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"It is possible to achieve great things with a bicycle"

Interview with EuroVelo manager Agathe Daudibon

Datum 8.5.2023

EuroVelo is a European success story, connecting the many European countries through a growing network of 17 long-distance cycle routes. The head of the EuroVelo team at the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) in Brussels is Agathe Daudibon. She spoke with us about her goals, trends in cycling tourism and the political relevance of cycling 10,000 km on a single EuroVelo route.

This interview is also available in German.

Agathe, you have been EuroVelo manager at ECF since August 2022. Which goals would you like to achieve with regard to the EuroVelo network's development within the next five years?

EuroVelo had adopted a clear strategy up to 2030 already in 2020, so my role is basically to follow its ambition and main objectives together with all parties involved. Our main priority is to improve the quality of EuroVelo as a cycle route network and as an inspiration for all countries to develop national and regional cycle route networks. They should be based on EuroVelo routes, but more dense on the territories.

Improved quality means good cycling infrastructure and connections between the different countries covered, certified services for cyclists managed at national level such as “Bett & Bike”, adapted multimodality options, especially for bikes and trains, powerful communication to support EuroVelo as a brand and easy access to information for users.

To support all the work, we also need more data about usage of the route but also surveyed data about EuroVelo routes themselves. And finally, we need to continue strengthening the governance and coordination of EuroVelo together with our national partners, but also strategic partnerships with leading global organisations and private companies to ensure proper financial resources for EuroVelo.

Further reading: EuroVelo Strategy 2030 (excerpt)

Cycle route with blue marking along the coast in sunny weather and blue skies. The cycle path is lined on the right by palm trees, the beach and the Mediterranean Sea. EuroVelo 8 - Mediterranean Route in Almería, Spain
EuroVelo 8 - Mediterranean Route and signing in Almería, Spain

Which advantages does a EuroVelo route bring to an EU nation state and the regions and municipalities neighbouring the route?

EuroVelo symbolises the need for cycle route networks and planning. It helps prioritise cycling infrastructure in a geographical area but also is an example of how cycle route networks should have comprehensive guidelines and requirements to satisfy the needs of users. We consider EuroVelo as a backbone for other cycle route networks and the perfect initiative to demonstrate the relevance of transnational actions for cycling.

Cycling a 10,000 km cycle route such as EuroVelo 13 - Iron Curtain Trail is a dream and a crazy idea. It demonstrates that it is possible to achieve great things with a bicycle, in a sustainable way. But the majority of EuroVelo users are actually living nearby, and they cycle on EuroVelo to go to work or during leisure time, because it is convenient and nice. France is a good example on that topic: EuroVelo routes have a higher level of development (95 percent in 2022) than national cycle routes, pushing forward this dynamic.

(Editor's note: If a EuroVelo route or section features signing in line with the respective national standard as well as a website providing information to users, it can be called a Developed EuroVelo route. See Categories of EuroVelo Routes)

Do you observe any trends that are likely to shape the future of EuroVelo and cycling tourism?

The dynamic of cycling tourism is quite strong and all indicators are growing such as +11 percent bike counts on EuroVelo from 2019 to 2022. Unfortunately, we are lacking updated data at the European level to fully estimate the growth; we only know that the economic impact of cycling tourism in 2012 was estimated in € 44 billion a year.

In terms of trends, many interesting developments are ongoing. The EuroVelo Management Team identified three main trends to follow up: Slow Tourism, multimodality and e-bikes.

First, Slow Tourism attracts more and more interest as it summarises some important wishes of present-day users: sustainability, going back to nature, the need to disconnect from the routine. Cycling tourism is answering those needs and is perfect to combine other aspects such as gastronomy, culture, nature, and other activities such as swimming.

The second trend is multimodality: cycling tourists prefer to access their destination with a sustainable mode of transport or with their bikes, so they need to easily access bike+train options. Other alternatives should be developed such as bike rental, parking facilities etc.

