"I have to pick up a car in Sauerland next week and would cycle there. Do you want to go?" Sometimes you just don't have much time to think about it. A quick google: From Munich to Plettenberg in the Hochsauerland - that's almost 750 kilometres with a total of 3600 metres in altitude, says Outdooractive.
Hm, quite a long way. But if you take a week's holiday for it and then comfortably cover 100 kilometres a day - you can do it. And it would be good training too. Sure, I'm in!
Incorporate short trips into everyday life
It can be that quick. With the help of online tour portals such as komoot, Outdooractive, Ride with GPS etc., designing your own multi-day bikepacking route is no longer rocket science. In principle, all you need to do is enter your start and finish points and you'll have a proper route to follow in just a few seconds.
There are opportunities for such spontaneous outings in almost every day. Haven't visited your grandma for coffee in a while because she lives a little too far away? Perfect! You don't have to cycle there and back.
Perhaps there by train or in the family car and only back by bike. That could turn out to be an excellent weekend plan. And you could have burnt grandma's far too tasty cheesecake in the process.
Or you can use this opportunity for basic training that you had planned anyway. A relaxed multi-day tour through Germany is definitely more exciting than long sessions on the familiar laps on your doorstep. And, of course, much cheaper than a training camp trip to Mallorca.
Theoretically, all you need to do is enter the destination in the route planner, just like with the sat nav in your car - and you're ready to go. But our experience has shown: It's not quite that simple after all. A little more work on the route and the stages increases the fun factor immensely!
1. how to plan your own route
It always depends on what you want to do. If you really just want to arrive somewhere with your destination in mind, then enter the destination in the tour planner, select the "Gravelbike" category and you will get a fairly direct route on side roads and gravel paths.
The metres in altitude are very moderate because the suggested gravel route automatically leads through river valleys wherever possible. In our case in the direction of the Sauerland, we also travelled over and through vineyards with great views, and there were also short sections of trail.
On the way, we met a surprising number of other bikers on field and dam paths. Although they had completely different destinations, the river valleys seemed to be the main route network in the tour portals. Every now and then we even passed small huts with bike repair tools for free use.
We actually stuck to our 100-kilometre day plan and made a precision landing at our destination. However, we kept getting the feeling that we had missed some of the highlights with our target. So here are our tips for planning a more exciting route:
The journey is the better destination
Of course, a main goal is important for so-called macro-planning, i.e. for orientation as to where you want to go. But does it really have to be the most direct route? It's worth using a magnifying glass on the digital map: Is there perhaps a winding road, a panoramic path or other interesting spots close to the direct route?
At home on the computer, such highlights can be easily integrated into the route using drag and drop and they really spice up a long-distance route. And don't think: Oh, I can decide on the spot whether to turn off there. Experience shows: You don't do it then.
If, like us, you have set yourself a daily target of 100 kilometres, you want to complete it. And who knows how long these detours will take, how many extra kilometres they will cost and how complicated it will be to rejoin the original route.
However, there is another rather annoying problem that prevents spontaneous turn-offs: To save the sat nav's battery while driving - which is important on a long day's stage - you save the route you have worked out, including the map, offline.
If you deviate from the track on the way, the route is not simply recalculated, as with the car sat nav. The track now constantly wants you to turn round. This can only be repaired with online access.
For road bike tours in particular, it can be useful to go through the planned route kilometre by kilometre with a sharp eye and specifically remove major roads from the planning. That way you can stay on small roads with less traffic. - Sandra Schuberth, TOUR editor
2nd daily workload
Variety is the magic word. As with a crossing of the Alps, it makes sense to vary the length of the daily stages. This is good for your legs, your head and your motivation. You could choose a longer overpass day as the main stage to really cover the distance.
On days with a built-in highlight, you can plan significantly fewer kilometres so that you have more time for sightseeing or relaxing at a beautiful lake.
On our route to Hochsauerland, the 100 kilometres from day four onwards became a hectic mission. Breakdowns, the search for an open bike shop at lunchtime, a lost shoe, the search for accommodation in the evening - all small time wasters that add up and can significantly disrupt the stage plan.
