Training camp "dahoam": Road bike tours around Bad Füssing

It's seven o'clock in the morning. I'm sitting in the breakfast room with Georg "Schorschi" Birkeneder discussing today's tour. Schorschi, a trained master butcher, once read in the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper at the end of the 1980s that a triathlon was taking place nearby. He could run, swim and even more so ride a racing bike. So he signed up and went on to complete 36 Ironman races, five of them in Hawaii, twice together with his wife Ingrid.

"There have only been a few married couples in the history of Hawaii," says the master butcher proudly. In recent years, however, the now 68-year-old from Pocking - who closed his business five years ago - has focussed on road cycling. Together with his sports friends from Bad Füssing, they travelled to Mallorca, Lanzarote and Tenerife several times a year to train. Then came corona. Schorschi and his wife did not want to be deterred from their common goals. Together with other athletes from the neighbouring communities, they launched the "Training camp dahoam" and hoped that this would perhaps also appeal to other racing cyclists. It became a hype. Within hours, 100 people had signed up to the training group. But why?

Racing bike Eldorado Bad Füssing

Mr Birkeneder looks at me as if I'm an alien. "You don't know that?" he asks in amazement. "No," I reply, I don't know that. Then Schorschi takes a deep breath and explains to me, with audibly growing enthusiasm from sentence to sentence, how beautiful and varied the landscape in his home region is to ride a road bike through. Well, he admits, perhaps not everyone in Germany knows that yet.

Elke Freudenstein, manager of the hotel "Das Mühlbach", is also working hard to ensure that more people are aware of this in future; she wants to establish Bad Füssing as a cycling destination. "Europe's favourite spa resort" is still going from record to record with its somewhat older clientele. 341,391 overnight guests visited the spa town on the Bavarian-Austrian border in 2025 - more than in the previous record year of 2019. These figures impressively confirm Bad Füssing's continued high appeal as a health and holiday destination, says Mayor Tobias Kurz.

Hotel manager Elke Freudenstein and her husband Florian have left no stone unturned over the past years and decades. Together, they have turned her parents' spa hotel into a "Thermal Retreat & Wellness Resort" that is unrivalled in Germany. "In the coming years, we want to become one of the sportiest hotels in Germany with our many offers for racing cyclists," says Elke, who looks like she runs a fashion agency in Hamburg or Berlin in her stylish clothes, rather than a hotel in deepest Lower Bavaria. And a few metres further on, the Uttenthalers have considerably expanded their range of services. "Every racing bike is repaired here within minutes," promises Eva Uttenthaler, who is the fourth generation to run the bike shop with her husband. New: the racing bike wash. Slide in, wash, blow-dry - in five minutes. Cost: 12.90 euros. Afterwards, the Specializeds, Giants and Factors shine almost like new again.

Paths by the water

Meanwhile, Georg Birkeneder talks about the Passau region and the surrounding area - what road cyclists generally mean by the surrounding area: In other words, the region around Bad Füssing, the Rottal, the Bavarian Forest, the Austrian Sauwald, Hausruck and the nearby Salzkammergut. "The absolute cycling Eldorado", he says, "a huge playground" for all racing cyclists. Then he pulls out his plan for the week. "Training camp dahoam 6.0", it says, because this is the sixth year in a row that it has taken place.

"Look at this," he says and taps on his paper. It's there in black and white: "Idyllic side roads with enough metres of elevation gain and little traffic". "Fantastic paths in the Inn floodplains", writes the organiser, Schorsch himself. After the cycle tours, everyone could use the wellness Eldorado of Bad Füssing to regenerate. With its thermal water, saunas, massages, home-style cooking and first-class cuisine. "Where else in Germany can you find that?" asks Schorsch, "A paradise for cycling and regeneration." Not even in Hawaii, he says, in the Aloha State. He looks at me, frowning, to see if I've understood. Yes, I did. You can cycle here for five hours on a road bike around the hilly Weilhartsforst or Sauwald forests or a relaxed two-and-a-half-hour woodland circuit. Or the royal stage to Austria to Mondsee or Attersee. Schorsch nods contentedly. If you like it super-flat and super-beautiful, pedal "up" to Altötting to stop off at the "Kappell'nplotz". If anyone has any doubts: "I've dragged everyone there in my wake," says Schorschi. In German: In his slipstream, everyone comes along.

In Schorsch's opinion, we've already talked far too much. We head out to the forecourt, where his wife Ingrid and Udo Ranner, who runs a 500-strong air conditioning company in Pocking that sells all over the world, are already waiting. His son Quirin, mate Felix and Luca are also at the start. They are really pushing the age average down today. The boys study and work in Munich, but are often at home at the weekends. "Why should I cycle around thousands of racing cyclists in Upper Bavaria?" asks Quirin.

