European Connection Trail: Done! Markus Weinberg has reached his destination after 49 days

Update: 31.01.2026: The video teaser is here!

Update: 28 September, stage 47: Finish reached - Cabo de Sao Vicente

After 49 days, including 47 days in the saddle, Markus Weinberg reached the Cabo de Sao Vicente lighthouse, the westernmost point in Europe, yesterday, Sunday. It took him exactly 7 weeks to cover a total of almost 7,000 kilometres and around 80,000 metres in altitude. "It's crazy: the weather here on the Atlantic feels exactly the same as when I started on the Barents Sea 49 days ago!"

In fact, the last 200 kilometres were quite a challenge, as an ex-hurricane over the Atlantic caused a stormy headwind from the north-west. But now it's done. Of course, we celebrated the day with a "last bratwurst before America" at Cabo de Sao Vincente. Afterwards, Markus assured us that he would definitely not be cycling for the next few days. In the coming weeks and months, he will be sitting at his desk a lot. The filmmaker from Saxony is planning a film and a book about the tour. His main concern is to bring the basic idea of the European Union back to the fore and that is still: peace through connection!

Current information on Markus Weinberg's projects for the European Connection Trail can be found at european-connection-trail.com

Update 26 September, stage 45: Seville in sight

Markus Weinberg took two days to recover from his coronavirus infection in Cordoba and has been back in the saddle since this morning. Not really fit yet, as he reports in an initial clip on social media. But so close to the finish line, he now wants to arrive after almost seven weeks. Albeit at a slower pace. In order not to put any further strain on his ailing health, he wants to take it easy for the last 500 kilometres and ride at a maximum heart rate of 120.

But the man from Dresden has used his rest days in bed to summarise the longest bike trip of his life:

My biggest surprise

In my many People of Europe interviews, I was surprised at how little the war or the single currency is discussed - instead, Europe is mainly perceived for its freedom to travel and freedom to choose where to work.

That was easier for me than I thought

After months of not cycling much, I was amazed at how quickly I got back into shape and was able to manage the long distances well.

I had problems here

Getting up early - because I always wanted to make the most of the days, no matter how many kilometres I had to ride. In the end, I usually arrived in the dark.

The most exciting encounter

Many! It was often the people I was able to spend the night with, who spontaneously invited me - those were the moments when you really got into dialogue.

What worries me

This was put in a nutshell by a triathlon couple in the first People of Europe interview on the Russian-Norwegian border: that Europe and its advantages are so little recognised and therefore too little appreciated. I would like to help us put the idea and vision of Europe back in the foreground rather than the bureaucratic elements.

What I am grateful for

The fact that I was able to inspire people along the way, one highlight was certainly the invitation to the European Parliament with an extra press conference - that was something very special.

My conclusion: What I am taking away from my trip

How special travelling by bike is: the immediacy of the landscape and movement - and also the encounters that take place so much more easily. How diverse our continent is, but still has so much in common. And that you meet helpful people everywhere you go.

Markus has already published further exciting findings in his blog written down. If you would like to accompany him virtually on his last few kilometres across the Portuguese border to Europe's most westerly point on the Atlantic coast, you can do so here. Click here for the live tracker

Update 24 September, Stage 44, Spain / Cordoba

This is really bad luck: after 44 stages, 7250 kilometres, 13 countries and all the climate zones that Europe has to offer, Markus Weinberg is now being slowed down by the coronavirus in hot summery Spain of all places. After all, a strong tailwind swept him 160 kilometres to the provincial capital of Cordoba yesterday. He can now recover in a proper bed and doesn't have to sweat in a dusty tent somewhere like he did the night before.

Tomorrow, on Thursday, he hopes that he might have enough strength for another stage at half speed. Because this much is clear: 550 kilometres before the finish in Cabo de São Vicente, there will of course be no giving up. However, the rider from Dresden has made much faster progress than expected in the vastness of the Spanish desert. Reaching the Portuguese finish line already seemed possible on Saturday. But now it will probably be Sunday before he reaches the Atlantic. In any case, we are keeping our fingers crossed for Markus that the virus will soon leave him again. Get well soon!

