The second stage of the Central European Cycle Route (EuroVelo 4) crosses Belgium, Holland and Germany from west to east. It mostly follows large river valleys, uses car-free cycle paths and is nearly gradient-free. This is the first time I use an e-bike: a Lemmo One.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:37 Through Belgium and Holland
10:43 The EuroVelo 4 in Germany
12:36 On the Rhine cycle path
17:07 The Main Cycle Route
25:33 From Würzburg to Bayreuth
32:58 Through the Upper Palatinate Forest
EuroVelo 4:
Velómaritime
Along the Scheldt, Rhine and Main
Czech Republic and Southern Poland (coming)
Towards Kiew (If there is peace)
E You have to look very closely to notice the border between France and Belgium what quickly becomes apparent however are the differences in cycling culture there are more cyclopaths there are considerably more cyclists on the road and almost 50% of the cyclists are woman well here on the northy coast the
Belgians also speak Dutch and not French until Newport you 4 runs about 3 km Inland from the coast only after passing a memorial commemorating the Western Front in the first world war to return to the Coast after a few kilometers the coastal landscape changes unfortunately not to the better everything is geared towards tourism in some places a tram and a Motorway like Road run right next to the beach I’m glad when I finally reach OST end and turn Inland I have two reasons for this excursion firstly I want to see Bridges and you will four ignores this city just like Cor by secondly Euro 4 according to the rout description uses a fer connection to the Dutch province of Sealand this means that it follows the
North the coast to fingan and then turns off into the center of Europe towards pra Veno and the rural area as the cheapest hotel room on Sealand booking com can offer me coasts two €200 the night I politely refuse I’m not the Dutch colony and therefore not used to such forms of Exploitation I start with a sightseeing day in bridges the compact Old Town Center is easy to explore on foot and I have a great view from the famous Town Hall Tower the belfrey no building is allowed to Tower over this n 5 m high tower from the high Middle Ages from Bridges I cycled straight on to the suburbs of ANW I spent the night in Sr on the West Bank of the skelt by the way my only contact with this River the next morning I cross under the scel using the Sint Anna tunnel this only serves pedestrians and
Cyclists the lifts are out of order that day but the escalators are running and working well even though they look a 100 years old after a short stroll through the center of antw I set off in the direction of the Dutch B and Beta the landscape is flat and not particularly interesting but the cyclopaths are excellent after about 30 km I crossed the border which in the best European manner is almost unnoticeable the cycle paths get even better and after another 20 km I reached the small town of breida this is
Also the northermost point of the entire euru 4 from braa I continue to tilburg South of the Town directly on the Y 4 route which runs through rural areas where foxes and hairs say good night to each other lies my hotel it is a converted former cian Monastery of which only the
Church still serves its original purpose on my way I have a less than pleasant experience apparently the excellently developed Dutch cyclopaths have a very similar corrosive effect as the German motorways quite a few cyclists behave like BMW or SUV drivers in no other European country I have experienced such fast and Reckless
Cycling however not the inconsiderate cyclists but the rim of my rear wheel finishes my journey the following day as I cycle around in Hoven I hear strange grinding noises as my plan had actually been to get at least as far as the Rino on this tour I try to ignore the noises
And just cycle on this goes on for another 15 minutes then I have a solid flat tire on the rear wheel when I take a closer look at the situation it immediately becomes clear that any hope of cycling on is an illusion there is a
Massive 10 cm long crack in the rim of the rear wheel of my ma cyclist bike the inner tube is swelling through and torn open by the brake Pads nothing can be done about it but I am quite lucky after pushing the bike for 3 km I reach Dura station there I take the train to weno and then onwards to dorf I resume my yalu 4 tour in September for the first time ever I use
An ebike I want to cycle long daily stages especially in Germany I’m already familiar with many of the cities on the banks of the rine and mine the only places where I’m planning to spend an extra day are schweinf and Pyoid my journey to DNE in the Netherlands goes without problems and on the very very first day I cover almost 130 km with a new LMO 1 I cycle along typical Dutch cycle paths through typical Dutch Landscapes with intensive farming and lots of Coe and a strong smell of fertilizer in the air until I reach the Border town of Vow I cross the actual Border in the nature reserve of the herong busher and the vanum the cycle path here is welld developed and the whole is a pleasure trip for the eyes and the Nose This changes abruptly when I leave the nature reserve and enter the urbanized area of fien the main impulse here is to get away after our escape from the former gdr my family lived here for about 2 years but I don’t remember anything about it that’s probably just as Well why noise which executes a similar coess as Fen I finally reach the banks of the r and dorf your Val 4 is not signposted but the cycle route on the right Bank of the rine is hard to miss the affluence of the area is announced by The Cars but
Also by the bicycles since I left Holland this is the first time that I come across the woful expensive cargo bikes which especially among the green planted are now almost more of a status symbol than an S-Class Mercedes shortly after dorf the smart pack of my LMO one surrenders the battery is flat I cycle the last 25 km to hitdorf near lever in analog mode as compensation I enjoy a wonderful sunset on the Rine Y for the central European route crosses most of Germany by following the river valleys of the rine and the mine only the last leg from pyro to the chesh Border runs through the upper palatinate Forest however the Landscapes of these river valleys differ considerably wide aluvial Plains Terrace slopes with