On the wave track

It's early April and still quite chilly. We set off from the Mühlbach stream, past the beautiful wooden house and out of the village. It looks a bit like a fairytale landscape from a Disney film. Thick fog hangs over the fields. "That's completely normal here because of the Inn," explains Felix. The fog can hang over the fields and meadows until mid-morning. I think it's beautiful. Especially because I'm wearing gloves. The three young impetuous ones don't seem to need them at two degrees. "It's fine!", they say in unison and press on the accelerator. They really have a lot of pressure on the pedals. The same goes for Ingrid. She's 65 and shouldn't really be working any more. But she does. In the mornings, she works as a receptionist at a car dealership. When she gets home, Schorschi has already cooked. "It's his turn on weekdays," she explains to me at 38 km/h. "Someone has to work," she says with a laugh. After all, they always have plans for the afternoon. "Cycling, what else?"

After 45 kilometres, we reach the Arterhof, our first rest stop. The traditional farm has been around for more than 300 years. Christina Siegl, the owner, is particularly proud of her high-quality cuisine. Everything regional, everything fresh. "Look," she says to me, "they're over there," and points to a pasture with Galloway cattle. We should definitely try the steaks and burgers, she says, looking at me a little questioningly. Racing cyclists are always such ascetics, she says, but very few people can resist her Galloway burger. If you don't want to eat meat, order the Lengham wholemeal pasta with wild herb sauce, grilled vegetables, rocket leaves, cherry tomatoes and hard cheese or the Arterhof salad with potato rösti, herb quark and brown bread crisps. After our gluttony, we would love to lie down in one of the caravans at the campsite, which also belong to the Arterhof. But we have to keep going.

Trip to Austria

We roll. Up and down. The roads really are of the best quality. But that's not all. One wave follows the next. Every now and then I feel like I'm riding on a pump track for BMX kids. After 90 kilometres, we cross the border into Austria and ride over the bridge that connects the municipality of Neuhaus am Inn in Bavaria and the baroque town of Schärding in Upper Austria.

In the middle of the bridge, Udo asks me: "What do you notice?" I look at him blankly. Then he explains to me that the Austrians have a regulation that the bridges should be decorated with flowers. However, there is no flower law for the other part, the Bavarian part. Now I realise it too: Only half the bridge is decorated. "That's what Germany has come to," says Udo with a laugh, "we don't even have money for flowers."

In order to counter the reputation of the German "Knauser" and because we have already burnt off a few hundred calories, we head to the beautiful market square in the baroque town of Schärding and serve up a real feast. We order sundaes with fruit, cream cheese tart and fresh apple strudel from the barista. The cappuccino is delicious, as is the homemade ice cream. In any case, they go full throttle at the barista. Breakfast is served in the morning, then lunch, coffee and cake in the afternoon before it's Aperol time. In the evening there's dinner, then it's party time at Barista. No matter when you cycle there, it's always the right time.

Shooting on prescription

We make our way back to Bad Füssing. We really get stuck in and ride round the Belgian roundabout. Whenever Ingrid is in front, the pace picks up. I curse quietly to myself a little. Ingrid trains and lives like a senior professional. Whenever the weather permits, she is out with her husband, cycling all over the Passau countryside. "I don't think," says the 65-year-old, "that there's a single spot within a radius of a few hundred kilometres that I haven't seen."

After a good 100 varied kilometres, we have made it and are back at the Mühlbach. Elke, the boss, is already waiting for us there with a few non-alcoholic wheat beers and Aperol Spritz. We all sit down in the garden, enjoy the sun, the Spritz and the style of the hotel. The Mühlbach looks a bit like a UFO that has landed in Lower Bavaria. At least there is no other hotel far and wide that has such a huge infinity pool on the roof and such a wonderful sauna landscape to offer.

Massage and fango

Of course, I try everything out, first being kneaded and then wrapped in a natural mud pack. "Many people don't realise that health insurance pays for many of these treatments," explains Elke. I am astonished. "That's true," she adds. However, this only works at Mühlbach on weekdays; they are too busy at weekends. I am puzzled by the "shooting on prescription" concept. The hotel has everything that racing cyclists need: Yoga sessions, endless healthy food. Fresh avocado, berries, melon and pineapple for breakfast, and regional muesli from the Antersdorfer organic mill. In the afternoon, there is fresh pasta with basil from the garden and pine nuts as well as lentil salad or beetroot with goat's cheese.

The next day, however, I have to give up the calories again for our next tour. This time it's from Bad Füssing to Altötting. With us: two dozen racing cyclists from the "Training camp dahoam". I'm not expecting anything good. For the first 70 kilometres, we cycle there at a smooth 35 km/h pace, then grab a bite to eat at Kapellenplatz. Then we rattle back along the southern carriageway parallel to the Inn. In the end, it took us just over four hours to complete the tour. 142 kilometres, 420 metres in altitude, 34.6 km/h on average. "But now we've really earned the thermal water," says Schorsch.

