7,800 kilometers on a bike across Europe

Former racing cyclist Markus Weinberg wants to whet the appetite for a very personal discovery of Europe by bike with a "European Connection Trail". On August 11, he will set off on a gravel bike from the small village of Grense Jakobselv on the Norwegian-Russian border. At the end of September, he wants to cross the finish line at Cabo de São Vicente in Portugal. He has to cover an average of 165 kilometers. "I'm not aiming for a record. I want to motivate people to travel Europe themselves," Weinberg told the German press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

Stage goal European Parliament

Weinberg, who now earns his living as a journalist and documentary filmmaker, invited sports enthusiasts to accompany him on a ten, 50 or even 100-kilometre day trip. He has two "milestones" firmly in his sights. After an invitation to the European Parliament, he also wants to make a stop in Strasbourg.

Another stop is planned at the European Mountain Bike Congress in Boltaña, Spain, in mid-September. "I just happen to be cycling past there," he said. In total, he wants to be on the slopes in 14 countries, including Germany. Weinberg has more than 80,000 meters of altitude ahead of him.

The Dresden native made a name for himself with the Netflix production "Jonas Deichmann - Das Limit bin nur ich". He accompanied the extreme athlete on his triathlon around the world. His current tour is not just about a sporting challenge. Weinberg says he wants to "experience a positive history of Europe": "To experience what makes this continent what it is, with all its historical achievements, visions and ideas."

Tour leaves tourist hotspots behind

There is no better way to experience this than on a bike, said the documentary filmmaker. "The route leads away from tourist hotspots through an incredible amount of nature, rural areas and magnificent mountains." He will mostly be sleeping in a tent and will be self-catering.

The idea for the tour came to him three years ago when he rode a gravel bike and tent through the remote nature of Canada and across the USA to Mexico. In 2019, British cyclist Andy Cox coined a "European Divide Trail" through nine countries.

"For me, however, the term 'Divide' was always an unfortunate choice, because when it comes to Europe, the focus should always be on what unites us, not what divides us," Weinberg recently said in an interview for the Saxon image campaign "So geht sächsisch". That's why he quickly replaced "Divide" with "Connection" and added five countries to the route.

Now, he hopes to experience a lot of connecting factors and collect hopeful stories from Europeans on the tour. "I want to get a direct, authentic feeling for what makes Europe and its inhabitants tick, what plagues them and what makes them dream."