Incidentally, the higher the number of group members, the greater the likelihood of such mishaps, and the shorter the stages should be from the outset.
These tools help with routing and navigation
Tour portals such as Outdooractive and komoot provide plenty of route ideas and ready-made tracks. Premium customers at komoot even find a stage planning tool that is intuitive to use.
It even includes accommodation addresses, places of interest and suggestions for refreshments. Disadvantage: If you have saved the track offline and change your plans en route, the route can only be adjusted again online.
How the komoot planning tool works is explained very clearly in this video tutorial:
Routes to follow
Creating your own route is fun, maximises anticipation and gives you a certain overview. But sometimes you simply don't have the time or inspiration to plan a solid tour.
In this case, there are now real treasure troves on the internet, for example bikepacking.com: In this portal, long-distance bikers share their worldwide experiences and equipment and make the GPS data of their stage tours available for download.
However, it is always worth checking the tracks again. In order to cover the distance, we don't always choose the most beautiful routes, but the most direct ones.
Interview with Wiebke Lühmann
The 30-year-old has just spent 14 months cycling from Freiburg to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. That was over 20,000 kilometres through a total of 22 countries. A tour that must have taken a lot of planning. We asked her about it after her return.
BIKE: Wiebke, how do you plan such a super route?
Wiebke Lühmann: As far as the macro-planning of the route is concerned, I only determine my destination in advance, in this case South Africa. I do the micro-planning on the spot. With over 280 stages and 22 different countries, there's no other way. In Africa, I simply followed the main routes through the countries. The road network there is usually not that branched out. This is in stark contrast to Europe, where more detailed route planning makes more sense because there are so many options. But even there I don't plan much in advance because I prefer to remain flexible. I need the freedom in my head.
In Africa you had time pressure because of the visas.
That's right. I also applied for the next but one country on the way, because the 30-day period expires as soon as the permit is issued. Sometimes it was really tight to keep to these time slots. I didn't know beforehand: how would I cope with the heat? Apart from that, all I knew was that I was taking a year from Morocco to the Cape of Good Hope. That's a luxury, of course. If you have to take leave for your tour, you only have a limited amount of time. It's hard to avoid more detailed planning.
Did you enquire in advance about travel safety in the countries?
Roughly, yes. I knew that Nigeria could be difficult, but I also kept myself constantly up to date via the West Africa Cycling Group. In this community, many bikepackers share their current experiences in the country. And then you always meet other bikers on the road who you can ask directly about their experiences. Such fresh tips are worth their weight in gold.
You were back with your family just before Christmas. Did you fall into the famous mental hole after such a long tour?
Good question. Let's put it this way: In South Africa, I was still thinking about whether I should just carry on travelling. In other words, along the east coast of Africa to Egypt and back home again. I had given up my flat before the tour and knew that I wouldn't have my own four walls until March. At the moment I'm living with my father, and somehow that still feels like travelling through. But I also wanted to finally see my family and friends again, so I flew home from Cape Town just before Christmas as planned.
So, are you already planning the next tour?
Definitely! I already have the next big tour in mind. But I think I'll give it another two to three years or so. Until then, I will write a book about my Africa tour, cultivate sponsors and definitely start a few shorter tour projects.
What was your first longer bike tour?
In 2019, I cycled from Bogota (Colombia) to Buenos Aires (Argentina). I just set off without much planning. That might sound a bit naive from today's perspective, but fortunately everything worked out perfectly. I was fit enough because I came from triathlon. I was inspired by the bike touring community back then. Many of them are of the opinion that too much planning takes away the surprises and the adventure.
What advice would you give to bikers who are going on a long stage tour for the first time?
For the first time, I would advise you not to approach the whole thing from a sporting perspective. It's better to pay attention to comfort, i.e. wear comfortable clothes, sit comfortably, have a good tent with you - just have a good time and enjoy being on the road. See what it's like to be out and about for days on end instead of chasing after an overly ambitious daily goal.
Our colleague Sandra Schuberth accompanied Wiebke Lühmann on her journey through Africa, both mentally and personally. Here are brief summaries of all the highs and lows of this 22-country adventure:
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
