What does a true Berliner do in Markgräflerland, deep in the southernmost tip of the republic, close to the border with Switzerland? "Becoming happy," answers Felix Odebrecht with a broad grin. The former professional cyclist moved to a small village in Markgräflerland 16 years ago. He now understands Alemannic, the local dialect. He can't speak it. No matter. His commitment is clear: "I never want to leave here again." This is not just because he has put down roots and started a family, or because he runs a commercially successful bike shop in the wine village of Hügelheim, which has become a magnet for the local bike scene.
This is mainly due to the great racing cycle routes that Odebrecht found in the far south-west. "As a professional, the decision to move to the Markgräflerland was an obvious one. When I came here from Berlin, I found all the route profiles I needed for my training," he explains. If the Amstel Gold Race was on his competition schedule, for example, all he had to do to prepare perfectly was go outside his front door and get on his bike: "Here, I can ride for hours on tarmac secondary roads over undulations and crisp ramps that correspond exactly to the character of the spring classics."
Daily temptation!
And if Odebrecht wanted to ride flat, that was no problem either: he simply pedalled for kilometres through the Rhine plain, up towards Kaiserstuhl, down to Basel or over to Alsace in France. If, on the other hand, the pro needed long hills, these are also just a stone's throw away - after all, it's not just the Blauen that belongs to the Markgräflerland, which is over 1,000 metres high, but also the second-highest Black Forest mountain, Belchen, which rises above the Rhine plain within sight of Odebrecht's bike station.
Daily temptations: "In the beginning, I didn't want to get off my bike at all. I even found it difficult to stick to the rest days." It can also be summarised in two words. "Paradise!" says Odebrecht. "For me, the Markgräflerland is one of the most varied areas in Germany, there's nothing better - and as a professional, I've been on many tours in all the federal states."
Hill behind Hügelheim
After a few kilometres in the hills behind Hügelheim, I am inclined to agree wholeheartedly. It's early in the morning and we're whizzing along a wonderfully winding road between Badenweiler and Kandern. Zero traffic. Instead, a hazy golden morning light pours over the crests of the hilly landscape - with fantastic views to the left and right of the Black Forest and the Vosges mountains.
Tough circuit by Simon Geschke
The road winds its way between vineyards and forest, we roll through remote wine villages, pick up speed on a sloping sunken path, only to find ourselves pedalling far too fast into one of the notorious Markgräfler ramps, until the lactate in our thighs starts to pinch. But then it's straight back down again. "Like riding a rollercoaster," says Odebrecht.
We follow part of his favourite tour, which he recently put together for the local tourism association and christened "The Hell of Markgräflerland". "Hell - because I've included almost every incline the region has to offer," grins Odebrecht devilishly. He originally designed the tough circuit for his mate Simon Geschke from nearby Freiburg, a professional cyclist on the French team Cofidis. "Simon needed to prepare for Liège-Bastogne-Liège after an injury phase. I designed the course over small roads with little traffic so that he could set the right intensity to prepare himself."
However, he, Odebrecht, cheated a little - and accompanied Geschke on his scooter. He is fit, "but I can no longer keep up with Simon in preparation". Good for me, because that means I can keep up with the 38-year-old Odebrecht, who still has a decent acceleration - and can't stop raving about it: "The constant changes, up, down, short, steep, I never get enough of that!"
Fortunately, you can also enjoy the Markgräflerland pretty well despite the thrills and spurts of lactate. After all, there are plenty of inviting wine taverns along the way from whose cosy terraces you can let your gaze wander over the sunlit landscape. And in the evening, you can recover your sore leg muscles with a hearty Markgräfler meal, such as Baden ox meat, soft as butter, with horseradish sauce and boiled potatoes. Hmm. Will the third glass of Gutedel, as the region's light white wine is called, be so conducive to my much-needed regeneration? Let's see. Tomorrow morning. In the hills of hell.
Markgräflerland - Information
Journey
Train
Müllheim in Markgräflerland can be reached by regional train from Freiburg im Breisgau in around twenty minutes. The ICE train from Frankfurt am Main to Freiburg takes just over two hours. To take your bike on the ICE, you need to book a bike ticket (9 euros) and a parking space; the bike ticket is also valid on local trains.
Car
Our Müllheim site in the Markgräflerland region is located on the A5 motorway, 300 kilometres from Frankfurt am Main and 450 kilometres from Munich (via Karlsruhe).
