About the bikepacking tour in the Taunus
The cycling collective The Women All Ride has organised the Taunus Teaser Edition of Komoot's Women's Weekender series together with Komoot. You can get an impression of the event and the route here.
Who is travelling? 8 Portraits
Cycling is colourful, as the group of 28 female bikepackers in the Taunus once again successfully proved. Women from 20 to 52 years old took part, with MTBs, gravel bikes or other bikes, with tents, hammocks or bivouac sacks, with or without bikepacking experience. At the end of the bikepacking tour in the Taunus, all participants were much richer: experiences, exchanges and unforgettable shared moments.
Anja - Help, which bike?
Anja started running at the age of 12/13 and took part in her first triathlon in 2009. "Since my first Ironman (2019) in Frankfurt, I've been on a bit of a downhill slide in terms of sport. Now I'm looking for something new," she explains her current feelings. Her offspring, who came into the life of the 34-year-old and her wife 1.5 years ago, also contributes to this. Ambitious sporting cycling alongside a full-time job and a child is not easy. "We are both sporty and got to know each other through sport. We now have to take turns cycling because it's not so easy with a trailer. It's easier when running," says Anja. It's the only way to make it work - making arrangements and shifting down a gear from time to time.
In preparation for the bikepacking tour in the Taunus, I rode shorter distances on my MTB two or three times to decide whether to ride a heavy MTB or a road bike with a much too hard gear ratio.
After the tour, Anja concluded that the MTB was actually the only possible choice. Anything else would have made no sense.
Lea - the bikepacking tour through the Taunus will be a holiday from my cycle tour
Lea is brand new to bikepacking and at the same time an experienced bike traveller. She wanted to go on a big trip with her five-year-old son. She bought a second-hand bike to find out whether it was actually suitable for her. "We've now been travelling for a year with the bike and a follow-me tandem plus whoom bike. Cycling gives me a lot of strength and many opportunities, especially as a single mum. Cycling has opened so many doors for me." - as Lea reports, you can see her face beaming with joy. She realised that there is a community that gives her additional courage and joy. "Strictly speaking, we are still travelling, but I am now taking a holiday and want to do something for myself," explains Lea when asked why she is now out and about in the Taunus with Komoot and The Women All Ride.
We spoke to each other for the first time two weeks before the event, at which point we had already decided what would go in the bikepacking bags on the gravel bike, but the bags themselves didn't exist yet.
I knew exactly what I was going to pack, but the bags were still missing. I found suitable bags at short notice via a second-hand portal. I also bought my bike second-hand and still had to customise it.
At the finish, at the campsite The Eppstein ProjectLea raves about the strength that the group gave her. "Cycling has opened a new door for me. Exercise combined with a social event like this will stay with me for a long time."
And soon Lea and her son will be travelling again: Iran and Oman are up next.
Hanne - bikepacking for the first time
Hanne lives in Munich and the Women's Bikepacking Weekender Taunus Teaser Edition was her first bikepacking tour. However, she had already undertaken several multi-day tours before - with other bags and a touring bike. She was able to borrow the Tailfin pannier rack plus bag, so her luggage was safely stowed away.
At home, Hanne usually rides alone, but at weekends she also tours the area with her husband. She hasn't enjoyed group rides so far: "You quickly fall behind and it often felt like a competition rather than a group ride," she says, describing situations she has experienced.
The evening before the start, she was still unsure which sleeping bag to choose. She had two in her luggage for different temperature ranges. The night before the bikepacking adventure started, she tried them out and made her decision.
Hanna is delighted with her borrowed Tailfin pannier rack and bag. Nothing wobbles and it's easy to pack.
My most important preparation was the post-Covid check, because I only had corona at the beginning of July.
Anne - I now love cycling with a rucksack and hydration bladder
Anne got into cycling four years ago through her father. Last year, she was allowed to move into a gravel bike, and since then she and her bike have been able to gain some bikepacking experience. For example, they once went to the North Sea, where the metres in altitude were kept to a minimum. There was a longer tour this year, when she cycled from Stuttgart to Valencia in 18 days. As far as luggage is concerned, she tries to pack as lightly as possible. Ortlieb bags are mounted on her Specialized Diverge: a handlebar roll, a frame bag and an arse rocket are standard. Fork bags are added in winter.
