There are 47. This is the official number of travelers who have completed this bicycle tourist route from start to finish, a heroic journey of 7,600 kilometers. The European Divide Trail (EDT) is a unique route. An epic journey across the European continent, from its northeast to southwest, mainly through forest tracks and traffic-free paths, away from main roads. A journey through the borders of an alternative Europe designed in 2020 by the British Andy Cox, an experienced bikepacker, as these enthusiasts who put panniers on their bikes and ride for miles are called.
Cox's idea was to create a route similar to the legendary Great Divide that starts in Jasper, Canada, and crosses the entire US to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. The European version does not strictly follow a continental divide, but as Cox emphasizes, "it crosses many economic and social, geographic and geological, historical and cultural divisions, with numerous languages and customs, laws and regulations, but all within the European Union." The route, the longest of its kind in the world, starts in Grense Jakobselv, a town on the shores of the Barents Sea and well above the Arctic Circle. After crossing parts of Norway, Finland, and Sweden, it moves on to Denmark through dirt roads embraced by endless forests and a festival of rivers and lakes. It continues through Germany, Switzerland, and France, with its mosaic of farmlands, forests, heaths, meadows, and mountains, before entering the Iberian Peninsula to cross Spain and reach Portugal.
It is in Spain where the itinerary reaches its highest point, with peaks exceeding 2,000 meters, and where many of the travelers who have covered these kilometers find the greatest diversity of landscapes... and the greatest challenge of the journey. We are talking about places like the Empty Mountains (Montes Universales, the Javalambre and Gúdar mountain ranges), also known as the Spanish Lapland for its extremely low population density. And yet, it was here where Andy Cox wrote in his diary that he "had to get off the bike due to the emotion the landscape caused him." Ernesto Pastor remembers this (@montanasvacias), a friend of the British and creator himself of a cycling route that crosses this area. "Some of the ideas for that European Divide Trail came up at my house over a coffee. I am super happy with it," says Pastor, for whom the official number of 47 people sounds too low. "It must be the people who have completed the entire route because it is rare for a week to go by without someone passing through this area pedaling the EDT."
One of those official finalists is the 28-year-old Dutchman Dion van Leperen (@dionvanieperen), who followed the itinerary in 2022 accompanied by Kesho, his dog. "For me, it is unthinkable to travel without her," he tells El MUNDO. Dion, who lives in Switzerland, discovered the existence of the EDT when he was looking online for an off-road route. He had done some EuroVelo routes before, but nothing like the European Divide. "I loved the solitude and wild camping in Sweden, but the most interesting landscape was 100% Spain, the greatest diversity of nature I have seen," summarizes the young man.
Cox recommends starting the European Divide in the north at the end of May, or from the south at the end of March. Dion cycled about 65 km daily. Joao Pedro Pereira (@jppereira90), on the other hand, averaged 110 km daily. This 34-year-old Portuguese explains that he "needed to disconnect from everything," so he decided to embark on the route last year. "Each section has its challenges," he points out. "Perhaps the most beautiful part for me was the Pyrenees."
Londoner Tom Morgan (@nowherecyclingclub), 29, hit the road on May 3. "Due to Brexit, I had to leave Europe by July 29." Just 82 days later, three days before that deadline, he was euphorically cycling along the Portuguese coast. "I had already done the GB Divide, across the UK. The next step is to cycle around the world!" For Tom, the toughest part was mental. "When I started in Norway, there was still a lot of snow, and that is tough when you know you have thousands of kilometers ahead of you to cover."
It took Leonie Schüssler (@move_with_the_clouds) almost four months to accomplish the feat, but this time in the opposite direction. "We left Portugal on May 1 and arrived in Grense Jakobselv on August 21," says this 43-year-old Swiss who made the journey in 2023 with her partner. "Spain was truly amazing. I really liked the Sierra de Segura and Sierra de Cazorla, as well as the Empty Mountains," she says. "But the Lüneburg Heath in Germany; the forests of the Vosges Massif in France; the north of Lapland and the Norwegian fjords are beautiful, as are the Danish beaches and Swedish lakes... Doing the entire EDT at once is an adventure worth undertaking." However, Leonie warns that the journey is not easy. "There are tough sections along the route, and although we knew it beforehand, we were surprised by how tough it actually was. You have to be aware of that and enjoy the challenge."