17 long-distance cycling routes brought together in the EuroVelo network, a project launched in 1997 to connect territories and promote cycle tourism across Europe. A great invitation to travel.
A network of cycle tourism routes crossing the entire European continent, from north to south, from east to west. This is EuroVelo, the first and most extensive international cycling route network in the world. The project launched in 1997 has grown rapidly over time, expanding to encompass 17 long-distance cycling routes, accessible via safe, comfortable, recognisable, signposted roads connected to the main intermodal exchange hubs (railway stations, ports, airports). In total, once the project is complete, there will be 90,000 kilometres of cycling routes to ride.
There is no better material for dreams than a map, wrote Robert Louis Stevenson, author of the novel Treasure Island. And so one need only glance at the EuroVelo network to start imagining the next cycling trip.
This trans-European network was conceived and is managed by ECF, the European Cyclists' Federation, a non-profit organisation based in Brussels, committed to promoting active mobility across Europe.
The routes are numbered from 1 to 17 and in general those with odd numbers cross the continent from north to south, while those with even numbers run from west to east. There are, however, two exceptions: EV10, which circumnavigates the Baltic Sea, and EV12, which follows the North Sea coast. It is impossible not to be captivated by the names each route carries. We mention just a few to whet the appetite and give a sense of the scale of the journeys: "Eurovelo 2, the Capitals Route", "Eurovelo 3: the Pilgrims Route", "Eurovelo 9, Baltic to Adriatic".
Germany is the country with the greatest extent of routes included in the mapping (9,800 km), followed by France (8,600 km) and the United Kingdom (6,000 km). Italy is fourth with almost five thousand kilometres. Three EuroVelo routes cross our country, from north to south or from west to east: the Mediterranean route (EV 8), which runs from the Strait of Gibraltar to Athens and Cyprus, of which the Po cycle route forms a part; the Romea-Francigena cycle route (EV 5), which links London to Brindisi via Rome; and finally the Sun route (EV 7), which cuts vertically across the continent, from North Cape to Malta.
EuroVelo is a project that, in addition to improving local mobility, provides a major boost to sustainable tourism, which can generate revenues of tens of billions of euros a year, supporting local economies across Europe.
EuroVelo is a trademark registered by ECF, which "approves" the cycling routes included in the project together with national coordinators. In this regard, Fiab plays a strategic role in Italy, having served as national coordinator since 2011, promoting the use of the bicycle not only in cities but also for tourism, and urging policymakers and institutions to make bold choices on this front. The Bicitalia portal contains information on the cycling routes crossing the Boot, with a detailed description of the current state of affairs, periodic monitoring of the trails, and mapping and tracks. All that remains is to plan the next trip.