not.

A very disapointed Dutch cyclist.

I cycle in the Netherlands, and while I accept the nickname 'Holland' some of the time, I do not want to vote for the 'country' "The Low Countries" as they do not exist.
It might have been right if it was asking for regions, but even then I would not have been sure whether to tick the thing or not.

A very disapointed Dutch cyclist.

you'll get over it.

you'll get over it.

I have not gotten over it in 46 years.
It does not get less, it gets worse.
So I fight to get the name of my country known, and within reason I manage.
It is a long fight, but if all Dutch help, we will finally be known by our proper name.
In the end we might even get the whole world to recognize the name Nederland and the people as Nederlander.

I have not gotten over it in 46 years.
It does not get less, it gets worse.
So I fight to get the name of my country known, and within reason I manage.
It is a long fight, but if all Dutch help, we will finally be known by our proper name.
In the end we might even get the whole world to recognize the name Nederland and the people as Nederlander.

you really should find something relevant to worry about.

here's a suggestion -

http://www.danielyeow.com/wp-content/uploads/geert-wilders-03.jpg

Agree Gerry , follow the D roads. They are almost always perfect for cycling.. Low traffic flows , small scenic villages. I"ll second Roussillon. Down here adjacent the Pyrenees we have a bike path for every mood. Here we can bike the hills adjacent the coast , mountain roads , or one area, it even sort of looks like America's wild west.

The trouble in the South is the Mistral which can be tiring and goes on for ever--but the South does not remind me of the American West because after 5 or 10km you will be in a beautiful quaint little village! Some "D" (departementale) can be very busy unfortunately, but there is a subset of roads smaller than the departementale that are also incredibly enjoyable!

The trouble in the South is the Mistral which can be tiring and goes on for ever--but the South does not remind me of the American West because after 5 or 10km you will be in a beautiful quaint little village! Some "D" (departementale) can be very busy unfortunately, but there is a subset of roads smaller than the departementale that are also incredibly enjoyable!

In Roussillon , the winds are called the tremontes. I think they are slightly warmer and weaker than the mistral. Normally at least.. In the winter it's not so bad.. Bad weather ( freezing and sub zero cold) is rarely a problem.. But those Tremontes. Unless you are comfortable with 50 plus mph winds, those winds will cause you to usually loose about 6-8 days a month.. Out of 31, that's not too bad..

Not all D roads have been created equal. From my experience, they go from tiny roads through the vineyards (also canal du Midi had a D road marking) to quite busy highways. Still, even on those busy roads we got way more space and respect from drivers, than we would here at home.

You're right, Lucille. D roads can be very busy. The best thing I've found is to look for the 'white Ds' on the Michelin map. I've only ever been on a handful of white roads that I'd consider too busy to ride on and I've been cycling here for 2.5 years. The 'yellow Ds' are often much straighter, avoiding many of the smaller villages, and therefore busier and faster.

Well, since I live in Germany I ride in Germany. Duh?

I'm looking into some biking vacation tours next spring/summer in other countries.

You're right, Lucille. D roads can be very busy. The best thing I've found is to look for the 'white Ds' on the Michelin map. I've only ever been on a handful of white roads that I'd consider too busy to ride on and I've been cycling here for 2.5 years. The 'yellow Ds' are often much straighter, avoiding many of the smaller villages, and therefore busier and faster.

Thanks, I will be definitely looking for those next time. And while we never had any close calls, some of those roads were just too busy to enjoy the ride.
One thing I would suggest for everybody to have, is a reflective vest. We were given some on the Loire trail, and wore them every time we found ourselves on a busy road. We figured that the more visible we are, the better chance of survival we have. And you can't miss those highlighter yellow vests!

I've always wanted to know if there is any way to get between Grenoble and Bourg d'Oisans, or further up the valley, by public transport with a bike. I live in Switzerland, so I can get to Grenoble by train quite easily, but getting around most of the rest of the French Alps without a car seems quite difficult.

Of course, I could ride my bike, but this is not so easy with a racing bike and luggage, or I sometimes want to skip the boring sections in the big valleys to save some time on shorter trips.

Hello Chris, sorry it took so long to reply... To answer your question, there is only 1 direct road from Grenoble to Bourg d'Oisans I'm affraid, there are parts where you can take some back roads but not often... I personally live in St Colomban which is between St Jean de Maurienne and Bourg d'Oisans via the Col du Glandon/Croix de Fer. so I never cycle that busy road.
In this case, get a train to St Jean de Maurienne and cycle the Col du Glandon ! It will be much quieter but harder... I'll wait for you half way up with a beer if you like !! :)

To answer your other question, you can get to various place by train quite easily... From Annecy, Modane, Grenoble you can cycle straight from the train stations and hit the climbs quite fast. From Grenoble to Bourg d'Oisans, I am pretty sure there are buses, especially in the summer... I can find out for you if you like.
I am planning to bike ride from Evian to Nice next summer if this is of any interest to anyone ?

Those narrow roads are terrible. And traffic Ridiculously fast for such curvy, narrow roads- hardly ever with shoulders....... The only bike friendly city we saw was Limerick... If I were to ride in the Ireland, I saw: I'd have to wear body armor and and put a jigger of Jamison in my water bottle, in order to calm me nerves.
Its true and its such a shame as well, we've some spectacular scenery in Ireland, you're taking your life into your hands going down the boreens (little roads) with rustic boy racers belting along at a buck ten. The cities aren't much better, but of course there's been a rise in car ownership over the last ten years and the infrastructure just hasn't been upgraded.