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PARADISES FOR CYCLO-HIKING (Europ)

So far we have practiced cycling in France of course, but also in seven other European countries.

This has led us to note the enormous differences in the integration of bicycles, and of cycle tourism in particular, depending on the country. Some are paradises, others are far from it. Here is a short summary.

 

THE PARADISES

CYCLO-HIKING IN WEST OF GERMANY (formerly RFG)

Allemagne

 

Germans are historically nature lovers. Ecology (real, lived ecology, not political ecology as in France) is well established in Germany.

They are accustomed to physical activities that are fun "Outdoor". Since the 19th century they have been practising the weekend "Volksmarsch" (popular walks) on a massive scale.

With the revival of the bicycle in the 80-90s, they took over the 2-wheeler. Cycling is generalized whatever the age group, social class… etc…

 

This practice:

Crowded bicycle parking in front of a supermarket
Bicycle with ultra-low frame for adults having difficulty straddlingr  Dreirad
  • Start at a young age. See the toddler bikes with small gear changes!
  • Is general in everyday life. You should see the crowded bike parks in front of the big shops!
  • Goes naturally to the holiday activities in bicycle tourism.
  • The choice of bike types is extraordinary. Even the older ones can continue to practice :
    • difficulty to step over, here is an ultra-low profile frame;
    • lack of balance, here is a tricycle… etc.
  • Public transport (trains, subways, trams…) are very often accessible to bicycles.

In short, cycling is in the German culture. Therefore, as everyone is a practising cyclist… everyone :

  • Respect the cyclists.
  • Requires infrastructure.

All this is obvious when hiking in Germany (formerly West Germany):

  • Cars don't graze or overtake until they can do so comfortably.
  • If a traffic blunder is made by surprise or inadvertently, motorists will stop dead on the spot and let the bicycle pass without honking their horns or grumbling.
  • On cycle paths where mopeds are allowed, mopeds everywhere respect the speed limit of 30km/h that is imposed on them in this context.
  • There are countless cycle paths for everyday life and for cycle tourism, with breathtaking continuity and safety.
  • If there are works, even for a few hours, that encroach on a cycle path then there is always a safe solution :
    • protected temporary encroachment on the roadway
    • signposted detour as for motorways detours in France

Contrary to France with its badly educated dogs running around, the dogs are calm and very well trained. When approaching a bicycle, the master only has to say a word calmly, the dog immediately goes to bed and lets the bicycle pass quietly… impressive, always and everywhere !!!

Well, let's stop here the dithyrambe and move on to the other countries.

 

CYCLO-HIKING IN SWITZERLAND

Switzerland

Switzerland is multilingual and multicultural.

Fortunately, German culture permeates the whole country, even the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

As a result, Switzerland has almost all the qualities described above for Germany.

Wonderful cyclo-tours.

 

Our bikes and the trailer in a train replacement bus in Switzerland   Train replacement bus, accepting our bikes and trailers in Switzerland

The railway network is remarkably dense with a high frequency of service. Bicycles are accepted on almost all trains. However, beware of prices which are quite high.
Fantastic bicycle service… even in the event of breakdowns or work on the trains, bicycles are accepted in the replacement buses. Example in 2014, very heavily loaded (with trailer for camping), we are accepted in a bus… Inconceivable with the SNCF!

 

Contrary to what one might think, the TCS (Touring-Club-Switzerland) campsites are absolutely not a reference. They are often less well-equipped and more expensive than others, and some of them are badly frequented (Gypsies in Luzern).

 

THE ALMOST PARADISE

CYCLO-HIKING IN HOLLAND

Hollande

In 2009, during our cyclo-trip on the Rhine, we had been unpleasantly surprised by Holland. On the other hand, during our ride on the Meuse, in 2020, we were very satisfied. Why this difference?

It's true that technically Holland beats all other countries on a level:

  • A large number of cycle paths, often wide. Always in perfect condition, very well maintained.
  • Bicycle parks everywhere.
  • A daily use superior to any other.

 

What surprised us in 2009, and remains true in 2020, it's a variable geometry respect of car-driver towards cyclists:

  • As long as you're on a bike path, motorists respect you 100%. If the bike path has priority when crossing a street or road, cars always stop without ever trying to force their way through.
  • On the other hand, as soon as you ride outside a bike path, you are the annoying person who has to be careful in your own little corner.

There is no minimum distance for cars to follow when overtaking a bicycle. Motorists have no patience when they are behind you. So they overtake even when brushing past in a frightening way, and this in town as well as on the road, so no matter how fast they are going !!!

