Four Rides, One Map: Memorial Day Cycling Tour Through Germany & France

A memorable cycling trip does not always fit neatly into a single GPX file. This custom map was created from four separate days of riding, combining the complete Memorial Day Tour into one framed A2 wooden cycling map.

The four routes travel through Germany and France, with Ramstein-Miesenbach, Metz, Piesport and Koblenz highlighted on the finished artwork. Together, the rides cover 395.6 km, with 955 m of elevation gain and a total riding time of 26 hours 28 minutes over May 22–25, 2026.

Rather than creating four separate maps, the customer wanted the complete journey brought together as one piece of artwork.

Four Cycling Routes, One Custom Map

One of the most distinctive features of this map is that it contains four separate cycling routes. Each GPX file was combined into the same geographical design, allowing the complete multi-day journey to be seen at once.

The customer chose to keep all four routes in the same Strava-inspired orange rather than use a different colour for each day. This gives the journey a continuous appearance while the individual stages remain visible in the route itself.

This approach can be used for cycling holidays, multi-day tours, bikepacking trips, cycling challenges or simply a collection of rides that belong together. Multiple GPX routes can be combined into a single map before any wood is cut.

One Elevation Profile for the Complete Tour

The elevation section brings the profiles from all four rides together into one continuous visual feature. Each stage retains its own elevation shape, but the four profiles are arranged as a single part of the overall design.

Layered Roads, Water and Engraved Details

Like my other custom cycling maps, this piece is built from several individually prepared layers. The road network creates the geographical structure of the map, while the cycling routes sit prominently above it. Rivers and lakes provide another layer of geographical reference.

Finer features that would be too delicate to cut separately are engraved directly into the wood. This allows additional detail to be included without distracting from the routes themselves.

Wooden Location Labels and Route Pins

Ramstein-Miesenbach, Metz, Piesport and Koblenz were important locations requested for the map, so each was marked with a small wooden place-name label.

Wooden pins were also added to identify the beginning and end of the journey. Each pin includes an engraved flag, creating a small but distinctive detail that makes the start and finish points immediately recognisable.

Ride Details Engraved Into the Map

The footer records the details that make this particular journey unique. For this map, the customer chose to include the four key locations together with the total distance, elevation gain, riding time and dates:

Distance: 395.6 km
Elevation gain: 955 m
Ride time: 26:28
Date: May 22–25, 2026

The wording and statistics on a custom map can be adapted to the ride. Distance and elevation can be shown in metric or imperial measurements, and personal messages, dates, locations and other meaningful details can also be incorporated into the design.

Why A2 Worked So Well for This Route

With four days of riding spread across a large geographical area, this was a route that benefited from space. The finished map was made at A2 size, giving the road network, water, route layers, location labels and elevation profiles room to remain clear while still showing the scale of the complete journey.

Smaller and larger maps are also possible, but the shape and geographical extent of each route are different. This is one reason I create a free digital mock-up before making a custom map. It allows us to see how the route works at the proposed size and make changes before production begins.

See This Map Being Assembled

I livestreamed part of the assembly of this map in my workshop. The video shows the individual wooden layers being carefully aligned and assembled, along with the drilling and positioning of the small wooden route pins.

Have Several Rides You Would Like to Combine?

A cycling map does not have to represent just one ride. If you have several GPX files from a cycling holiday, multi-day tour, bikepacking adventure or a series of rides with a special connection, I can combine them into a single custom design.

You do not need to know exactly how the finished map should look. Send me your GPX files, Strava or other activity links, or details of the rides, and I can create a free digital mock-up so you can see how they work together before deciding whether to order.