Travelling time
From April to October. The region is Germany's warmest and sunniest corner. Mild Mediterranean air flows through the Burgundian Gate into the hilly region between the Rhine and the Black Forest. Even in October, the average daily maximum is still over 16 degrees Celsius.
Bike service
Hügelheim (4 km north of Müllheim)
Velo Station, Telephone 07631/9897584, www.velo-station.de, bike service and very good espresso in the shop of ex-professional Felix Odebrecht.
Info
www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info
Accommodation
Müllheim in the Markgräflerland
Hotel Alte Post, telephone 07631/17870, www.alte-post.net, fine hotel with a great ambience, quiet, although it is located on the B 3. The adjoining Hebelstube restaurant is excellent (see "Food & Drink"). Double room with breakfast from 113 euros.
Food & Drink
The south-west corner of Germany has always been known for its love of good food and drink. The Markgräflerland region has developed an exciting combination of Baden, French and Swiss cuisine. Here, everyone will find something to suit their palate and budget: hearty country cuisine as well as high culinary culture. And of course the excellent Markgräfler wines: typical grape varieties are the white Chasselas and the red Pinot Noir.
>> Restaurant tip
Müllheim in the Markgräflerland
Restaurant Hebelstube in the Hotel Alte Post (see "Accommodation"), sophisticated regional cuisine with a creative twist and an excellent selection of local wines. Very friendly hosts. >> Motto of the house: A dish only tastes as good as the products are and the chef knows how to combine them - and the Hebelstube does this brilliantly.
Wine tasting
Chasselas is the Markgräfler wine variety par excellence - once underestimated as a "Schoppenwein", today there are outstandingly mature and really fine wines from this rather fine and reserved vine. A good place to try: Dörflinger Winery in Müllheim, 07631/2207, www.weingut-doerflinger.de
Don't miss it!
Heitersheim
Roman Museum Villa urbana
The museum presents the main building of a former villa urbana. There are also exhibits of everyday finds, parts of a mosaic floor and colourful window glass. A computer simulation shows a tour of the virtually reconstructed main building, www.heitersheim.de, under "Tourism" and "Museums".
Bad Bellingen
Canoe tour on the Old Rhine
Guided tours from Bad Bellingen to Grißheim (3.5 hours) on the Old Rhine, which flows almost parallel to the main Rhine (inland navigation) from Basel to Breisach. This section of the river is the actual former original Rhine, which is no longer used by shipping. Tours in good weather until mid-October.
Information at blackforestmagic.de/kanu
Maps
Cycle map R 756 "Southern Black Forest", 1:75,000, Baden-Württemberg State Office for Geoinformation and Rural Development 2012, 5.50 euros.
Travel guide
"Southern Black Forest with Freiburg, Basel and Markgräflerland", 328 pages, Michael Müller Verlag 2023; 20.90 euros. Detailed, briskly written, with a large chapter on the Markgräflerland.
Road bike tours in the Markgräflerland
Tour 1: In the north from the south
106 Kilometres, 2.200 Altitude metres, max. 16 % Gradient
Hills, hills, hills. Today you need stamina and leg strength! From Müllheim, we start with a few tough ramps before the Kreuzweg (1079 m), a Black Forest pass, takes its toll. After the descent into the Münstertal valley, the route continues from Staufen over crisp vineyard and flatter farm tracks. The loop via Schönberg and the Geiersnest can also be omitted - but it would be a shame!
Rest tip tour 1
Staufen im Breisgau (at 46.2 km turn left briefly to the church)
Coffee and More, telephone 07633/981824, www.coffeeandmore.de, none, cosy café with its own roastery in the old town of Staufen.
Kandern (Km 54)
Miss Gugelhupf, phone 0152/52666074, www.missgugelhupf.de, café and bistro, perfect for a tasty snack or cake halfway through your journey.
Tour 2: Blue Wonder
92 Kilometres, 2.200 Altitude metres, max. 17 % Gradient
Right at the start, the route climbs almost a thousand metres in altitude in one go over twelve kilometres to the highest peak in the Markgräflerland, the Blauen in the Black Forest. And after that, it's by no means time to coast: the idyllic rolling hills of the Markgräflerland region with its vineyards, orchards and cosy hollow paths are peppered with steep climbs and sharp ramps.
