theshoemaker

There is a very real possibility that I may be going to Germany next year around TDF time. I’d love to turn the trip into as much of a cycling trip as possible. I’ve heard that Germany is like cycling heaven in places. Any info you can give to help me design the ultimate German cycling trip would be very much appreciated. For now I think it's best to concider the location as anywhere in or near Germany.
THX!

orcanova

I was just in Germany for the G8 Summit. I was staying in Rostock and traveling every day to Heiligendamm. That part of the country was really pretty and quiet, flat to gentle rolling countryside that looked like you could get some very fast riding in.

If you have a chance to tour any country like that I would jump on it. If you get to go, consider me jealous.

Second Mouse

We did a few days mostly in Austria at the end of May. Ours was a family trip; you could do 100+ mile days very easily, but everyone we saw was going along at a pretty leisurely pace. You're right--it is cycling heaven.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=314463

It's on the other side of Germany from where the Tour will be, though, if that makes a difference.

CastIron

I live there for a few years. Wouldn't describe it as heaven, but really, really nice. Lots of small single lane roads between small towns. The food is a bit of a challenge.

twobikes

We are going there in July, but not to cycle. I like German food. My favorite is Rindfleisch Rouladen (beef rolls).

theshoemaker

Hey great report! Thanks. Looked to be a real treat. We have friends in Germany that we'll be staying with/near. So I'm hoping that we can make that "home base" and go all over the place.

I'm guessing since your trip followed the river that the paths were ideal as far as traffic and space it concerned. Did you get a feel for how it compaired to riding typical country roads or city roads? I wonder how common it is to find bike lanes in Germany similar to the one in your Vienne Photo.

theshoemaker

Me too. We have a fairly genuine German food place here in downtown SLC. I'm always wishing they'd expand their menu.

Second Mouse

Nope, no idea how our trip compares to the rest of the country, although as CastIron mentioned, we could see a lot of fairly narrow, empty-looking roads from the train trips we took. If you can get out into the sticks, it looked pretty peaceful. If he hasn't been banned yet, botto, or someone else living in Europe, might be able to weigh in on bike lanes in various cities.

Siegfried's?

theshoemaker

Thanks.


Yup. ...Been there?

Second Mouse

Yes. Great place, although I liked the old building better.

twobikes

We were in Germany the summer of 2003 and drove near to and along the Rhine from Koblenz to Mainz (east side of the river). I, personally, would not want to be on a bicycle on that road. It was somewhat hilly and curvy, even though near to a river because the terrain rises quickly beyond the water's edge. Traffic was heavy and reasonably fast. The road was not very much wider than necessary for car traffic. I felt like I was driving on a go-kart track.

BTW, Bacharach is on that road, but on the west side of the river. It is the central location for visiting castles. We needed to get to Mainz on a schedule and did not visit castles, though.

Take a look at Google Maps. Although it opens with a view of the continnental USA, you can pan to anywhere in the world and then zoom in. Switch to Satellite or Hybrid and zoom in to see how wide the roads are in respect to an automobile. Some areas are not represented in high resolution, unfortunately.

mutantdunk

I'd say try to resist the Rhine tour. Not as scenic as you might think, has traffic, etc.. Get out on the small roads or other rivers.

theshoemaker

No kidding. I used to love sitting in the dark little nooks they had upstairs, until they closed it off. ...Probably due to poor structural integrity or some crazy thing.

theshoemaker

Thanks for the info everyone. It's all good. The more specific the better of course. We will be staying in Heidelberg which is close to Mannheim and, I think, Bacharach, but as I said we'll be getting around a lot too.

twobikes

The road between Mannheim and Heidelberg is flat and straight. There may be a secondary road. We were on a modern four lane highway. You drive down a very long, gradual incline to get into Heidelberg. The area around Heidelberg is hilly. I am thinking Bacharach is some distance away.

theshoemaker

bump

biker128pedal

In most places off the Autobahn there are paved paths parallel to the roads. It would be fun to ride from town to town in the county and stray on guest houses. Just watch the foos and beer. Over a 2 year period of numerous trip I gained about 20 pounds.

botto 

i've done quite a bit of riding around Fränkische Schweiz (outside of Nurnberg/Erlangen) and around the Schwarzwald.

while the riding was great, 'cycling heaven' are not the words that come to mind.

iab

I'll give a plug for Regensburg and points NE to the Cvech Republic, bordered by the A3, A93, A6 and the Czech border. Regensburg is a nice University town, not too big so there isn't a lot of traffic. Also, Oskar Schindler lived there (that is the only pop-culture reference I know). The area NE is mostly farming community - rolling hills, low traffic, small hamlets and very nice people.

If you can, get up to Plzen - good beer!