Vineyards the narrow Valley of the r through the mountains similar to the danu cycle route you will four in Germany has a major advantage the difference in altitude is negligible between dorf and broid it amounts to just 300 M and is spread out over 800 km
The LMO one the ebike from a Chinese startup is ideal for such routs its electric motor a rear wheeel drive is neither particularly powerful nor well regulated but on a reasonably flat route I can cover almost 100 km with a battery contained in the so-called smart pack
Which has a capacity of 540 W hours but I only manage 130 km if I cycle the last 30 km without battery the motor can be disconnected from the rear wheel axle for this propose of course that doesn’t help much more important is the fact that the ebike is extremely light white
At 19 kg in the Czech Republic where the Tera is more helier it doesn’t perform quite as well from dorf to V sparten you will four runs along the Rin cycle route with the LMO one I manage this leg easily with two overnight stays in ragen and
Baharak on the th day I can only use the afternoon for cycling in the morning I spend most of the time standing under bridges in Cologne trying to sit out the pouring rain I used the short dry spells to move ahead but it doesn’t really make much difference around 2:00 p.m. the thick
Rain clouds clear and I cycle onwards to Bun I use the vly BR Street for this it will stay in my memory first I’m a custard presumbly in Arabic or Turkish by a migrant cotizen of course I don’t get what he’s saying but it’s pretty clear that I’m far from welcome on this street another sports car driver then
Shouts in Flawless German there are so many cycle paths why do you have to use this road I save my breath for the answer they are simply German car Drivers as dusk Falls I reach the r Maran Bridge of which only the two Bridge Towers remain nearby I check into my hotel right on the banks of the Rind The next morning light fog is still rolling but there seems to be a beautiful day ahead ideal for the central stretch of the middle r as it is also as Saturday tourists are already crowding the banks my first destination is Cobin first I passed several small
Sprued up villages with a lot of of Ins then a series of bridges and a cable car and then I am already at the deutch’s EG it’s difficult to access because of a Summer Festival well actually I could have done without it from cins it is another 50 km to bakak even with an ebike this is quite a distance it’s not particularly beautiful over long stretches either the psychopath on the Left Bank of the rine
Often runs right next to to a busy Motorway because of the Steep cut Valley even the views of Marksburg Castle Cuts castle and the lurel ey cannot cheer me up I’m glad when I finally reach bakarak because of the weekend the Romantic Rin town is overrun with tourists but I
Still manag to find a decent room the official eurell 4 leads from bakarak to bingan and then to mines on the Left Bank of the Rine how however I decide to take the ferry to the other bank at nimak I then cycle up a fairly steep ascent and take a direct route to the Neal Monument the Monumental gmania is now a world heritage site which doesn’t make it any more beautiful but the view over
The vine yards of the Rino partly makes up for this fittingly a Dutch breast band play heroic music at the neite [Applause] Temple fortunately it’s nothing nationalistic but more along the lines of Star Wars the film music for a bridge to far is also included [Applause] after listening for a while I cycle down into the rine go and follow the cycle path to V Spen There I have booked a hotel next to the city park and there I eat tart FL B on the banks of the r in the evening together with a semi- dry Rin goow rling the next morning I cycle along Riverside cycle path but also through industrial zones and a
Maze of motorways towards the mine at flu time I switch to the Left Bank of the mine and end up on a cycle path that runs through ugly industrial and ha areas without a transition I find myself in an idyllic spot the barok mhof chapel is surrounded by a small cemetery and
Stands on the edge of Frankfurt airport above me the large carbon ejectors descend and Ascend every minute a foraste of the mine Metropolis there are quite a few ugly cities in Germany but I personally think that Frankfurt deserves a place of honor fortunately via the mine cyclopath I experience the city from its harmless side I cycle through almost all of Frankfurt on the Left Bank of the mine nearly the entire route is carfree and
There is even some Greenery I can only see manhatton from a distance and it’s just about Beable as I leave the city in the east a sign post tells me that I’m not only on the main psychopath or the ell 4 but also on the path of the late Harvest Rider we have to thank the Episcopal grape career who was two weeks late
Perhaps he had some French blood in his veins for the discovery of the bad laser it contains grapes affected by Noble Rod passing rheim Castle a formerly princely country estate where Emperor France Joseph and SAR Alexander III have also stayed I leave the urbanized area but it’s another 40 km to as shaen
Bo before I reach the town I switch back to the Left Bank of the mine I cycle straight into as shaen Borg wi the two main sites the town’s Landmark visible from afar is Johannesburg Castle the Magnificent building dates back to the Renaissance and for the second residence
Of the archbishops of Mines until 183 today it houses several museums including an important painting Gallery the second major attraction is also located directly on the banks of the mine the pompe yanum is a replica of a Roman villa it was modeled on on the Kaza deuri in Pompei the replica was
Commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwick I as impressive as this residence is the atmosphere is rather Museum like cycling from as shaur to the capital of the mine rburg in one day is too much for me even with the LMO one to cut the long distance in half I spent
