Global study ranks world's most beautiful cycling routes

A new study by the adventure booking platform Explore has ranked the world’s most beautiful cycling routes using eye-tracking technology. The research analyzed 52 renowned routes by measuring how quickly and how long they captured the attention of 200 participants, resulting in a weighted “eye-catching” score out of 100.

Canada’s Bow Valley Parkway, located between Banff and Lake Louise, secured the top position with a score of 97. Australia’s Great Ocean Road followed in second place with 94 points. While the top two spots are outside of Europe, the continent dominates the broader list, with eight of the top 15 routes located in Europe.

High-ranking European destinations include Italy’s Tuscany Gravel Routes in third place (91 points) and Germany’s Elbe Cycle Route in fourth place (90 points). The study comes amid a significant rise in interest in cycling tourism, evidenced by a 292 percent increase in Google searches for “cycling holiday”.