On Sunday June 2, 2019, the Alsace wine route will be closed to all car traffic and available only to bikes and pedestrians. It will be the 7th edition of the SLOW UP ALSACE.

The circuit is between Dambach-la-Ville, Sélestat, Châtenois and Bergheim, on the Wine Road and the Bike Road of this wine-growing area. It can be done on foot, by bicycle or on roller-blades, respecting all traffic directions. At the foot of the Haut-Koenigsbourg, a circuit of 31 km (with various loops of 8, 11, 19 and 20 km) will be closed off to all motor traffic.

• A day of being totally outdoors from 10am to 6pm. Free access with no registration necessary.
• “White dress code”, come all dressed in white in honour of the Alsace white wines
• All along the road: Events, wine-tasting, snacks, musical entertainment and fun activities for children

My first experience with the Slow-up

I had to wait for the 4th edition of the Slow Up Alsace, June 5, 2016, to move to the act of participation. I imagined until then that it was necessary to be a bike champion, a follower of the half-marathon or trail in mountain to have fun on such an event. In the perspective of photos to be made for the blog, I saw myself already on the lookout, lurking in a ditch along the way, like a wildlife photographer watching for a fauna of strange birds flying at full speed in front of the lens!

A few days later, I laugh at myself. I was wrong. Wrong all the way.

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I have rarely had such a beautiful day of fun. Not only because the weather finally gave me a beautiful light. Not just because my power-assisted bike with its trailer for photo equipment (all rented on site at the departure village in Bergheim) was a powerful beast that finally made my efforts perfectly bearable.

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Not only because the route through the vineyards on a mountain background is superb and you never tire of it. Not just because this road of wines that I take every day by car becomes a lot different without any car.

But perhaps especially thanks to the communicative joy of these thousands of happy lurons (40 000 participants in 2018) released through the Alsatian countryside, by bike, on foot, tricycle or trotinette … Grannies and children as high as three apples, balancing on a wheel, crazy teens on their squateboards or with rollerblades … All thrown in the same direction, towards the happiness of a beautiful day spent together. You will read this shared happiness on the faces and photos. All radiant.

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I finally understood that SlowUp means slow down / pleasure up, that is to say decrease the pace and increase the pleasure.

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Important Guidelines

• Free access with no registration necessary.
• “White dress code”, come all dressed in white in honour of the Alsace white wines
• All along the road: Events, wine-tasting, snacks, musical entertainment and fun activities for children
• Bikes: drive right, overtake left, wear the recommended helmet.
• Pedestrians: take the path marked in the vineyards to walk in peace along the cycle route.
• Access prohibited to all motorized traffic as well as Segway and riders.
• One way: no U-turn possible but 4 arrow loops (shortcuts).
• Timetable: 10am to 6pm (roads are closed to car traffic from 9am to 7pm).
• Lost children: Write your cell phone number on your child’s arm. The lost children will be accompanied to the next Info-Secours station (in each Festive Place and Welcome Village, marked by the slowUp flag).
• Health: Do not forget to drink water and put on a hat and sunscreen.

The slowUp is a free event thanks to the commitment of all the sponsors and the 9 cities along the route: Bergheim, Châtenois, Kintzheim, Orschwiller, Rodern, Rorschwihr, Saint-Hippolyte, Scherwiller and Sélestat.

Download the map of the loops / itinerary.