100 unique routes for cycling.
Yes, the bicycle was invented in the eighteenth century, although it has been in our century when it has become popular to unsuspected extremes. No? If someone had told us a century ago that we would see executives in suits and briefcases pedaling through the busy streets of Manhattan or London to go to work we would have taken his temperature.
And what about the bike lanes ? It is a dream that there are bike-friendly cities like Copenhagen , for now the urban city best adapted for cycling.
Because if we want to know whether or not a city is prepared for the future, and modernized enough, we must look at the design of its bike lane. If it has a good bike lane and takes care of its cyclists, it means that it is a city prepared for whatever comes.
For this reason, we welcome with open arms all those bike routes , either to cross cities as beautiful as Stockholm, or to discover the Antarctica and its extreme temperatures.
That is the idea that led sports journalist Claude Droussent to write his new book '100 unique places to go by bike' (Geoplanet 2019).
A tour of 100 unknown and exciting routes which are broken down into four large chapters that include four modalities: sports routes on asphalt, off-road off-road practices, urban circuits and adventure trips.
Route through the Grand Canyon, USA
"Perhaps the reader dreams of bike through alaska , by balinese jungle or the slopes of a volcano in hawaii ; get lost in the hills Siberia or Rwanda ; or in the Mount of Tamalpais where the mountain bike was invented…” rambles Claude in the introduction to his book.
The truth is that all these possibilities exist. Each route is explained with a map that shows the picturesque places , a brief explanation of each of them, the duration, the distance and their advice.
The weirdest itineraries you can dream of? “The Russians, except Moscow, of course. **It was also difficult to find routes in Africa**. I also love the extremes: Ushuaia, Alaska or Lofoten . Before I set up these routes, I didn't know they were accessible. But I found people on Facebook who had made them!”, he tells Traveler.es.
There is no shortage in his book of proposals for beginners such as Copenhagen or ** New York **… “I toured New York with my 8-year-old son and it was incredible!”, he underlines.
In addition, he adds new modalities such as the bikepacking and for professionals without fear of anything. “All the mountains in the world are exciting. In my opinion, the most iconic (and unknown) place is mauna kea , Hawaii”, he explains to Traveler.es.
Any advice before undertaking any of them? “Don't take your bike! Transportation is always difficult and dangerous. Try to rent it in the same place and take your time to do any stage. The trip is always the most important thing, not doing it ", he stresses.
_ *Start dreaming on these unique routes around the world. _