"I try to cover as many routes as possible by bike and, if there's no other way, by train," says Anne in an interview before the four-day bikepacking trip through the Taunus. This tour will be her first in which she only wants to stay in mountain huts. For Anne, the best thing about bikepacking is that you can be spontaneous, flexible and get to know yourself better.
I didn't actually prepare myself.
Laura - researches in the field of bicycle mobility
Laura, like everyone here, is generally a cycling enthusiast. She is currently researching bicycle mobility for her final thesis. She is focussing on the sociological approach. What significance do individual modes of transport have for users? From a sociological perspective, building cycle paths is not everything. Status, for example, is a decisive factor in favour of or against cycling. For people with a high level of education, cycling is now often a status symbol, she explains. On the other hand, cycling can symbolise "I can't afford a car", in which case owning a car is often a big goal that says "I have achieved something".
And now to Laura's bikepacking and cycling life. She has been going on bikepacking tours for 2.5 years, most of them two-day tours so far. Such "overnighters with an overnight stay in a tent and coffee in the open air in the morning are a short holiday from everyday life for me," she enthuses. However, she has also travelled for longer, exploring the Vosges mountains, cycling to the Baltic Sea or in the Jura mountains. She has always learnt a lot about herself. In spring, she cycled her first event: the Steppenwolf.
I didn't do any special preparation, I cycle as much as I can anyway. At least once a week I ride my metres in altitude in the Taunus - you can quickly collect them there. My setup is constantly improving. There's just one thing: I'm going to get a replacement derailleur hanger, which I've been meaning to do for a long time.
Jennifer - I don't know if I can do it, but I want to do it!
Jennifer got into cycling when she met her current husband. He showed her photos of cycling trips, Jenni herself felt rather unathletic at the time and replied: "I don't know if I can do it, but I want to!". And the first journey from Budapest to Dresden soon followed. "I realised that I could do it," she explains. She has been hooked ever since and has organised an annual cycling trip ever since. The routes have become longer and longer; she has even travelled across the Alps. With the journeys came ambitions to be faster. Eventually she bought a gravel bike, ticked off the Rapha Women's 100 and Festive500 was also on her programme.
In 2022, Jennifer set off alone for the first time and embarked on a four-day solo tour. Her route took her through Denmark and she spent the nights in shelters along the way. "That was exciting. It's completely different travelling alone. It was exciting to experience what it's like when there's no one with you," she reports with shining eyes.
In the run-up to the tour, I did a lap and gained as many metres in altitude as possible. I also rode a lap with a fully packed bike and put up and took down the tent once; apart from that, my solo tour through Denmark in May was of course good preparation.
Petra - I think I'm the oldest on the tour
Petra and I met in a café on the first day. There we decided that she would also be part of this article.
Petra is 52 years old. She can't remember exactly how she heard about the Women's Weekender organised by The Women all Ride and Komoot. She either listened to the podcast "The wondrous world of bicycles" or saw it on Instagram. Registration started two days later. Her bikepacking experience mainly consists of cycling trips with her family and booked accommodation. This year she also completed the Main-Franken-Graveller travelled with me. At the event, she spent two nights in campsites and two in permanent accommodation.
The evening before the start, I called all the campsites at the stage destinations and asked if there were any pitches available. Unfortunately, the first campsite didn't have any space in the end. Perhaps they were suspicious of our group because we arrived as individuals rather than as a group. We then had to look elsewhere for places to sleep.
Brini - spontaneously decided the evening before to come along
On her first cycle tour, with a borrowed bike, Brini followed the Elbe from Dresden to Hamburg. The following year, she plucked up all her courage and set off on a cycle tour from Portland/Oregon to San Francisco/California on the west coast "with great naivety", as she explains.
It was a great adventure for me and I was totally inspired and inspired for further cycle tours.
Of course, many other tours in Europe followed, including some classic cycle routes such as along the Rhine, Berlin-Copenhagen and the Dutch coast. 2019 even saw a fully packed tour around the Baltic Sea.
