SLOW RIDES
GiantDetour is where ultraslow.cc began - long-distance bikepacking routes ridden at slower pace. These journeys across the UK, Europe, and Southern Europe are less about speed and more about immersion: slow miles, deliberate detours, and the kind of quiet discovery that only comes from taking the long way round.
As ultraslow.cc expands to include ultra-gravel racing, GiantDetour remains the home for the slower, wandering rides that shaped the project from the start. Below you’ll find each edition, with a short introduction leading to the full route pages.
GIANTDETOUR UK
The ‘maiden voyage’ of my long-distance cycling experience, leaving my hometown in the Netherlands to ride to the Scottish North Coast in the summer of 2018. I’m quickly enjoying outdoor life, exploring the stunning UK countryside, and chatting with random people. An exhilarating experience that now has turned into an annual adventure.
GIANTDETOUR NL
With the pandemic in full force, I cancelled my plans to ride to the South of Europe in 2020. Luckily local travel restrictions are temporarily lifted. The perfect moment to rediscover the ‘Southern Sea’ (Dutch: Zuiderzee) route. A short tour around the Netherlands’ largest freshwater lake and a welcome escape from the WFH experience.
GIANTDETOUR EU
Having to quickly change plans to ride to the South of Europe, as a result of extreme weather in the South of the Netherlands, western Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg in July 2021, I divert to Northern and Eastern Germany, and the Czech Republic, Shortly after arriving home I do a new attempt to get to the Pyrenees. GiantDetour EU covers both rides.
GIANTDETOUR SOUTH
Spain and Portugal had been on my radar for years - they seemed like perfect bikepacking destinations. My previous tour ended in the South of France, the Pyrenees still untouched. This new GiantDetour was my chance to finally push beyond that line and ride into the Iberian heat I’d been picturing for so long.
GIANTDETOUR CATALUNYA
Crossing Catalunya during my last GiantDetour to Portugal made me return to this part of the world ever since. From the quiet Pyrenean passes to rugged mountains and long stretches of champagne gravel, Catalunya packs an astonishing variety into every kilometer. Medieval villages, the Vies Verdes, the Pirinexus trail, and the raw beauty of Cap de Creus and the Costa Brava all blend into a landscape that keeps pulling you back.
GIANTDETOUR EL PIRI
Flew into Girona to prepare for El Piri 2025, but unpredictable weather pushed me elsewhere: into the forests around Anglès, Barcelona’s wild backland, up Montserrat, and along the sweeping Costa Brava. I had planned to ride toward Montañas Vacías, but severe floods around Valencia changed everything. Instead, I turned north, crossed into France after Portbou, and rode home through The Lot - wrapped in spectacular fall colours.
