Euro Velo 6

[bobzeller]

I wonder if anyone has done Euro Velo 6 recently. I am planning to do the western part, perhaps Blois to Nantes in May. I am wondering about the surface. Is there much that isn't tarmacked? My bike has 23 tyres and that's the widest possible. A few years ago, I did the Vélodyssey and at first it was fine while on the hardpacked parts, but then two days of rain made my life miserable. RWGPS suggests a route that doesn't stick to the official route in places. Has anyone used that one?

Most grateful for any advice or suggestions.

Cheers

Bob

[truckturner]

Most of the EV6 is better paved than the B roads round here. There were a couple of detours which were hard going for any road bike and if you have skinny tyres you may need to find an alternative route to re-join. When I rode it many sections were flooded but it did not take long to find a D or C road that ran along side the EV6 which is sometimes a welcome change from the river. Buy IGN maps to cover the route and you should have no problem
Cheers Peter

[Ivor Tingting]

Riding a road bike on 23C tyres I would definitely plan a route on roads. Many of the Eurovelo routes use hard packed paths some gravel paths and some hard mud which can get a bit sticky when wet unlike tarmac. They are generally good many are asphalt but some are not. As said above there are plenty of quiet rural roads in France if you find the Eurovelo route too challenging for your bike. Sorry but I haven't ridden the EV6 on this section.

[bobzeller]

Thanks for the advice. I imagine I will stick with the RWGPS route which uses, in places, parts of the EV6 route. I'll get back after we get back with comments.

Cheers

[birkhead]

We cycled the whole of EV6 France last summer. From Mulhouse to the Atlantic.
I estimate that there were only about 5km of dust surfaced path, and they were very good quality. Note that it was hot and dry and did not rain [except for half an hour of damp on the first day]. The rest of the route was recently surfaced path/road of generally high quality.
We found the route lovely, full of interest, varied scenery, enough cafe stops and street markets to satisfy relaxed cycling needs, and not too demanding on the legs or brain.
You will find useful guides 'La Loire a Velo 1,2' for sale in tourist offices @ e5 each, which provide excellent mapping on pocket size foldouts for your proposed section. No need for the cycle guidebooks really, if you can get these. We booked hotels or B&Bs through the usual websites on a day by day basis in June/July,and were well treated.

[bobzeller]

Thanks, all very helpful information.

Cheers

Bob

[RobinS]

Maybe wave as we go past - we are leaving St Malo end of April to head for Nantes, then east on the EV6, hope to follow it to Bratislava before turning for home along the EV4.

[Psamathe]

Has anybody done EV6 through to the Black Sea? I don't do massive daily mileages so was wondering what people do about getting home from there as riding would make it rather a long trip (or back via a different route).

But I guess daily mileages depends to an extent on hills. Last summer my av was 40 miles per day (over 2 months) but I was and could have gone further on flatter bits (e.g. Netherlands) subject to camp site availability e.g. if a camp site at 40 miles and 80 miles I doubt I'd do the 80 mile run).

Ian

[yutkoxpo]

Has anybody done EV6 through to the Black Sea? I don't do massive daily mileages so was wondering what people do about getting home from there as riding would make it rather a long trip (or back via a different route).

But I guess daily mileages depends to an extent on hills. Last summer my av was 40 miles per day (over 2 months) but I was and could have gone further on flatter bits (e.g. Netherlands) subject to camp site availability e.g. if a camp site at 40 miles and 80 miles I doubt I'd do the 80 mile run).

Ian

I've done parts of EV6, but not further than Vienna. Any account I've read has had people either continuing east or riding/training to a city to fly home. Of course, you could always fly out and cycle home.

If cycling back is not an option the other options are plane, train or boat! There are "cruise ships" on all the big rivers. Expensive, I'd imagine, but an interesting option. Not sure if they operate in Romania, though.

[Psamathe]

Has anybody done EV6 through to the Black Sea? I don't do massive daily mileages so was wondering what people do about getting home from there as riding would make it rather a long trip (or back via a different route).

But I guess daily mileages depends to an extent on hills. Last summer my av was 40 miles per day (over 2 months) but I was and could have gone further on flatter bits (e.g. Netherlands) subject to camp site availability e.g. if a camp site at 40 miles and 80 miles I doubt I'd do the 80 mile run).

Ian

I've done parts of EV6, but not further than Vienna. Any account I've read has had people either continuing east or riding/training to a city to fly home. Of course, you could always fly out and cycle home.

If cycling back is not an option the other options are plane, train or boat! There are "cruise ships" on all the big rivers. Expensive, I'd imagine, but an interesting option. Not sure if they operate in Romania, though.