Water as medicine

The advantage of Bad Füssing: medical studies prove that the thermal water, which circulates at a depth of more than 1,000 metres at 56 degrees, is the best medicine for athletes. "The composition of the thermal water, which is unique in Europe, causes a complete rebalancing of the organism and a restoration of the body's own defences," is how the municipality of Bad Füssing puts it. You could also say that the thermal water stimulates the metabolism, purifies the body and relieves stress and exhaustion.

If you have a stressful job and do a lot of sport, this is the right place for you: "From a psychological point of view, the effect of thermal water is ideal for directly and immediately reducing stress levels," explains Robert Loibl, psychologist at Passau District Hospital. "The effect of the water has a great influence on the subjective ability to relax and alleviate symptoms." Meanwhile, I float through the Mühlbach thermal pool with Schorsch and Ingrid, completely relaxed, and we chat a little about the beautiful trip "to Altötting".

Sushi in Füssing

We reserve a table at the "Sushi Club" to satisfy our hunger after all the sport and the pleasant weight loss. Bang is the master there. Bang was born in Hanoi, worked in a few Michelin-starred restaurants in Düsseldorf and is now here in Bad Füssing. He wants to know what I want. It has to be healthy - and delicious. For starters, I get edamame with sea salt and truffles, then horenso no gomaae, a spinach salad with sesame dressing, followed by flambéed tuna and seaweed salad. Then there is tempura with shrimps and a "Sushi Club Variation" for all of us. Bang's creation of mango sticky rice is to die for. We order another one.

Quirin, Felix and Luca, the young guns on the road bike ride, are also getting stuck in. "I'm sure," says Felix, "that in a few years' time there will still be a few rollators riding around here. But one day, the number of racing bikes in Bad Füssing will get out of hand. There just shouldn't be as many as in Munich ..."

Travel information Bad Füssing/Bavarian thermal spa region

Journey

Car By car on the A3, the Nuremberg-Passau motorway, the Pocking exit is the right one. Then it's another eleven kilometres to Bad Füssing.

Bus Bus route 6207 between Munich and Bad Füssing started operating on 1 April 2026, connecting the state capital with the spa town in less than two hours. Departures from Bad Füssing take place in the morning between 8.50 a.m. at Johannesbad, at 9 a.m. at the Catholic Church or five minutes later at Füssinger Hof. The return journey departs from Munich at 16.00 in the afternoon. Arrival: between 17.45 and 18.00 hrs. The single ticket currently costs 19 euros, return journey together 29 euros. However, Germany and Bavaria tickets are not accepted.

Airport shuttle The Munich, Salzburg and Linz airports are served daily. Cost for Salzburg and Linz: 144 euros for a one-way journey, 238 euros for a return journey. From Munich, the one-way journey costs 238 euros and the return journey 363 euros.

The healing water

Bad Füssing's healing water is characterised, among other things, by its sulphide sulphur content and its pH value of 7.21, which is in the ideal, neutral range. Healing or thermal water is created when rainwater, which seeps into the ground and circulates there, encounters stagnant layers of rock such as shale or clay. As the water makes its way downwards, trace elements and minerals are released from the surrounding rocks. Whether and how the water heats up and becomes thermal water depends, in short, on its location in the earth's crust or the local volcanic activity. Depending on the composition of the ground, the water reaches depths of a few hundred metres to around three to four kilometres. The thermal water in Bad Füssing was found at a depth of around one thousand metres. Basically, it can be said that the deeper the water, the higher the temperatures climb.

The water rises to the surface due to hydrostatic pressure, which brings it to the surface together with buoyant gases. This is the case in Bad Füssing, for example. If this possibility of water buoyancy is not available, wells or other pumping systems are used.

Overnight stay

The Mühlbach

"Bad Füssing has grown over the last 50 or 60 years thanks to the spa boom," explained Florian Freudenstein, head of the Mühlbach, in a recent interview with Focus magazine. The big challenge now is the transformation from a classic spa resort into a modern and contemporary holiday and wellness destination. To this end, Freudenstein and his wife Elke have created a 5,000 square metre spa landscape in their hotel, where racing cyclists and anyone else seeking relaxation will find the ideal conditions for successful regeneration. Natural thermal springs and thermal water pools with healing water from Bad Füssing are available to guests at the Mühlbach, as is the "Sky Infinity Thermal Pool" on the hotel roof with a view of the surrounding landscape.