The night in Mark hide and First I cycle to miltenburg on the loop of the mine the little town is not only on the Roman lemis route but also in the free state of Bavaria sub region lower Franconia as befits former Roman territory wine grows on the Terrace slopes here this year at least it gets plenty of of
Sunshine on the valley slopes which rise deeply to the spard large queres are noticeable that is the red mine Sandstone it is a subformation of red Sandstone which also dominates in the Eastern Black Forest already the Romans used it and it was used as building material for many historical
Buildings from here I continue to valim halfway there I reach hbor Castle the former hen Hilltop Castle lies on the right Bank of the mine and belong to the tonic order for a time verim and its Castle which lies on a steep SPO between the mine and tber valleys is no longer
Part of Bavaria it is the northernmost franconian town in Barden venberg and the region is known as TBA Fran Okay after spending the night in mark heidenfeld my route continues to noad amine the town is dominated by the church towers of a former Benedictine Abbey which vanished during secularization Around the mine Loop about 35 km further on I come to lenb today a district of cat there is a very old village synagogue from the 17th century after the November Pome it was sold and used as a barn in it is currently being renovated as a Memorial before I cycle into wburg I pass selingan this small town has a magnificent Church designed by balazar Noyman Wburg has only 130,000 inhabitants but seems larger and more significant unlike Frankfurt it is a city worth seen for me it is the most beautiful city on the mine even bomberg and pyoid come in second place the city center had been destroyed in the second world war but at least the represent
Resentative buildings and churches have been restored or reconstructed my hotel is very Central and the first thing I do is stroll around the city and send a birthday present from the Burgos pital I used to love franconian wines especially the Silvana but now I prefer resling
Towards evening I stroll back to the old mine bridge I buy a Silvana and toast to WSB although it is now mid-september the weather remains Midsummer not a single drop of rain has fallen since I left cologne I set off from wburg towards shinfood in glorious weather as I have
Never been to schweinf I plan to visit the museum There once around the mine band and 20 km further on I reach kit singan though there is also an important bridge over the mine dating back to the high Middle Ages the bridge even appears on the town’s coat of Arms the next destination is Minster schwartzbach Abby the monastery whose founding history goes back over a thousand years is now an important location for the Benedictine missionaries however the Monastery Church is relatively new it had been built in 1935 to replace the previous church building from Miner schwartzbach I cycle
Again through areas heavily characterized by vidic culture extensive Terrace slopes alternate with pretty villages Folar is particularly worth seeing it reminds me of the wine growing villages in the r [Laughter] Val The vine growing landscape accompanies me as far as schwein food the town is nothing special but I spent the extra day here to visit the gor shaer Museum it houses the collection of a former schweinf for industrialist with a focus on 19th century art and is well worth a
Visit unfortunately the paintings by kaspa David fedich have have already been taken down for the special exhibitions in 2024 the last two important destinations on the mine cycle route are bomberg and broid as there’s no hotel room available in bomberg I choose one near but staffelstein that’s a journey of over
100 kilm so there’s not much time for sightseeing however I have already been to to bumber twice so I can take some time for hord at least a small town formerly a border fortification between the dases of wburg and bomberg has two churches worth seeing the Parish Church
Of s Kilian has a high altar with wooden figures of the three franconian pattern signs from the rean Schneider Workshop even more interesting is is the nice Chapel Santa Maria an important late Gothic building in lower Franconia it’s a good 50 kilomet from hord to bomberg this is where the wine growing landscape
Comes to an end and beer rains but certainly not for me in the University Town of bomberg I take an extended stroll through the town as it’s a Saturday a few thousand people have the same idea it gets very crowded nevertheless it’s a nice city sort of a franconian [Laughter] tubing in the late afternoon I cycle the further 40 km to the Land Hotel Augustine near but staffin at dusk f s highing and buns Abby Bloom over the Mine Valley the following day I experience an impressive patronal service in Fen hilan rarely have I seen such a beautiful play of light even in a gothic Church From here it’s just under 60 km to pyoid I cycle along the mine which is now quite a Trickle BYO the youngest University town in Bavaria has plenty of sites however the world heritage site is not the in my eyes rather rundown Festival theater but the Barack mval opera house for a few years now a festival with Barack operas and concerts has also been held there in
Late summer the admission prices are on an aristocratic or rather plutocratic level unfortunately I can’t visit the theater because of the festival instead in addition to the festival theater I visit Wagner’s former home and take an extended tour of the City from broid I set off on the last stage of the ell 4 through Germany it is a very beautiful route through the upper palatinate Forest mostly on dedicated cycle paths the first part goes via weidenberg to Mark treitz a typical mountaneous Ro rout but without any difficult or steep climbs just the right terrain for the Lemo One after just about 60 km shortly before mark treitz my smart pack is finished and I have to switch to analog mode my destination for the day is conos roid and the last 15 kilometers are quite a climb the highly praised decoupling of the LMO one doesn’t help Much the following day I cycle across the border between wild sassin and shape it’s an EU border you hardly notice It He