Will it be the Cykelleden Skåne in Sweden, the Lech Radweg in Germany and Austria, the Unionsleden in Sweden and Norway, La Vélobuissonière in France or will it be the Van Gogh cycling routes in Drenthe that are declared the best cycling route in Europe?
The cycle route guide Get on your bike with Van Gogh is one of the five nominees for the title of Cycle Route of the Year. The election is an initiative of the Cycling and Walking Fair. A jury will cycle and assess the nominated routes.
The Van Gogh Drenthe Cycling Routes is a collaboration between various parties, including Marketing Drenthe. In total there are three different signposted routes along places where Vincent van Gogh visited. The famous painter stayed in our province for three months in 1883 and this will be commemorated in detail this year.
The cycle routes created can be followed around Emmen, Hoogeveen and Zweeloo. Each route is about 50 kilometers long and the three can also be cycled as one long route. View-through panels have been placed in several places in the landscape, allowing cyclists to take a look at the landscape as Vincent van Gogh did 150 years ago.
In the nomination, the Fiets en Wandelbeurs describes the Drenthe route as extremely varied: “It never gets boring. You cycle a bit along the canal between Hoogeveen and New Amsterdam, over which Vincent sailed with a tow barge. But not too long; after a After a while you’ll be heading into the woods again. In addition to the Van Gogh spots, there are plenty of other sights, such as the Schoonebeek nods and Veenloopcentrum Weiteveen.”
The winner of Cycling Route of the Year will be announced on February 23 during the Cycling and Walking Fair in Utrecht.