If you bother a car that much, you get horned or even insulted.

Fortunately on the Meuse, in 2020, the regions through which we pedal are particularly protective of cyclists. Indeed, almost all the towns and villages we pass through are limited to 30 km/h. Even better, all the small connecting roads between cycle paths are limited OUTSIDE THE TOWNS (in the countryside) to 60 km/h. This has been great. We were able to hike in peace and quiet.

As in Germany, mopeds are allowed on certain cycle paths. In Germany they are limited to 30 km/h, so that's cool. In Holland, however, the limit is 60 km/h. Which is a lot on a cycle path! So you can be overtaken very closely (and therefore dangerously) by mopeds and scooters on even narrow cycle paths. What's more, young people are less respectful than their elders… so some of them ride faster than 60 km/h!

Another good surprise 2020, on our itineraries we passed through many small woods or forests. It's incredible (especially for us coming from under-equipped France), parallel to the forest roads there was ALWAYS a cycle path… well maintained! Great.

In addition, pedestrians never invade the cycle paths. And just like in Germany the dogs are very well trained (they have REAL masters), so the dogs are calm and are never aggressive or annoying for bicycles.

In short, Holland deserves to be a cycling paradise in many ways. But the behaviour of motorists is not up to the standard of a complete paradise.

CYCLO-HIKING IN BELGIUM

Hollande

In 2020, we quickly passed through Belgium. For the first time through Wallonia, along the Meuse to Holland. Then on our way back from Holland we drove along the Flemish coast of the North Sea.

We were able to measure the enormous difference between these 2 Belgian regions.

     Wallonia vs Flanders comparison

Roughly speaking, Wallonia is equipped like France (very little) and Flanders like Holland (a lot).

This can be easily confirmed by taking a look at the map opposite, taken from the OpenStreetMap cycling map.

Moreover, the facilities in Wallonia are poorly maintained.

But what makes cycling particularly attractive in Belgium as a whole (Wallonia and Flanders together) is the respectful behaviour of motorists. This is even better than in Germany, and yet it is an excellent reference. It is really safe to ride there.

 

CYCLO-HIKING IN SCANDINAVIA

Czech

There are many national cycle paths in Denmark, fewer in Sweden (except Malmö and Stockholm) and very few in Finland (except Helsinki).

The Scandinavians are cautious in their cars and generally respect cyclists. However, there is a small downside for the Swedes and a big one for the Danes. In these 2 countries cars overtake at a good distance when the road is very wide. On the other hand, too often, the cars brush past when they have to pass a car. Therefore, in these 2 countries, we use one of our favourite tactics: when we see (in the rear-view mirror) that a car is likely to pass another one while overtaking us, then, and before the rear car catches up with us, we zigzag to make it look like we are not in control of our trajectory. It's infallible, before this risk drivers brake and wait wisely behind us before overtaking us. In Finland drivers wait wisely behind without needing to do so.

Campsites are of VERY different quality depending on the country:

  • In Denmark, where wild camping is strictly forbidden, there are many VERY well-equipped campsites.
  • In Sweden the campsites are generally OK with some rudimentary exceptions.
  • In Finland the campsites are few in number, poorly equipped and the few facilities are too often dirty and/or broken.

Very tempted by Norway, we studied the routes and accommodation. It is a VERY relief country. Even along the North Sea, the cumulative positive difference in altitude is HUGE. The bearable physical limit of this daily total forces us to drastically reduce the daily mileage. And there this constraint leads to another limit, accommodation. Hard standing accommodation is unaffordable, the only reasonable solution is camping. But these are not very numerous, and above all it is impossible to find them at distances compatible with the daily mileage limit. So we gave up this superb destination. Only those who hike in a light and Spartan way; and/or who have a big wallet; and/or who are wilderness campers (allowed as long as they camp more than 150 metres from a house, cottage, or other inhabited property).

CYCLO-HIKING IN CZECH REPUBLIC (Česká republika / Česko)

Czech

Although little known and underestimated by cyclo-hikers, the Czech Republic is a great destination.

The country is superb.

The Česká Kanada, (www.ceska-kanada.cz) in the south of the country, is wonderful.

The people are very pleasant, very fond of cycling. The drivers are very respectful

On the other hand not to hope to cycle in the center of Prague, mission impossible !!! No tracks, everywhere big cobblestones, tiny pavements. The hell of the bike !