Update 19 September, stage 39, Spain

Straight gravel paths, vast landscapes and no sign of civilisation anywhere - in principle, everything in the Spanish low mountain range reminds Markus of the vast wilderness of the Scandinavian countries at the start of his European Connection Route. Only now with completely new odours and sweltering summer temperatures. The 41-year-old from Dresden has rarely been seen sweating. But now you can tell that the short but tough climbs in the heated Spanish low mountain ranges are increasingly sapping his reserves.

The bumpy roads also take their toll, as does the dust, which needs to be rinsed out of your throat again and again. However, as in Scandinavia, it becomes much more difficult to find food here too. We now have to economise on water. Despite the temperatures of up to 37 degrees that are currently shimmering over the Spanish mainland.

Markus Weinberg is actually looking forward to the moment of arrival. The last seven stages have begun. On Sunday 28 September, the filmmaker wants to arrive at his self-imposed destination in Cabo de Sao Vicente, Portugal. And so far he has always kept to his schedule.

Update 17 September, stage 38, Andorra / Spain

The film-maker from Dresden is starting to get a bit scary: he has now been in the saddle for 38 days. Since his start in the Norwegian coastal town of Grense Jakobselv on 11 August, he has crossed the Arctic Circle, braved lashing rain in the Rhine Valley, pushed his legs up and down Swiss mountain passes, breathed away the heat in the Rhône Valley and, on reaching Andorra yesterday, climbed the main ridge of the Pyrenees. Now Markus has also left the Spanish border behind him and is cycling through EU country no. 13 on his list.

Update 10 September, stage 31, Switzerland

There was even a storm warning, but the appointment was too important: when Markus Weinberg peeled himself out of his AirBnB early in the morning last Tuesday to get to his appointment in Strasbourg, it was pouring with rain. But it didn't help - and he actually arrived at the European Parliament halfway on time. He writes about it himself in his blog:

Initial conclusion presented in parliament:

Most people recognise Europe for its open borders (Schengen) and the freedom to choose where to work in the EU. If we lose this, or restrict it, Europe loses more than just trust, its perceived substance.

Another vision of my tour: to remind people of the idea of Europe: creating peace by connecting and networking. A beautiful idea that should be preserved.

I also had the opportunity to discuss this in depth with the EU's Secretary General for Communication, Christian Mangold. He has also been responsible for the public perception of the EU for the past year. Very exciting.

Thank you for listening and taking a genuine interest in what a travelling journalist and filmmaker has captured on the road.

There is a lot to do in Europe... but it's worth it (my conclusion).

After this short but intensive appointment in "Europe's capital", the next 130 kilometres along the Rhine and across the Swiss border to Basel were as easy as a feather. Surprisingly, Markus didn't notice any border crossings here either. No barrier, no border police who wanted to see an ID, even though Switzerland is not part of the EU and is known for its border controls.

"There are no border controls on the Swiss cycle paths," Markus learnt when he met his host Daniel Häni in Basel in the evening.

Last night, Markus pitched his tent with a view of Lake Geneva and should already be cycling on Italian soil (Aosta Valley) after the Great and Little St Bernard. But now on much more winding roads, on which a large part of the total estimated 86,000 metres in altitude will be accumulated.

Update 8 September, stage 29, Germany / France

4 countries on a 130-kilometre route: Markus Weinberg crossed various European borders at the weekend without noticing much, because thanks to the Schengen Agreement, the barriers no longer exist. Instead, the Dresden native discovers plenty of memorial plaques and monuments along the borders between Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. They are a reminder that things were not always so peaceful here. "Peace through connection" is the idea that was agreed here back in 1985 and signed in the small border town of Schengen (Luxembourg). The "Schengen Agreement" now makes it possible to travel to all EU countries without border controls.

"The freedom to travel is one of the things that almost all of my interview partners appreciate most about Europe," says Markus Weinberg in one of his almost daily posted video clips.

