Rennradstadt Frankfurt - Road bike tours, meetings, clubs, bike cafés in Frankfurt
Frankfurt-Guide Radu Rosetti
The restaurateur and father of four was born in Bucharest, Romania, but moved to Frankfurt with his parents when he was just six years old. Radu found cycling rather late, five years ago through his friend Florian Jöckel, the founder of the racing bike group Guilty76, and his friend and business partner Ralf Matzka, a former professional cyclist. "They kept asking me if I would like to join them for a ride. I did and I couldn't get away from it after that." Radu prefers to cycle in a group and more for fun. The self-employed man manages 8,000 kilometres a year on his racing bike, plus a few on his cross bike and mountain bike.
Racing cyclist meeting
The Unirunde Frankfurt meets every Tuesday at the Heerstraße car park (Praunheim) - three performance groups, challenging level and speed. The bike shop Flamme Rouge Bikes, together with the oldest club, VC Frankfurt, organises a ride in two ability groups every Wednesday; the meeting point is in front of the shop in Jordanstrasse (Bockenheim). The Rosetti Social Cycling Club organises rides in two ability groups every Thursday - probably the most international group in Frankfurt. The meeting point is in front of my pub, Walon & Rosetti at Moselstraße 15 (Bahnhofsviertel). Beforehand, we invite you for an espresso, and after the ride, many people sit together with wine and conversation. The Guilty76 bike club organises a ride every third Saturday of the month. The Assos Store organises rides every last Sunday of the month under the name "Speed Club", meeting point at the Opernturm (Alte Oper). More information and all dates can be found at www.frankfurtcycling.info
My favourite bike shops
Flamme Rouge Bikes is the most comprehensive shop for road bike fans in terms of expertise, service and selection. However, I usually go to my friends at Montimare in Ostend, who offer excellent service and are highly recommended for mountain bikers. A centrally located alternative would be Custom Delux on Friedberger Platz, with very good technicians. You can also get excellent espresso there.
My favourite places
I like to drink my coffee at Plank in Münchener Straße; there's always a lot of activity on the street, with various greengrocers next door, Alim the fishmonger with a fish snack bar and a bunch of interesting restaurants. Alternatively, I traditionally go to Café Wacker opposite the Hauptwache multi-storey car park, where long-established Frankfurters tend to meet. In summer, I also like to go to one of the city's newly restored water houses: the Gudes on Matthias-Beltz-Platz. There are no special meeting places for cyclists in the city centre, but there are places outside, such as the Café Sandplacken (see "Favourite round"), which serves delicious home cooking and home-baked cakes, or the café in the Hotel Kurhaus Ochs in Schmitten (on the other side of the Feldberg).
Event tips
Eschborn-Frankfurt, formerly known as "Rund um den Henninger Turm", is the classic par excellence. In August, Guilty76 and Stoppomat e. V. organise a mountain festival with a race on the Feldberg. Also organised by Guilty76: Frankfurt Ultra Cycling - not a race, but three stages and three parties.
My favourite round
Around and over the Feldberg (79 km, 1,300 metres in altitude)
The route starts near the main railway station, in front of my restaurant Walon & Rosetti, and the first 15 kilometres lead west along cycle paths along the Main. Then it's into the Taunus and via Sindlingen, Kelkheim-Fischbach five kilometres uphill with a gradient of six to seven per cent to Ruppertshain - with gradients of up to twelve per cent. The prelude to further climbs: to Schlossborn, Glashütten and the Rotes Kreuz inn - finally, with a maximum gradient of 15 per cent, the Großer Feldberg awaits. Then it's downhill at full speed to the break at Sandplacken, where you can sit on the large, partially covered terrace even in bad weather. Then it's downhill to Frankfurt with a fantastic view of the skyline.
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