Elke Freudenstein points out that many of the treatments offered at the hotel - including natural mud wraps, for example - can be covered by health insurance. Because the hotel is very busy at weekends, treatments on prescription are usually only available on weekdays. Yoga classes or the facilities of the 150 square metre gym are also available.
https://www.muehlbach.de/

Bike shop

Unlike in many large cities, there are Bicycle Uttenthaler at Inntalstraße 50 in Bad Füssing, there are no long waiting times for a repair. "Whenever possible, we do it in no time at all," promises Eva Uttenthaler. This started with spa guests who didn't want to wait a week for their broken bike during their one or two-week stay. "So we set ourselves up in such a way that we can normally repair any racing bike within hours," promises the speed mechanic, who also knows that racing cyclists in particular value a clean bike. That's why she and her husband bought a new bike washing system: The saddle gets a nice shower cap, then you push the bike into the system and a few minutes later it comes back sparkling clean and blow-dried. Cost: 12.90 euros.
https://fahrrad-uttenthaler.de/

Food & Drink

Restaurants

The Castle tavern is located directly on the Inn, in the beautiful Inn floodplains. The beer garden offers a wonderful view of the reservoir and the surrounding countryside. Guests sit in the middle of the medieval castle complex and enjoy the ambience with cool drinks and local specialities. Thanks to its special location between Braunau-Obernberg and Bad Füssing, the castle is an ideal resting place. The only crossing over the Inn for 20 kilometres also forms an intersection for various cycle tour options. The Roman cycle path, the Tauern cycle path and the "Unterer Inn" cycle path cross here. Since 2004, the "Via Nova" pilgrimage route has also passed the former castle gates.
www.burg-frauenstein.com

The House of Lords
According to the restaurant's website, everything here almost feels a little "like heaven". Through the wide, light-flooded window front, you can enjoy the view of Passau and the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers at any time of year. The cuisine has a Bavarian-Austrian flavour, for example the "Bayerisches Gedeck" with onion butter, Obatztem, pumpkin seed oil spread and pastries. We also recommend a beef carpaccio with rocket, parmesan and caper apples. If you prefer something a little heartier, try the roast onion from a young bull with port wine sauce, roasted onions, vegetables and rosemary potatoes. Or the buttermilk fried chicken with potato and seed oil salad and cranberries.
https://www.dasoberhaus.com/

Iced coffee

At the Barista There's always something going on in Schärding. They serve breakfast first thing in the morning, then lunch with seasonal dishes and delicious home cooking, cakes and tarts in all shapes and sizes are served in the afternoon, before it's straight on to the lively Aperol time. The evening dinner is followed by a party. The ice cream sundaes are high in calories but forbiddenly delicious.
https://www.barista-bar.at

Tour info Bad Füssing - the GPS tracks to follow

Tour 1 | To Bad Birnbach | 119.5 km, 682 metres altitude

From Bad Füssing in a westerly direction via Rotthalmünster and Kößlarn. Continue at a leisurely pace uphill towards Asenham, passing the highest point of the tour at St Anne's Chapel. Before Bad Birnbach, you cross the Rott before the second moderate ascent at Gillöd. If you have gained enough metres in altitude, you can skip the detour near Ortenburg and cycle directly from Steinkirchen to Dorfbach.

Tour 2 | To the Attersee and Mondsee lakes | 162 km, 1,291 m elevation gain

Extensive and scenic tour that runs almost exclusively through Austria. The outward and return routes are identical as far as Waldzell, then the outward journey takes the western route. Passing Lackenberg, the route reaches its highest point shortly before Mondsee. In an arc, the route heads north again along the shores of Lake Mondsee and Lake Attersee, past Vöcklamarkt and Frankenburg im Hausruck and the fork in the road at Waldzell.

Tour 3 | Through the Sauwald | 136 km 1,476 metres in altitude

From Bad Füssing via Schärding in a clockwise direction through the triangle between the Inn and Danube rivers. Shortly after Passau, the route follows the banks of the Danube for a short stretch before heading up the ridge after the Kösslbach stream at the Höllmühle mill towards Esternberg. From up there, there are always fantastic views of the Danube, for example from Vichtenstein or St. Aegidi. Via Kopfing im Innkreis, Natternbach and Sigharting on small and very small roads back to Schärding and from there back to Bad Füssing.

Tour 4 | Along the Rott and Inn rivers | 161 km, 516 metres altitude

Via Pocking and past Bad Birnbach, the route initially follows the meandering course of the River Rott before orientating itself southwards from Untergrasensee along the Grasenseer stream. From Marktl, the route then follows the Inn again and crosses the Inn bridge at Neuötting to reach the turning point. The return journey via Burghausen and Braunau then essentially follows the course of the Inn again. Riding along the river also means that the metres in altitude are not a major challenge.

Tour 5 | Small woodland tour | 76 km, 276 metres altitude

In principle, this is the opening tour to get a first impression of the region. From Bad Füssing, the route leads via Kirchham, Schönburg and Weihmörting to the junction near Bayerbach. From there, the tour takes a loop via Bad Birnbach and Haarbach back through Bayerbach and via Pocking to the starting point in Bad Füssing.