A small ice cream parlour in Xanten is the hub of the cycling world on the Lower Rhine. Inconspicuous from the outside, it reveals itself to be a meeting place for the cycling scene on the inside. World champion Rudi Altig has already been here, as has two-time Giro winner Franco Balmamion and many others. Owner Fausto Santin proudly displays pictures of the cycling legends. His ice cream parlour is not only the jersey sponsor of the local cycling club, but also the start and finish point for its rides.
At ten o'clock sharp on Sunday morning, the TuS Xanten sports club sets off on a tour that begins with a highlight: Sonsbecker Schweiz, the only notable elevation far and wide. Narrow country lanes lead through lush meadows, the gradients remain easily digestible in the lower single-digit range. The 50 metres of elevation gain can confidently be classed as a wellness climb. The rest of the route is also a pleasure - through dreamy villages, past old windmills and on perfectly tarmac cycle paths across the barely visible German-Dutch border, through fragrant fields of flowers to the sunlit banks of the Meuse. Werner Staymann is cycling next to me. "I've been cycling for 20 years and I've never missed the mountains," he explains, laughing through his red beard and pointing to his belly, which is bulging under his jersey. And he's right. Who says that cyclists have to torture themselves? Not on the Lower Rhine, anyway.
These tours and the GPS data can be found below as downloads:
- Tour 1: With the current (112 kilometres, 320 metres in altitude, max. 5 percent gradient)
- Tour 2: Sonsbeck Switzerland (86 kilometres, 240 metres in altitude, max. 4 percent gradient)
