Five reasons to cycle the Euro Velo 4

�Cycling to Bohemia� certainly has a romantic ring to it. Two thousand five hundred kilometres from the ancient Brittany port of St Malo along the Normandy coast, past the battlegrounds of World War 2, through Belgium and across the south of The Netherlands before linking with the Rhine River in the German city of Dusseldorf and cruising along its banks until a sharp left turn in Mainz to follow the Main River to its headwaters in the Ficktelgebirge Mountains near the German-Czech border. From this high vantage point, it�s an up and down route across the Czech Republic to the Bohemian capital of Prague, surely one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

Here�s five reasons to consider cycling the Euro Velo 4.

1: The terrain

It�s mostly flat, with only two serious climbs - the short and windy ascent over the cliff tops west of the French port of Calais and the aforementioned Ficktelgebirge Mountains in Upper Bavaria. Neither pass is too difficult and can be done in a morning of heavy breathing and chocolate bars. Any route that contains Belgium, The Netherlands and rivers is bound to be easy cycling.

In many ways, this should be called �the water route� - the coastline of France and Belgium; the canals of The Netherlands and the rivers of Germany. 

2: The food

From croissants to strudel; wine to beer; petit dejeuner to fruhstuck; white rind cheeses to Edam to smoked cheddars; coq au vin to goulash; baguettes to bratwurst. 

As my wife always says, �cycling is just an interlude between meals.� The temptation of three-course French meals means it�s wise not to plan to spend too long in the saddle apres lunch. And a bratwurst on a roll with mustard is a simple yet fulfilling take-away lunch. 

I�m constantly amazed at the quality and cost of European food. Even budget travellers can eat well. Do it in autumn and there�ll be apples ripening on roadside trees for a free snack. 

3: The people

But the French are aloof, the Germans are abrupt, the Czechs impenetrable? Bollocks to that. Learn a few phrases of each language and you�ll soon find the locals attempting to continue the conversation in English, if they can. In general, I find the French slyly humorous and well-mannered; the Germans hearty and open; the Dutch are the friendliest people I�ve met; the Czechs are courteous and serene. It�s only the Belgians that continue to mystify me. Perhaps aloof? Or just shy? No matter, I�ll cycle there some more and work harder at being friendly.

4: The landscape

In The Netherlands we rode along a dyke, then through a forest before entering a few square kilometres of open paddock that reminded me of Australia - brown spinifex and stunted trees. In the afternoon, we cycled beside a quiet canal with yellow and orange-leafed autumn trees reflected in the water. And that was all in one day.

In France we cycled along a disused train track in Normandy. 

In Germany beside the majestic Rhine. 

Belgium we got lost along the coastline only to be rescued by a man jogging who implored us to admire one of �the best views in the country.� We were standing on a hill forty metres above sea level. I told you it was flat.

In the first three countries we�d only seen seabirds and swans and ducks in Germany. One kilometre into the Czech Republic, the songbirds returned. 

We rode through tunnels of autumn here, our wheels caressed by leaves.

5: Did I mention the food? Yeah, okay how about the beer and wine?

I lost count of the number of days we cycled near vineyards, from the foothills approaching Saint Lo in France to the steep slopes carved out by the Rhine. And throughout Germany and the Czech Republic, nearly every mid-sized town and village had its own brewery - Alt style beers in Dusseldorf; Kolsch of Cologne and the wonderful Pilseners and Budvars of the true land of beer - the Czech Republic. The cost of a glass of wine or beer in these countries? Cheaper than a glass of mineral water.

I've written three travel ebooks on my cycling adventures across Europe. They sell for between $2.99 and $3.99, depending on which currency you use. You can visit my Amazon page here for the USA; here for the UK and here for Australia