Review
And here we are. Two days after the end of a nearly three-week journey with my trusty bike and an average of about 17 kg of luggage in tow. Three countries, 17 legs, only four rest days, and countless moments small and large along the way later, I'm writing this summary post.
It definitely wasn't just a simple trip by bike, it took a couple weeks of preparation, both in terms of route planning and physical training, to successfully master the organizational, physical, and mental challenges of a tour this large. I believe that it is hard to imagine how much effort is required unless you have cycled such long distances for at least four or five days straight yourself!
For me, this tour was already the fourth, but the biggest so far. Every trip has its own magic, and like before, I loved this adventure too. The bumpy roads and uphill climbs in the Eifel, the headwind on the Zeeland coast, the bed bugs in Ghent, the rain battle before Trechtingshausen — all of these were minor incidents compared to the wonderful things that happened over the past three weeks: reaching the strand and the sun-drenched sea after the first hundreds of kilometers, the weekend with Pia, Robert and Momo in and around Schiedam, exploring new cities (Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, ...), the joy and exhaustion after completing each leg, and of course the little anecdotes, such as bursting into the Benelux Tour :-)
Ultimately, the external conditions also played a role. While it was still very warm at the start, around 30°C, later on the temperatures were very pleasant, between 20 and 25°C. Once again, my bike coped with all the "horseplay" I threw at it without any technical defects such as flat tires. Apart from 2-3 "slides", where I was able to save myself in time and only the bike crashed (I hope you forgive me ...), a few scratches, minor abrasions, and a slightly dry mouth, I was spared any health issues. Now I'm still feeling a a bit physically tired, but that will go away in a few days ;-)
To round off this summary post, I thought it would be interesting to include some maps and aggregated statistics. You can find them below!
Route from Heidelberg to Schiedam (649.75 km / 5336 vm / 7 legs)
Route from Schiedam to Heidelberg (933.72 km / 6621 vm / 10 legs)
Overall Stats*
| Distance | 1583.47 km |
| Time | 89:12:20 h |
| Avg. Speed | 17.75 km/h |
| Max. Speed | 46.8 km/h |
| Avg. Heart Rate | 129.5 bpm |
| Uphill | 11957 m |
| Avg. Temperature** | 25.5 °C |
**measured at the lower back
Personal Records
This cycling tour has also broken a number of personal records, for example:
- Longest overall distance: 1583.47 km
- Longest distance on a single day's leg: 139.7 km (leg 9)
- Longest distance without a break: 99.6 km (leg 12)
- Longest overall travel time: 89:12:20 h
- Most overall uphill meters: 11957 m
- Most uphill meters on a single day's leg: 1695 m (leg 13)
- ...
This is the official end of my 2025 Cycling Tour through Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. I would like to thank everyone who accompanied me on this journey, either in person or via this blog! It was a blast :-)