Out of interest (and hijacking the thread a bit), how hilly is it through Austria (or Nantes->Vienna). Part of my thoughts for EV6 would be to visit a friend who lives in Vienna. Looking on maps (that give altitude profiles) it does not look too bad.

Ian

[yutkoxpo]

Out of interest (and hijacking the thread a bit), how hilly is it through Austria (or Nantes->Vienna). Part of my thoughts for EV6 would be to visit a friend who lives in Vienna. Looking on maps (that give altitude profiles) it does not look too bad.

Ian

Can't speak for the French leg, but my recollection of Passau to Vienna was flat as a pancake - unless I wandered off the route. then it could get steep pretty quickly! My understanding is that river routes are generally flat - and very easy to navigate so long as you remember which side the river is supposed to be on.

https://www.biroto.eu/en/cycle-route/eu ... rt00000447

If you log in you can see the altitude profile. There's a couple of bumps, but nothing scary.

[simonhill]

Ian. Budget airlines fly to the Black Sea resorts, so you could get an easyjet, etc flight home.

I've not ridden EV6, but it was part of the route an Aussie friend of mine followed 2 years ago. He posted on Crazyguy. I read his posts via email and they were (as ever for him) a bit different. I seem to remember some bad surfaces in the East.

Just searched out the actual crazy link https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... 20339&v=Ej

[Tigerbiten]

Has anybody done EV6 through to the Black Sea? I don't do massive daily mileages so was wondering what people do about getting home from there as riding would make it rather a long trip (or back via a different route).

But I guess daily mileages depends to an extent on hills. Last summer my av was 40 miles per day (over 2 months) but I was and could have gone further on flatter bits (e.g. Netherlands) subject to camp site availability e.g. if a camp site at 40 miles and 80 miles I doubt I'd do the 80 mile run).

Ian

It's around 5 years since I did most of it as I was visiting a brother in Varna.
I joined the Danube from the Main-Danube canal and left it around Ruse.
I navigated off a map in my Garmin as I didn't have a route guide and just stuck by the river and took things as I found them.
The bit I did was mostly flat with the odd half day of lumps through the various gorges.
The cycle track was fine and the campsites were roughly 50 miles apart until the far Hungarian border.
After that I nothing .......
So I just took to the road, tried to find quiet ones, and mainly wild camped with the odd cheap hotel.

I cycled back via Riga ........

[Psamathe]

Has anybody done EV6 through to the Black Sea? I don't do massive daily mileages so was wondering what people do about getting home from there as riding would make it rather a long trip (or back via a different route).

But I guess daily mileages depends to an extent on hills. Last summer my av was 40 miles per day (over 2 months) but I was and could have gone further on flatter bits (e.g. Netherlands) subject to camp site availability e.g. if a camp site at 40 miles and 80 miles I doubt I'd do the 80 mile run).

Ian

It's around 5 years since I did most of it as I was visiting a brother in Varna.
I joined the Danube from the Main-Danube canal and left it around Ruse.
I navigated off a map in my Garmin as I didn't have a route guide and just stuck by the river and took things as I found them.
The bit I did was mostly flat with the odd half day of lumps through the various gorges.
The cycle track was fine and the campsites were roughly 50 miles apart until the far Hungarian border.
After that I nothing ....... :shock:
So I just took to the road, tried to find quiet ones, and mainly wild camped with the odd cheap hotel.

I cycled back via Riga ........ :lol:

Many thanks. I've still to look at camp sites (need to clear some space on my iPad to load Archies ...

It is sounding more appealing ...

The weird thing is, if I went elsewhere I'd just ride and enjoy myself, but if I start EV6 I'd probably want to go the whole way to the Black Sea - which seems a bit of a daft thing (why not be happy doing just a bit of EV6?)

Ian

[Ridgie]

Hi
Just to add something about your 23 tyres. I did the Nantes to Nevers section last year in dry June and found the underfoot conditions fine for my marathon 28 tyres, but I think I'd have struggled with 23's unless they were pretty tough. Almost half the route is off-road, excellent surface nearly always, but sometimes sandy, sometimes pave, (not too much of that) and sometimes branches (thorns?).
BUT, I'd recommend it for you even so. It's a quiet part of the world and in the way with France, there is a multiplicity of roads. You'll always find a road that'll get you there. The route's lovely and there's a campsite every 10 miles or so. I used the 'Huber' Velo6 maps and found them excellent. They route in the centre so you always have perhaps as much as 10 miles of mapping top and bottom to use to sort out alternative roads.
Mix it and you'll get there fine .... good luck.