The Euro

The Euro is a self supported gravel ultra through a country where cycling is stitched into the landscape. A GPX route, a live tracker, and the rest is yours to sort: food, sleep, mechanicals and how much riding constitutes a sensible day.

From Waterloo’s battlefield, the route heads into the Flemish Ardennes and onto the cobbles of the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. Familiar names if you watch the Spring Classics. Rather more memorable once you’ve ridden them. Further west, Polygon Wood and the Menin Gate mark a quieter passage through the First World War landscapes around Ypres, before heading towards Koksijde and the hallowed sands of cyclocross. Watching the masters float through it is one thing. Getting your loaded bike across is another.

Then it’s coastal dunes, a ferry to Dover that you book yourself, and the chalk tracks and wooded byways of the North Downs before the final ride into London. There is a wealth of history and cycling folklore along the way. And plenty of time to wonder whether the next café is close enough to count as a plan.