The Vennbahn is a near completely flat converted railway cycleway and one of the longest car-free bike paths in Europe. The ride mostly consists of easy grades and was made for the trains that used to bring iron ore to the industrial center of the Rhineland. This second stage starts on the German border and heads now through the German-speaking pocket of Belgium towards Luxemburg. Just like stage 1, this ride is nearly all on almost flat converted railway tracks with just a few very short hills encountered.History - The Vennbahn is actually one of the world's strangest borders. This now disused railway has been converted into one of the most well-known cycling paths and was completely in Germany prior to World War One. After the war, Belgium gained land from Germany and thus became the owners of the railway. After World War Two, Belgium retained ownership of the land related to the railway even though some of the territory that the railway passed through was now back in Germany. So the path is actually in Belgium even though the trees and fields to both sides are often in Germany! If you zoom into most maps of Europe, you will see this odd border thats often just a few meters wide.