17 routes to explore all of Europe: the Eurovelo project is finally available in gpx
Eurovelo is an ambitious project which seeks to create long-distance routes by combining national ones. It comprises 17 routes with more than 90000km of tracks from north to south, east to west.
The objectives of the EuroVelo initiative are:
Ensure the implementation of European-level cycling routes of the highest quality in all European countries, bringing European best practices across borders and harmonising standards;
Communicate the existence of these routes to decision-makers and potential users, promote and commercialise their use and provide an important reference point for information on cycling in Europe;
This will encourage many European citizens to try cycling, thus promoting the transition to healthy and sustainable travel for daily commuting and cycle tourism.
EuroVelo in bikepacking
For us EuroVelo bikepackers, however, it means having many kilometers available to enhance our route and combine two or more of them in trips that cover several countries.
Until recently, however, this was highly complex to follow since the GPX tracks were created only by enthusiasts and not regularly updated.
Following the 25th anniversary of the initiative, the digital tracks of the 17 Eurovelo Routes are now available, including the longest cycle path in Europe: the Inn cycle path.
Before rushing to download the routes, it is important to know that only a part of them are tested and marked as “developed” on the initiative’s website. This means there are some parts of the routes on which there is no certainty of their rideability because there could be changes made by local or similar entities that still need to be mapped by EuroVelo.
The 17 cycle routes in Europe
Eurovelo 1: the Atlantic coast
Eurovelo 2: the route of the capitals
Eurovelo 3: the pilgrims’ route
Eurovelo 4: the route of Central Europe
Eurovelo 5: via Romea la Francigena)
Eurovelo 6: from the Atlantic to the Black Sea
Eurovelo 7: the path of the sun
Eurovelo 8: the Mediterranean itinerary
Eurovelo 9: from the Baltic to the Adriatic
Eurovelo 10: the tour of the Baltic Sea
Eurovelo 11: the route of Eastern Europe
Eurovelo 12: the North Sea route
Eurovelo 13: the route of the Iron Curtain
Eurovelo 14: rivers and lakes of Central Europe
Eurovelo 15: the Reno cycle path
Eurovelo 17: the Rhone river cycle path
Eurovelo 19: the Meuse cycle path
How to download EuroVelo tracks in GPX
First, let’s go to the site and select our Route, then click “Download GPX” and choose whether to download the whole track or just the developed ones. We advise you to download the whole track anyway since those tested may not cover the area you are interested in riding.
Now that we have our file let’s upload it to our planning software, such as Komoot or Ride with GPS – for convenience, let’s use the former.
In the Komoot tour planner, we can move the waypoints to modify the original Route, adapting it to our desired ratio between asphalt and dirt, and obviously, change the beginning and end of the track. If the order of the points starts to jump, go to the bar on the left and sort them by hand. For those with the Premium version of Komoot, it is possible to divide the track thus created over several days with the appropriate tool.
However, we also advise you to keep the original track saved because it could serve as a reference along the journey in those classic moments you get lost.
Have you ever bikepacked on a Eurovelo track? Write to us about your experience in the comments
