Help me plan a MTB tour through Europe?

ewanharv

Will be touring Europe in the coming months on a Cube LTD Pro Blackline 29er (much custom, many improvisations), my starting point will be Paris. The choice of bike may be unorthodox for a tour but I am originally from Fort William and a HT is the natural choice for me.

I will be looking to hit as many DH and XC trails as possible. Are there many 100km+ mtb trails I could string together?

I will be camping and am going to be almost entirely self sufficient, just me and the bike.

I have many destinations I want to hit, though haven't yet had time to correlate them into an itinerary. Cities I wish to include are Brussels, Zürich, Venice, Berlin, Amsterdam, Monaco, but this is very loose. I don't care much for a schedule either, this trip is all about exploring - unfettered by worry and concern. I have until December to travel as I start work in Val d'Isere, France, as a ski instructor then.

Essentially, I'm asking the community for recommendations; where's good? Where to avoid? Anyone done a similar adventure? Any breathtaking destinations untouched by tour guides?

Thank you so much for your help.

neilus

Dude, the scope of what youre asking is so insanely wide im not sure what you expect people to say! Logistically and practically, combining bikepacking, mountainbiking and sightseeing/general tourism (the only reason to visit places like Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin etc...) is nigh on impossible. Your HT will not handle proper alpine bike parks. You'll look a bit of a wally visiting museums in the Dam wearing your lycra cos you dont have the space to carry everyday clothes. And so on...
Go city hopping.
Go bikepacking.
Go mtbing.
Just not at the same time!
I live in Austria which is gorgeous, good value and infinite possibilities - Salzburgerland and Salzkammergut are particularly fab...

cooldad

Apart from the beer, Brussels is a bit of a censored .

FishFish

cooldad wrote:

Apart from the beer, Brussels is a bit of a censored .

Can we have a vote on that?