It's not just the shepherd who looks puzzled. His goats also look astonished at the strangely dressed-up creatures shouting the Greek greeting "Kalimera" at them: Colourful clothing, sunglasses and helmets, and travelling on things that only remotely resemble the good old bicycle - you don't see that every day in the Peloponnese. Even the dogs forget to bark. The fact that someone is travelling through the rugged mountains of the Greek peninsula on a racing bike without need only causes the shepherd to shake his head. His everyday life follows the rhythm of the seasons and consists of activities that have hardly changed for centuries. Leisure is a foreign concept to him, as are holidays and cycling.
Hardly any locals ride road bikes. So you will look in vain for the slipstream of a professional cyclist from this region, find no legendary mountain passes where climbing kings have been crowned and see no fan graffiti on the tarmac. Yet racing cyclists will find paradisiacal conditions in the Peloponnese: Mediterranean climate, varied landscapes, proximity to the sea, friendly people and a well-developed, almost car-free road network. At least outside the summer months. Although maps show sandy paths and tracks in many areas, most of them are now tarmac. If you're not sure, all you have to do is ask at the nearest kafenion, as a café is called in Greek, or at a petrol station: "dromos" is the word for road, and everyone understands "asphalt".
You can find these routes in the PDF download:
Route 1: Theatre visit
(135/148 kilometres, 2,200 metres in altitude, maximum 14 percent)
Nafplion - Drepano - Iria - Karnezeika - Trachia - Palea Epidaurus
(Theatre variant: Theatre of Epidaurus - Ligourio - Aghia Andreas) Nea Epidavros - Dimena - Angelokastro - Arachneo - Aghia Triada - Laloukas - Tyrins - Nafplion
Route 2: Off to the monastery
(116 kilometres, 1,600 metres in altitude, maximum eight percent)
Nafplion - Mili - Achladokambos - Agiorgitika - Partheni - Prosilia Kato Doliana - Loukous Monastery - Astros - Paralio Astros - Kiveri - Mili- Nafplion
Route 3: Glory of Byzantium
(160 kilometres, 2,400 vertical metres, maximum gradient 14 percent)
Gythion - Petrina - Arna - Vasiliki - Gorani - Dafni - Xirokambi - Kalivia Sochas - Aghia Ioannis - Mistras -Sparta - Skoura - Goritsa - Geraki - Mirtia - Skala - Gythion
Route 4: Remote Mani Peninsula
(135/151 kilometres, 2,000/2,650 metres in altitude, maximum gradient 19 percent)
Gythion - Platanos - Konaki - Karvelas - Skoutari - Kotronas - Lagia - Alika (detour to Cap Tenaro and back) - Gerolimenas - Mina - Pirgis Dirou - Areopolis - Gythion
Downloads:
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