For a more complete exploration of the ride’s route, take a look at this on-line map. You can download the route files for your wayfinding device here:
The 2026 ride will run from 2 to 8 August, 2026, with an optional UK leg on 1st August and the morning of the 2nd.
| Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
We will spend the night at the following locations
- Canterbury optional
- Dunkerque
- Brugge
- Gent
- Antwerp
- Waalwijk
- Utrecht
- Amsterdam
1-2 August
Most teams riding from London to Dover will do so on this weekend. The ride from London to Canterbury is an occasionally-hilly 120km (75 miles). The ride from Canterbury to Dover is a pleasant 50km (30 miles), with a long slow climb up the cliffs of Dover via the Syklark Trail, and a rapid descent past Dover Castle at the end.
People skipping the UK segment should take their bikes by train to Dover around midday on the 2nd, and everyone should aim to hit passport control around 1pm for the 2pm ferry.
On the far side, everyone will ride the 20km (12 miles) to Dunkerque in a large group. Anyone meeting us in Dunkerque on the evening of the 2nd or early morning of the 3rd should aim to meet us at this hostel.
Monday, 3 August
Our first full day of cycling on the continent will take us from Dunkerque to Brugge mainly on wide canal routes, with a lunch stop in Nieuwpoort. Keep your eyes peeled for the border between France and Belgium: if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you could miss it entirely!
Tuesday, 4 August
We spend the morning riding the 46km of canalside route to Gent, drop off our bags, and cycle into town for lunch. Since the ride began, Gent has implemented a traffic circulation plan similar to London’s Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs). This makes it an extremely pleasant city to ride in, although it’s best to leave the tram tracks to the locals!
Wednesday, 5 August
This day takes us to Antwerp, with a lunch stop in Sint Niklaas. We’ll spend time looking at the graffiti art, and ride past the bus stop with the euphonious name of “Haasdonk Dorp”. After a quick cycle tunnel crossing, we’re in the city centre!
We’ll have to pack our bikes in the cellar at the Antwerp hostel, so dinner will be at an Ethiopian restaurant a moderate walk from our lodgings.
Thursday, 6 August
Today we finally enter the Netherlands! And then go back to Belgium. And then the Netherlands again, and Belgium, and Netherlands, and Be… Yes, lunch today is in the cartographical confusion known as Baarle Nassau/Baarle Hertog. Look for the crosses on the roadway to indicate where the scattered international border lies, and perhaps have a meal with your drink in one country and your plate in another before riding the swing that takes you back and forth over the border.
We’ll ride up a converted railway track and through Tilburg to our hotel and dinner spot in Waalwijk.
Friday, 7 August
The journey to Utrecht will take at least two ferries to cross the local waterways, and pass through the celebrated suburb of Houten. Our hostel is in a park outside of town, so be ready to cycle in to Utrecht proper for dinner.
Saturday, 8 August
After a lunch stop in Breukelen, we finally reach Amsterdam! We’ll drop our bags off at the hostel, and shower and change for dinner before heading in the final 8km to Museumplein for the photo in front of the Rijksmuseum.
Sunday, 9 August
We will all have a night at the hostel in southeast Amsterdam, and return to the UK on our own schedules. Most riders will head to Hoek van Holland by train or bike, and ride the overnight ferry from there to Harwich.
Map
The following is simply an inline view of this on-line map. Each segment gets its own coloured line, including routes for dinner excursions in various cities.