Update 4 September, stage 25, Germany / Netherlands

Oops! Markus Weinberg unsuspectingly pedals along a dead straight German dyke path alongside a small river and suddenly realises: "Oh, I'm already in Holland! There must have been a border line somewhere that he crossed unnoticed. The man from Dresden has now reached EU country number 6 of a total of 14. A quick visit to the Hennie Kuiper Museum, an iced coffee - the only thing that proved surprisingly difficult was spending the night in the "land of cyclists" (36 per cent of the Dutch are cyclists, with a developed cycle path network of 4,500 kilometres). The hostel in Enschede didn't want to provide a parking space for Markus' bike. So a campsite had to be found in the evening hours and the tent had to be pitched quickly before the approaching thunderstorm could pour over it.

>> Limburg: Holland's best trail area

Yesterday's route took Markus back to Dinslaken in Germany. Here today he is making a run for country number 7: Belgium, closely followed by country number 8: Luxembourg, before setting his sights on Strasbourg in France along the Rhine. There he wants to ride past the European Parliament on 9 September.

Update 2 September, stage 23, Germany

After a few relaxed stages through Denmark in order to keep the meet & greet date in Hamburg on 1 September, Markus Weinberg now has to really step on the gas if he wants to roll into "Europe's capital" Strasbourg on 9 September, as originally planned. There are not only around 1000 kilometres in between, but also the three Benelux countries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. There will be a lot to see and plenty of interview partners. The search for a suitable (and permitted) campsite in what is now a much more densely populated area is also becoming increasingly difficult.

The rough schedule: Where is Markus Weinberg right now?

Markus Weinberg has now extended his route to include a few extra detours and 5 countries, so he now wants to cover a total distance of 7800 kilometres in seven weeks to experience all the founding states of the EU:

1. Norway: started on 11 August in Grense Jakobselv on the Barents Sea coast
2. Finland: already travelled through
3. Sweden: Arctic Circle crossed on 17 August
4. Denmark: Crossing in 3 days (370 kilometres)
5. Germany: Day 21, approx. KM 3000, Flensburg reached, Meet & Greet in Hamburg/Globetrotter
6. Netherlands: 3 and 7 September, stage 27
7. Belgium: 7 September, stage 27
8. Luxembourg: 7 September, stage 27 (after 4 weeks almost 4000 km)
9. France: planned arrival in Strasbourg 9 September at the European Parliament
10. Switzerland: 9-11 September, stage 32
11. Italy: Valle d'Aosta, 11 September, stage 32
12. Andorra: 16 September, stage 37
13. Spain: on 17 September, stage 38, presentation at the IMBA conference in Boltana
14. Portugal: Arrival in Cabo de São Vicente as planned on 28 September

Update 29 August, stage 19, Denmark

Cosy shelters along the cycle routes, bags of free plums to take away from the farmer - Denmark is currently stealing Markus Weinberg's heart. However, the cut after two weeks of impressive wilderness in Norway, Finland and Sweden was tough, says the man from Dresden, after he took the ferry to the Danish mainland and thus to Central Europe. He first had to get used to city traffic and the stress of everyday life.

But then the surprise: Denmark's cycle routes once again lead away from the traffic through lots of greenery. And along these often straight routes, there are wooden shelters at regular intervals where bikepackers can spend the night in comfort and sheltered from the weather.

That saves a lot of time, of course. Markus could do a good stretch here, but he has a fixed appointment at the Globetrotter store in Hamburg for next Monday (1 September). For this reason, he is currently sticking to a maximum daily mileage of 100 kilometres, although he would actually have to cover almost 159 kilometres a day if he wants to reach the Portuguese coast within the planned seven weeks.

But he is taking it easy and using the more relaxed time for his mission: to collect "positive stories from Europe". If you would like to see Markus Weinberg live at the Meet & Greet in Hamburg and/or accompany him on his subsequent journey to Bremen: Monday, 1 September, 16:30 at Globetrotter in Hamburg.

Update 25 August, stage 15

Markus Weinberg has reached the south of Sweden. In other words, he covered 2200 kilometres in 14 days. Despite changeable weather, very fresh nights and slight cold symptoms. This corresponds to an average progress of 157 kilometres per day. This is well within his self-imposed time frame, because if he wants to reach the Portuguese coast after seven weeks, he has to cover an average of 159 kilometres every day.

