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European bike trails you shouldn’t miss this year

By Adam Marsal

If every turn of your home trail seems too familiar It’s time for a change. Here are five new spots across Europe where you can rub your tires. You will choose here whether you are going with your family or you prefer the adrenaline rush of going alone.

Palatinate Forest Park – Germany

A bike park with a total of 300 kilometres of pathways with varying degrees of difficulty has been created in the Palatinate Forest, the largest unified wooded area in west Germany. It’s a natural paradise for mountain bike enthusiasts, a wonderful experience at all times of the year.

It’s exciting riding along romantic winding paths, up and down quickly alternating ascents and descents in fascinating, varying surroundings. Picturesque villages and lakes lie in the lonely valleys. Castles and bizarre rock formations provide great attractions. Routes can be combined according to time and technical demands, enabling technical freaks, beginners or families with children to find their perfect tour.

More on: http://www.mountainbikepark-pfaelzerwald.de

Soldeu Bike Park – Andorra

Have you ever been to one of the European smallest country? Soldeu Bike Park offers different types of routes for all mountain biking lovers to find their perfect trip. The former Spanish Downhill coach Òscar Sàiz is responsible for the shape of the park in this season. You can experience adrenaline on a mountain bike over roughly 100 km of free-ride, cross-country, enduro, and Slopestyle routes.

More on: http://www.bikeparksoldeu.com/en

Through Swiss Grand Canyon – Switzerland

Take the exciting and thrilling tour along the spectacular Rhine gorge. It is very often referred to as the “Swiss Grand Canyon“ with beautiful views of overlooking the gorge. This tour is about 42 km long and will take about five hours to finish.

More on: maps.graubuenden.ch/en/tour/mountainbiking/rhine-gorge/8737512/

Vallnord Bike Park – Andorra

Another highlight from Andorra. Vallnord bike park regularly hosts World Cups – and is home to the World Championships for 2015. The annual Maxiavalanche race in June is the sister event to the infamous Megavalanche. It is easy to understand why such huge events come here: there is over a vertical kilometre of descent from the top of the mountain back into town!

The top of the park is open and flowing, but as you dip below the tree line the trails become much more steep, twisting tightly through the trees, occasionally bursting out into bright sunlit clearings.

Elberadweg – Germany

Explore the “Elberadweg” (Elbe cycle path), for the tenth time in a row the most popular cycle route in Germany. Ride into the upper part of the river Elbe through the spectacular rock formations of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. The Elbe cycle path is one of the most attractive and varied cycling/walking routes in Europe.

The region between the North Sea and the Czech border is distinguished by multifaceted landscapes, exciting history and a unique cultural heritage. It’s almost 1300 km long tour, so it’s a trip that will steal your holiday, but it’s definitively worth of it.

More on: http://www.elbe-cycle-route.com/

What are your tips for some interesting trails others should know about?