Until now, Brini has always been equipped with the classic back roller bags. Two or four, depending on the length of the tour - and the tent on top. On long tours, she always carries everything she needs to be self-sufficient. On their cycle tours, they usually spend the night on campsites. There are several reasons for this: A shower, a feeling of security and the restful sleep that comes with it. There is also the communication; especially on long solo tours, it is simply good to chat with other travellers from time to time.
How does it feel to sleep in shelters? One of the aims was to try this out, and not all alone. In a community, a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved. And so Brini, like the others, was able to return home with new experiences.
Over the four days, I was really inspired by the community and the support of the participants. The atmosphere was simply brilliant without any competitive thoughts. It was a very benevolent atmosphere.
Why an event without men?
Let's start with a brief explanation. The event from The Women All Ride and Komoot was aimed at FLINTA, i.e. women, lesbians, intersex people (people who biologically have both female and male sexual characteristics from birth), non-binary people (people who identify with neither the female nor the male gender), transgender people and agender people (people who have no gender). In short, the event was aimed at everyone who is not cis-male. People whose gender identity matches the gender entry in the birth register are referred to as cis. This entry is usually made on the basis of visible physical sex characteristics of newborns.
But why an event without men? Many participants explained that an event like this offers a safe space. At the vast majority of events, women are outnumbered, so it's usually difficult to make contact and get to know each other. That's why it's nice when there are events where we are among ourselves.
Great ambitions and constant competition
Finding a connection in after-work groups, which exist in many large cities, is sometimes described as difficult. The groups are often very ambitious, even if they were previously told otherwise. "You're not welcomed so inclusively and tend to fall behind", I'm told. As a result of experiences like these, some people prefer to travel alone or with their partner. Anne also addresses the ever-present idea of competition: "I don't need constant competition. I once rode with a man who cheered me on the whole time - on a 60-kilometre lap, mind you. That's not necessary!".
No judgements about appearance, performance and setup
"The great thing about the event is that we have the opportunity to get to know our own limits in a safe space. Free from the idea of competition. Nobody judges how you look, your individual performance or your setup. What counts here is the Team spiritIt's about exploring the Taunus together on a bike and living in the moment."
Discussions on other topics
In a group that is predominantly made up of men, the barrier to addressing some topics is much greater. It's easier in a more female group - even if it's just: what do I do when I get my period?
Courage and self-confidence
Many of the women I talk to don't trust themselves or know women who don't trust themselves to be out and about in mixed groups. There are always situations that make them feel uncomfortable. Be it comments about the body, the bike or the clothes. Even abusive behaviour such as being pushed up a hill without being asked. Events like this give you courage and boost your self-confidence.
New experiences
However, curiosity about what it's like without men is much more important to everyone than negative experiences. "I'm curious to see if something is different that I might not have noticed otherwise. Am I behaving differently? The others? What could perhaps be better?" says one participant.
A statement from a participant
For me, the reasons for participating in an event without cis men were less personal and more structural. I see the effects of patriarchy on so many levels, be it in the built environment, the design of objects, medicine, structures in the labour market, the behaviour of women towards each other or sport. And that often makes me angry and gives me a feeling of powerlessness. And I see how it affects other FLINTA, or rather I don't see it! For example, when cycling in larger groups or alone in the forest or at the start lines of events. And I think that's a real shame. And that's why I'm so enthusiastic about offers like this one from TWAR and Komoot, because I think that FLINTA needs these spaces to encourage and strengthen each other,
but also to simply have a relaxing time. And I hope that these events will also encourage men to ask themselves why something like this is needed and perhaps reflect a little on their own behaviour.
But also from personal experience, an event in this form is simply great, because no cis-men with a compulsion to assert themselves can, for example, impose their opinions on events in which they themselves have not participated, but ignore your suggestions that you have a little more knowledge and continue to spread their judgements into the world. This pomposity and simultaneous ignorance is something you won't find here, I think. Likewise the typical "Alpha-Alex", who turns every climb
a race against his fellow cyclists. I actually heard the name
I actually heard the name in this context recently in an all-male cycling group. And it wasn't meant to be humorous.
The bikepacking tour in the Taunus - Taunus Teaser Collection at Komoot
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
