Germany Trail Gravel Edition: Bikepacking tour through the country - join in the action!
Sandra Schuberth
· 18.06.2024
A few years ago, Stefan Loibl, a former colleague, initiated the Germany Trail. He crossed Germany on his mountain bike. Local mountain bikers showed him the best MTB routes and he even gave an unexpected talk at a school about his trip.
New life for the Germany Trail
In 2024, we are reviving the idea of the Deutschland-Trail - with a gravel edition. This year, Sandra Schuberth, editor at TOUR and BIKE, is going in search of the most attractive gravel paths and single trails that stretch from the border triangle of Germany, France and Luxembourg to Munich. She will also Visit stage locations of the Lidl Germany Tour and is looking for gravel paths, trails, viewpoints and other highlights. Which route would you recommend? What should Sandra definitely not miss? Your participation is needed! Further information can be found further down in the article.
Deutschland-Trail Gravel-Edition: The route
How did the starting point of the Deutschland Trail 2024 come about? Quite simply, we only need to go a little further. The Tour de France Femmes takes place from 12 to 18 Augustwith the fifth stage ending on 15 August near the German border in Amnéville. An ideal starting point for a bikepacking tour through Germany. From Amnéville, Sandra will ride a prologue to the border triangle of Germany, France and Luxembourg. The actual tour then begins. The planned route winds its way from Saarbrücken through the Palatinate Forest, takes a diversion through the Odenwald and then turns southwards. The route leads eastwards via Stuttgart, past the Nördlinger Ries, then on to Augsburg and finally to Munich, with a few additional loops. The route has only been roughly outlined so far and will be gradually worked out in detail.
The current status can be found here on the Delius Klasing tour portal:
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Support required for route planning
We would also like to draw on the knowledge of the locals for detailed route planning. Details on how you can submit your route suggestions can be found here. We recommend, subscribe to our newsletterso as not to miss anything. Below you will find the rough route plan in bullet points:
- Stage, 16 August: From the border triangle to Saarbrücken (125 km, 1500 m elevation gain)
- Stage, 17 August: From Saarbrücken to Zweibrücken (95 km, 800 m elevation gain)
- Stage, 18th August: From Zweibrücken to Neustadt an der Weinstraße (105 km, 1000 m elevation gain)
- Stage, 19th August: From Neustadt an der Weinstraße to Neckargerach (120, 1500 m elevation gain)
- Stage, 20 August: From Neckargerach to Stuttgart (100 km, 800 m elevation gain)
- Stage, 21 August: From Stuttgart to Schwäbisch Gmünd (110 km, 1500 m elevation gain)
- Stage, 22 August: From Schwäbisch Gmünd to Augsburg (150 km, 1500 m elevation gain)
- Stage, 23 August: From behind Augsburg to Munich - max. 75 kilometres
Speaking of partners ...
Sandra rides the Germany Trail on a Rocky Mountain Solo C50. Sibling models of the gravel bike have already been tested in practice by our sister magazine BIKE. Before the bikepacking tour, the gravel bike will be fitted with 45 millimetre wide Maxxis tyres, which will sit on Lilienthal wheels. SQlab will provide the necessary comfort with its ergonomic expertise. In addition to a bike fitting and a suitable saddle, well-fitting trousers are also crucial, for which GripGrab is responsible. GripGrab also supplies jerseys, waistcoats and more. No bikepacking tour is complete without bikepacking bags; Evoc, also a partner of Deutschland-Trail, supplies the right storage space.
Last but not least: Bike Film Tour. Many people will be familiar with the European Outdoor Film Tour, or EOFT for short. From 2025, there will also be a Bike Film Tour from the same organiser. This film tour is also a partner of the Deutschland-Trail.
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On tour with Piarazzi
The Bike Film Tour is the perfect transition to Piarazzi, as the tour will be captured both photographically and on video. We have engaged Pia-Sophie Nowak, a talented and likeable photographer who is known on Instagram as @piarazzi.
Short and sweet: Germany Trail Gravel Edition 2024
What? Germany Trail Gravel Edition
- 800 - 1000 kilometres
- 5000 - 10,000 metres altitude
- 8 driving days
When? 16 to 23 August
Where? The rough route has already been finalised. You can find a draft in our tour portal:
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Commitment is required! Local people know the best routes. Support Sandra in planning the tours and/or accompany her on part of the bikepacking tour. Sign up for the newsletter now to make sure you don't miss any news: tour-magazine.com/newsletter.
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
