Eurovelo 6 on the Danube leaving Vienna

EuroVelo It is a project European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) with the objective of crossing Europe by bicycle in a safe, attractive and comfortable way. A network of 15 cycle routes that span the continent, from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, of course each route has something unique to offer. The network is projected to have a total of 70.000 kilometers, of which almost 40.000 are already in operation. The routes are put into operation based on existing routes or newly built itineraries, favoring the interconnection of the different routes whenever possible.

How did the idea for EuroVelo come about? EuroVelo emerged in a meeting between the ECF and its British partners (Sustrans) and Danes (De Frie Fugle) in 1995 and was officially presented in Logroño, in 1997. The original plan contemplated the creation of 12 long-distance cycle routes. Although the project was presented in Spain, our country has been missing from its development for years.
Since August 2007, the ECF has assumed responsibility for project coordination.

We have to understand EuroVelo as a quality mark where all routes meet some general requirements:

Elbe River in EUROVELO 7

– Be based on existing national or regional routes.
– Involve at least two countries.
– Have a minimum distance of at least 1.000km (620 miles).
– Disconnected sections should be avoided where possible and if possible, transport alternatives should be established (e.g. public transport or alternative routes).
– Attractive routes, easy to communicate and promote, internationally recognizable by both name and identity (potential for marketing)
– Implementation plan subject to deadlines (execution plan, business plan, etc.)
– Signage according to the regulations of their respective countries and/or regions, continuous and in both directions.
– Signage supplemented with information panels on the EuroVelo route in accordance with the EuroVelo signage manual Signing of EuroVelo cycle routes.

Many of the Eurovelo kilometers run along paved tracks very similar to conventional bike paths. In addition, all sections must meet a series of specific conditions:

-Do not have slopes greater than 6%

-Have sufficient width to allow the passage of at least two bicycles.

– If roads are shared with motor vehicles, they must have an average of less than 1.000 motor vehicles per day.

-Be paved for at least 80% of its length

-Remain open all year round.

Copenhagen-Berlin by bike on the Eurovelo network

The cycle touring business

The European Union is becoming very intensely involved in the development of the Internet. It is estimated that each year 2.300 billion bicycle trips are made in Europe with an economic impact of more than 44.000 billion euros, according to a 2012 study commissioned by the European Parliament. More than 20 million tourists stay one or more nights during their trip and these stays have an economic impact of more than 9.000 billion euros annually. If the EuroVelo network is completed in 2020, the study estimates that it would generate more than 60 million trips per year with an economic impact of more than 7.000 billion euros annually.

A unique opportunity to bet on a great green economy proposal.

In general terms, the even-numbered routes run in an East-West direction, and the odd-numbered routes run in a North-South direction.

• EV1 Route of the Atlantic Coast, from Norway to Portugal, passing through the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Spain with 8.136 kilometers
• EV2 Route of the capitals, from Galway to Moscow with 5.500 kilometers. Tour Ireland, the United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Russia.
• EV3 Pilgrims Route, and Trondheim to Santiago de Compostela with 5.122 kilometers between Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France and Spain.
• EV4 Roscoff to kyiv route with 4.000 kilometers, from France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine. It runs through an area currently in conflict, which does not make it highly recommended in its final section.
• EV5 Route Romea Francigena, London- Rome – Brindisi with 3.900 kilometers from the United Kingdom to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy.
• EV6 River route, from Nantes to the Black Sea with 3.653 kilometers, runs through France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.
  

  Arriving in Tallinn on Eurovelo 10

• EV7 sun route From Norway to Malta, with 7.305 kilometers, it passes through Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria and Italy. Here you can see an example of the tour through this EUROVELO route.
• EV8 Mediterranean route, from Cádiz to Athens and Cyprus. 5.888 kilometers bordering the entire coast around this sea.
• EV9 Route of the Baltic to Adriatic, also known as the Amber Route with more than 1.930 kilometers, runs from Poland to Croatia.
• EV10 Baltic Route, with 7.980 kilometers, is a route that borders this entire Atlantic Sea, from Poland to Lithuania.
• EV11 Eastern European Route, with 5.984 kilometers goes from Norway down to Greece.
• EV12 Northern Sea Route with 5.932 kilometers running along the coasts from Norway to Scotland.
• EV13 iron curtain route, which runs from Norway to Türkiye with more than 10400 kilometers
• EV15 Rhine Route with 1230 kilometers it goes from Rotherdam to Andermatt in Switzerland
• EV17 Rhone Route with 1125 kilometers from Andermatt in Switzerland to the Mediterranean coast ending in Montpellier and Marseille

The most complete route today is EuroVelo 6, the Atlantic to Black Sea Route, fully signposted and with maps available. It is the perfect choice for a first long-distance cycle touring experience. Crossing 10 countries, its 4.448km run through three of the largest rivers in Europe, the Loire, the Rhine and the Danube. It is a flat, simple route whose well-developed infrastructure offers everything necessary for a safe and pleasant trip.

If you are traveling with children, EuroVelo 15 - the Rhine Route - is a perfect choice. With a length of 1.320km, the route is affordable for a month of quiet family vacations. This route has been the first to be awarded the European Standard Certificate, according to its exemplary development.

You may be wondering what happens with Eurovelo in Spain. 3 Eurovelo routes pass through our country.

La Ruta EuroVelo 1, which begins in North Cape (Norway) and reaches Sagres (Portugal) enters Spain through the Bidasoa Greenway and runs through a large part of the Silver Route and the coast of Huelva, it is without a doubt the most visited moving forward: the Huelva Provincial Council, the Junta de Andalucía and the Junta de Extremadura have agreed on the final route together with the MAGRAMA (now MAPAMA, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Food and Environment), and important sections of Greenways will be highlighted, interconnecting them and bringing the Silver Route closer to the Colombian places (Palos de la Frontera) and Costa de la Luz to the Algarve. A real boost for Tourism that will no longer depend only on the sun and beach: cycle tourism is a great added value in this sense because it can be enjoyed at any time of the year and also has a great economic and job creation impact in rural areas.

EUROVELO signage on the Bidasoa Greenway

These days the Junta de Castilla León is showing the potential of this route in the INTUR Fair that runs along the Camino de Santiago, the Castile Canal and the Silver Route. Also from Navarra we receive very interesting news that will facilitate the access of Eurovelo from France, the connection of the Bidasoa Greenways (where we can already see the EUROVELO signage) and the Plazaola Greenway, two wonderful Greenways that connect us a safe and attractive way with the network of great cycling routes through the project Ederbidea.

La Ruta EuroVelo 3, from Santiago de Compostela to Trondheim in Norway, which coincides with the route of the Camino de Santiago, continues to advance. The route EuroVelo 8 from Cádiz to Atenas has more than 150 km of signposted route in Gerona, but it seems that it will have difficulties to travel along a Mediterranean coast where it is not easy to find space to trace a continuous route.

Since 2014, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (General Subdirectorate for the Promotion of Rural Development) has been leading this process, calling various coordination meetings with the administrations through which these routes will run and in which they are also other entities present such as WithBici, the coordinator in defense of the bicycle, and the FFE extension, Spanish Railways Foundation. Although in recent times that leadership has been less noticeable.

A shame that Madrid has been left out of the 3 itinerary proposals for Spain, we will have to work to unite the capital and the project CYCLAMADRID to the network of European cycling routes.

In any case, it is good news for Eurovelo to continue developing in Spain and we can take advantage of all its potential for the development of the bicycle tourism.

The Elbe River arriving in the Czech Republic through the Saxon Switzerland National Park