And he does this alongside his actual mission, which of course continues. In the meantime, he has met a Romanian woman who moved to Sweden for love and has now been living 100 kilometres away from the nearest train station and hospital for four years. The encounters with a heavily armed bear hunter and a Dutch couple who have torn down all their tents at home and now want to cycle around the world for as long as their money lasts were also interesting.

And so it goes on for the next few days

As soon as Markus reaches the city of Gothenburg, he will take the ferry to Frederikshavn. A welcome 3.5 hours of recovery time before continuing through the Danish kingdom and thus the fourth EU founding state along the route. It is then just under 370 kilometres (i.e. 2.5 days) from Denmark's north-east coast to the German border near Flensburg.

And then another 170 kilometres to Hamburg, where Weinberg has announced that he will be visiting a Globetrotter branch on Monday next week (1 September, 4pm) to give a talk about his first leg of the tour (Globetrotter, Wiesendamm 1, Hamburg).

>> Did you know? Gothenburg is one of the 10 best trail metropolises in Europe

Unfortunately, the weather will only partially co-operate until then. Ex-hurricane Erin has crossed the Atlantic and will hit Europe's west coast in the middle of this week. For Denmark's lowlands, this means mild temperatures, but also some rain and unrelenting gusts of wind from the south-east.

Markus Weinberg on his European Connection Trail - the start

From Norway's north-easternmost border point with Russia to the Portuguese Atlantic coast: in between lie a total of 14 countries, 7800 kilometres and a rough estimate of 86,000 metres in altitude. It's a tough challenge that Dresden filmmaker and former professional cyclist Markus Weinberg has set himself for the next seven weeks. And he has already pushed himself to the limit: since 11 August, Weinberg has been pedalling from the small coastal town of Grense Jakobselv along the lonely roads of the Northern Lights region towards the southwest. Once across the home continent.

A tour that is not just about "arriving". For this reason, he did not call his week-long bikepacking ride the "European Divide", as is customary among gravel bikers, but rather the "European Connection Trail". On the longest tour of his life, Weinberg wants to find out what moves Europe, what divides it, but above all what connects it.

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He wants to capture hopeful stories along the way: "I am driven by the vision that Europe needs positive, conciliatory stories." The traction of his bike and sleeping behind a thin tarpaulin should help him achieve this. "I want to get a direct, authentic feeling for what makes Europe and its inhabitants tick, what troubles them and what makes them dream."

>> The journey is the reward: Interview with Africa trainee Wiebke Lühmann

The role model: America's Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

Based on the American model of the "Great Divide Mountain Bike Route", which runs along the watershed for 3,000 kilometres through the North American continent, British gravel biker Andy Cox has also had a European counterpart since 2019. However, this route only runs through 9 countries so far.

The man from Dresden has now cycled over 1000 kilometres through Scandinavia. This puts him well on schedule, although things didn't go quite smoothly on the first few stages, as he writes in his blog. There were still some adjustments to be made to the bike and equipment and he had also imagined it would be easier to get food.

But on 17 August, Markus crossed the Arctic Circle in Sweden and was able to celebrate his first 1000 kilometres. From now on, he should also encounter civilisation more frequently and therefore more regular food supplies. This will make his progress much easier in the future.

But his other mission, to meet Europeans and ask them about their life stories, is already in full swing. Here is an extract from his blog:

There was already Theo from Kirkenes (Norway) with his sports shop at the end of the world or Fabian, who rode a bikepacking race to the North Cape. Li Nolin, who runs a small shop in the middle of the forest. Kari, who runs the only petrol station with a small restaurant 150 kilometres north of Finland with his wife. Or Jenny from the Sami people, who leads a very modern life on the one hand and preserves traditions and keeps reindeer on the other. Thomas, the bikepacker from southern Germany, who is travelling to the North Cape and teaches politics. But also Mina, who is exploring her own country by bike in the north of Finland.

If you would like to follow Markus Weinberg live on his journey, you can do so here:

• Instagram: Pictures, impressions and interviews in the "People of Europe" series
• Komoot: Route and live tracking
• Homepage: Blog, pictures and intentions on european-connection-trail.com

About Markus Weinberg

Markus Weinberg is known for his successful films such as "Die Mission der Lifeline", the Netflix film "Jonas Deichmann - Das Limit bin nur ich" and the TV series "Wie klingt Heimat".