 

CYCLO-HIKING IN HUNGARY (Magyarország)

Allemagne

 

In the part we know, Budapest and the west of the country, Hungary is excellent for us cyclists.

In Budapest the tracks are relatively numerous. Bicycles are well respected everywhere.

 

The people are calm, the dogs are well trained, it is a great pleasure to ride in this country.

 

… and the OTHERS COUNTRY

CYCLO-HIKING IN EAST OF GERMANY (formerly GDR)

Allemagne

In former East Germany there are many bicycle paths. However, roads, streets and pavements are still very (too) often paved. This is very unpleasant, even with our very suspended bikes.

However, more than 20 years after reunification, the native behaviour is still very different from that of the former "West Germany". It's better than in France, but much worse than in the former FRG. It can be estimated with a ladle that in France there are 60% of dangerous drivers and 40% of correct drivers. In the former GDR, the opposite is true: 40% dangerous and 60% correct.

Even on the tracks dedicated to cyclists, we have been subjected to cars (making the width of the track) trying to impose themselves by arriving in front of us as if we didn't exist. Not being of a nature to let us do so, contrary to their hopes, we stayed in the middle of the track, forcing them to stop or move aside on the side of the road (as ALL cars on the west side do WILLINGLY and naturally). Drivers were furious to have to respect their obligations!!!

As for dogs, it is like in West Germany in the streets and paths; hyper well trained dogs, not dangerous for cyclists. The only anecdotal difference is that, unlike in the West, we often find very aggressive dogs behind fences… there the dogs (and therefore the masters!) are as stupid as in France!

So the mixed results are less enthusiastic than in ex-western Germany.

CYCLO-HIKING IN FRANCE

France

Our country is very well endowed by nature and history. We have a generous and very diverse nature, many canals and old disused railways. All of which makes us a reference in terms of cycle tourism. Alas it is quite the opposite, France is still a counter-reference in this matter.

This is certainly cultural and starts in everyday life. In Germany, Switzerland, Holland everyone goes by bike. Young people, old people, for leisure, to go shopping, to go to work, to cycle…

In France, there is no salvation outside the sacrosanct car. On Sunday mornings, the fans of asphalt and competition between guys, are pulling the stuffing between excited about racing bikes or mountain biking. At best, on Sunday afternoon if the weather is nice, we'll go for a few laps around the area with wife and kids. That's all we do.

Due to the lack of interest of our compatriots for this type of leisure, our policies do very little for the construction of the related infrastructures… Hence the very limited number and mileage of bicycle paths and soft lanes.

A few rare regional elected representatives have understood all the economic and tourist interest they can get from cycle tourism. Burgundy (especially the Côte-d'Or) began to rush into it. For example, the Châlon-sur-Saône - Mâcon greenway passing through the old Givry-Cluny railway line is a considerable tourist success which offers an excellent return on investment to the Departmental and Regional Authority's capital outlay.

Fortunately, Europe is also pushing, biting, pulling France, in short, finally making her evolve willingly or unwillingly. In any case, our beautiful country has fallen considerably behind on its commitments in Brussels and we are the missing link in the great European cycle routes. As on all other fronts, France is resistant to advances, changes and improvements.

You can see that on the map of the Bicycle routes and Greenways of France :

  • Our territory is not yet equipped, crossed by greenways. It is 'mite' of small disparate pieces. On this map, Brittany may look like a beautiful destination, but the reality on the ground is quite different: see our Breton experience in 2021.
  • Even for what is beginning to be well advanced, one example is very telling, it is theEuroVelo n°6. The one that should lead from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, and which in France runs along the Loire and the Doubs:
    • We can see that more than 90% of the French route is in orange, which is a lane mainly on small roads.
    • We have extended it on the Danube in Germany and Austria from Donaueschingen to Vienna. More than 90% of our 1,110 km are on the Smooth Greenway! These car-free lanes, like the ones in purple on the French site !
    • That's a long way off. And it's not about to get any better, since what has just been done in France (like the EV6 - Loire - Doubs), is not as good as what was done 10 or 15 years ago.
  • Well, for France it's better than nothing. But it's still a pity, especially for cyclists with children. Indeed children can only participate, as autonomous cyclists, on tracks without cars. On small roads, the deviations they make are dangerous for their safety.

In terms of safety, cycle tourism in France is generally very average due to the behaviour of motorists who rarely respect safety distances, and are quick to force dangerous overtaking so as not to have to wait behind the cyclists.

