600km Brevet Cycling Marathon in Northern Greece | Pieria, Endurance & Memory

Six hundred kilometres on a bicycle is more than a long ride.

In April 2024, the first 600km Brevet Cycling Marathon in Northern Greece brought together cyclists for a demanding journey through Thessaloniki, Pieria, Larissa, Imathia, Pella and Kilkis.

The route passed through towns, villages, countryside and coastal landscapes, with Agios Dimitrios in Pieria becoming one of the control points along the way.

But this brevet was about more than distance. Its connection with Armenian history and memory gave the ride another layer — turning a long-distance cycling challenge into an event of endurance, remembrance and shared experience.

What Is a 600km Brevet?

A brevet is a long-distance cycling event built around endurance, route completion and self-supported riding rather than conventional racing.

The 600km distance places serious demands on cyclists, requiring preparation, pacing and the ability to continue through changing terrain, weather and fatigue.

For the 2024 event, the ride followed the framework of Audax Randonneurs Greece and the international rules of Brevet Randonneurs Mondiaux and Audax Club Parisien.

The event was organised by the Armenian Union of Athletes of Thessaloniki.

From Thessaloniki Across Northern Greece

The route began in Thessaloniki on Saturday, 20 April 2024, at the Armenian Monument “Hatscar” on Tsimiski Street.

From there, cyclists headed south and east through a route connecting different landscapes and communities across Northern Greece.

The journey included parts of Thessaloniki, Pieria, Larissa, Imathia, Pella and Kilkis, making the brevet as much a geographical journey as a physical one.

The landscape changed continuously: urban roads gave way to agricultural areas, villages, coastal sections and inland countryside.

Cycling Through Pieria

For Experience Pieria, the passage through Pieria was particularly interesting.

The route connected several different parts of the region, including Aiginio, Makrygialos, Katerini and Agios Dimitrios.

In a single ride, cyclists could encounter the agricultural landscape of northern Pieria, the coastline of the Thermaic Gulf, the wider Katerini area and the foothills of Mount Olympus.

This is one of the pleasures of travelling through Pieria by bicycle: the landscape changes gradually, allowing you to experience the region at a human pace.

Agios Dimitrios: A Control Point in Pieria

Agios Dimitrios was one of the control points along the route through Pieria.

For a cyclist undertaking a 600km brevet, a control point is more than a location on a map. It becomes a moment to stop, refuel, recover and continue.

Our coverage from Agios Dimitrios captured part of this quieter side of long-distance cycling — the people supporting the riders and the short pauses between long sections of the route.

More Than Distance: Memory & Armenian Heritage

The 2024 brevet also carried a message of remembrance.

Its motto, “100+9 Orthopedals of Memory — I DON’T FORGET,” connected the event with the memory of the Armenian Genocide and the endurance of its victims.

Beginning at the Armenian Monument in Thessaloniki gave that message a physical starting point. The cyclists then carried the idea of memory with them across hundreds of kilometres.

In this context, cycling became more than a sporting activity. It provided a way to connect movement, place and remembrance.

The People Behind a 600km Ride

Long-distance cycling events depend on more than the cyclists themselves.

Organisers, control-point volunteers and local supporters along the route all contribute to making a brevet possible.

Our stop in Agios Dimitrios offered a glimpse of this side of the event — the people waiting for riders, helping them continue and becoming part of a much longer journey.

That human element is easy to overlook when looking only at the numbers: 600 kilometres, six prefectures and 57 participants.

But every kilometre is experienced by people.

A Journey Through Six Prefectures

The route offered a remarkably broad view of Northern Greece.

• Thessaloniki: The urban starting point and the location of the Armenian Monument.
• Pieria: Aiginio, Makrygialos, Katerini and Agios Dimitrios, connecting the coast and inland landscapes.
• Larissa: Roads through Elassona, Larissa, Agiokampos and Stomio.
• Imathia: The historic landscapes around Vergina, Veria and Naoussa.
• Pella: The countryside around Skydra and Giannitsa.
• Kilkis: Roads through Goumenissa, Polykastro, Kilkis and Mandres.

Rather than experiencing these places as separate destinations, the brevet connected them into one continuous journey.

The Finish in Thessaloniki

After completing the long circuit, the cyclists returned to Thessaloniki.

The original event programme connected the finish with the celebrations surrounding the arrival of the Olympic Flame for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and events at Nea Paralia.

This gave the end of the ride an additional symbolic dimension: a long journey arriving back in the city from which it had begun.

Cycling as a Way to Discover Northern Greece

A 600km brevet is clearly not an ordinary cycling excursion. It demands serious preparation and is intended for experienced long-distance cyclists.

But the route also demonstrates something that applies to cycling at every level: distance changes the way you see a place.

On a bicycle, villages become more visible, landscapes unfold gradually and the relationship between different parts of a region becomes easier to understand.

You do not simply arrive somewhere. You experience the road that connects it to somewhere else.

Our Experience in Pieria

We encountered the 600km brevet in Agios Dimitrios, Pieria, documenting a small part of a journey that stretched across Northern Greece.

For us, the most interesting part was not simply the scale of the challenge.

It was seeing how a long-distance cycling event could connect sport, landscape, local communities and memory across hundreds of kilometres.

And for Pieria, it offered another reminder that the region can be explored in many different ways — including on two wheels.

Continue Exploring Pieria

The bicycle is only one way to discover the region.

From the coastline and Katerini to Mount Olympus, traditional villages, archaeological sites and mountain roads, Pieria offers landscapes that can be explored at very different speeds.

Explore Pieria at your own pace:

Explore Pieria