The third trend is e-bikes, which extend the potential reach of cycling tourism to the ones that would normally not include it in their holidays, due to insecurities or physical capacity. E-bikes have multiple advantages, such as easing slopes and opening access to more challenging regions, reassuring and enabling groups with different capacities to cycle together, some with e-bikes, some with normal bikes. But e-bikes also address specific challenges: they are heavier, and this has an impact on multimodality; they are more expensive and require safe parking facilities; and need charging the battery every day, maybe at the accommodation or by other service providers.

The European Parliament recently adopted a resolution calling for the development of a European cycling strategy. What does that mean for EuroVelo and cycling tourism?

Indeed, the European Parliament adopted a historic resolution calling for the European Commission to develop a European cycling strategy with the aim of doubling the number of kilometres cycled in Europe by 2030. The ECF, along with its advocacy partners, actively supported this resolution and the recognition of cycling as a fully-fledged mode of transport.

The resolution specifically mentions EuroVelo and the need to accelerate its development. EuroVelo and cycling tourism is of course a great opportunity to achieve the ambition of doubling the number of kilometres cycled by Europeans. EuroVelo could benefit strongly from the recognition and support of an EU cycling strategy in multiple ways. One important step forward would be to improve the guidelines for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) by integrating EuroVelo, together with elements of walking and cycling infrastructure, into all TEN-T projects and network developments. In early March the European Commission has pledged to bring forward a European Cycling Declaration before summer 2023 – an initiative designed to boost the bike in Europe.

Further reading: Resolution on a EU Cycling Strategy: What benefits for EuroVelo?

Two cyclists sitting on a low wall watching the harbour and ships on a sunny day. A sign post on the right shows the sign of EuroVelo 3. EuroVelo 3 - Pilgrims Route extension to Fisterra
EuroVelo 3 - Pilgrims Route, extension Santiago de Compostela to Fisterra, Spain

What are, in your view, the priorities for EuroVelo in Germany?

There are two main aspects to further develop EuroVelo in Germany: the German national cycle route network and Germany as a cycling tourism destination.

On the “D-Routen” network, it would be relevant to better integrate EuroVelo as part of the national cycle route network. EuroVelo is already included in the German national cycling strategy and the objective is to improve EuroVelo signage in the next years, so it is a good time to fully integrate EuroVelo in the D-Routen as well. Moreover, it will be important that German stakeholders plan further investments for the maintenance of older cycling infrastructures.

About Germany as a cycling tourism destination, we usually consider Germany as the first destination for cycling tourism in the world. But the competition is growing: France now aims to become the first one and is preparing a national strategy for cycling tourism with significant investments. A priority for Germany to stay on top could be to improve marketing and communication at the national scale. I think Germany has very strong and quality offers on routes and regions. Maybe a general overview of cycling tourism offers in Germany is missing, especially in English. One single platform gathering all relevant information from different sources and maybe linking to more specific detailed information could be very useful for users. Moreover, joined marketing and communication campaigns could have added value. Of course, we would also be happy if German partners would increase the promotion of EuroVelo sections crossing their territories, as we think it is a great opportunity for their visibility!

About EuroVelo

EuroVelo is the European cycle route network – a network of 17 long distance cycle routes that cross and connect the entire continent. The network is developed and coordinated by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) in cooperation with national and regional partners. The routes can be used by long-distance cycle tourists as well as by local people making daily journeys. EuroVelo consists of over 90,000 km of cycling routes in 38 countries. Up to 64 percent of this network is ready to cycle, with 50,000 km consisting of cycle paths and low-traffic roads. The EuroVelo Strategy 2030 aims to complete the network by 2030, being the backbone of other cycle route networks, and thus to further support more and better cycling all around Europe. More information on EuroVelo can be found on www.eurovelo.com.

About Agathe Daudibon

Agathe is the EuroVelo team manager at the ECF and leads on EuroVelo's strategy and advocacy activities. Before becoming EuroVelo manager, she worked in project management related to cycling and cycling tourism for ten years in France. From 2016 to 2021, she was mainly responsible for cycling itinerary projects, including national EuroVelo routes, and cycling tourism topics at the French organisation "Vélo & Territoires". She then joined the Cerema – a French governmental expertise centre – working on the AVELO 2 programme, which aims to support cycling policies in rural and interurban areas. She lives in Brussels but spends a lot of time travelling in Europe.