Moreover, dogs are not educated, run around, do not obey the owner (they are not masters!) and are often aggressive with cyclists.

On the few tracks that exist, children on bicycles wander around under the tender (stupid?) gaze of their parents. In Germany and the Czech Republic, children (no matter how young they are!) are used to squeezing their right hand as soon as they get on a bike.

Since 2006 (when we started hiking abroad) we have noticed the gulf that separates France from its neighbours (not the ones in the South!). Instead of looking for the best in them, we cobbled together false trails (painted stripes) or real trails but full of dangers (poles, chicanes, curbs). Discontinuities everywhere, in the city and in the countryside. Elsewhere, people cross their country in all directions with almost no breaks. In our country, cars, deliverymen (and, unfortunately, even the police) clog up the tracks in the cities and at the slightest construction site the track disappears, there is nothing left: 'Go and get killed somewhere else'.

In Germanic and Nordic countries, the cycle lane has the same priority as the road it runs alongside; all secondary roads must give priority not only to cars travelling on the road but ALSO to bicycles travelling on the cycle lane. In France, the highway code has FINALLY allowed this since the mid-2000s. But unfortunately this is hardly ever enforced. Riding on a French cycle track means having to stop at every exit of a secondary road. Even exits from private roads, car parks and shopping centres have priority over cycle paths. Painful, absurd and deplorable.

In the best countries the paths are always respected and even works lasting a few days (even a few hours) systematically result in a cycle diversion. Even in the middle of nowhere, a trench across the asphalt of the cycle path justifies a temporary piece of asphalt on the side... even for a few metres... or much more if necessary!

France, although very centralised and dirigiste, is not capable of producing a synthesis of best practice in terms of cycling facilities. Holland has been doing it since the early 1970s! More than 50 years behind... and we continue without doing it. As a result, each French local authority systematically starts from scratch without benefiting from the experiences of others.
In addition to their poor design, cycling facilities are made on the cheap. This is the case in ALL public works in France. In our country, tenders are awarded to the 'lowest bidder'. This obviously lowers the quality of the work and leads to poor workmanship.

In the best performing European countries, the calls for tender start with specifications that require QUALITY products. Then the award is made to the 'average bidder', to the company closest to the average bid. This automatically eliminates those companies that would like to sell off their lamentable services and those that abuse the price.

In France, for example, in our small cycling sector, footbridges are made with cheap wood and painted steel equipment. In high-performance countries, it is made of noble wood and stainless steel. Of course, in our country, the equipment quickly falls into disrepair. Moreover, elsewhere the gangways never slip. We don't know how to do this: before the work is done, we don't think about it, and after the construction, we do it ourselves. Then, when we see that it always slips, we just put up a sign saying 'beware of slippery footbridges'.

We could look abroad for solutions that work... But NO, as we believe we are the best in everything, we pretend to be able to give lessons to the whole world.

Some people hoped that this would change with the arrival of the Green Party in municipal government. This was an unrealistic dream. The French ecologists are extremists who are only interested in their mythical and deadly 'degrowth'. So their thin green decorative layer has no (or at best very little) practical impact on cycling equipment.

And there is almost no chance that this will improve, even in the years after COVID. With falling GDP and spiralling debt, we are not going to get back on track! Cycle paths and facilities are and will remain a very poor relation in an impoverished France.

As French people, we would like to cycle around our beautiful country much more than we do. But it is easy to understand that our cycling paradises are obviously elsewhere.

CYCLO-HIKING IN AUSTRIA

Autriche

Austria is a mix of what we have just been talking about:

  • There are a significant number of bicycle paths.
  • Motorists have bad manners halfway between the French and the Dutch.

So average score.

Note that the capital WIEN (Vienna) is fantastic for cycling. The city is studded with REAL bike paths.

CONCLUSION - CYCLO-HIKING PARADISES

Podium

 

From the countries where we have cycled to date it is obvious that Germany (formerly West Germany) and Switzerland are "THE REAL COUNTRIES OF BIKE". They are tied on the first step of the podium.

In both countries the behaviour of motorists is remarkable.

Germany is rich in river cycle paths. With its "Bicycle-Friendly" accommodation facilities Germany is truly "number one". This is our BICYCLE FUN PARADISE.

On the other steps of the podium, we find in disorder Holland, Belgium, Czech Republic and Hungary.

The other countries are less sparkling, and in some of them you have to be very careful about your safety when pedalling.

 

Update 04/18/2022
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