Climbing to great heights. Just over six hours' drive from Utrecht you'll find the student city of Freiburg im Breisgau. With a pair of binoculars, you can see the Vosges mountains just across the border with France. But there is much more to discover from Freiburg. Freiburg is, in that respect, an ideal base camp in the Black Forest. This city is actually located right in the middle of the Black Forest, the Schwarzwald. Quite close by you will find an ascent of the Kandel. With only 1208 vertical meters, it is not a high-altitude climb, but if you take the percentages into account, you really have to take a deep breath. There is still more beautiful to discover in this area. Are you still looking for a cool base camp for your next cycling holiday? Freiburg. That's all. Nuff said.
Let's go
As mentioned: Freiburg is an ideal basecamp in the Black Forest. And as a student city, there is always something to do when you return. The advantage of this area is that you can literally go anywhere. We created a beautiful route towards the ‘Texaspas’ that runs between the two ‘Kaiserstuhl’ towns of Oberbergen and Kiechlingsbergen. Because you are literally right in the middle of one of the German wine regions, you have amazing views. However, don’t let yourself fall asleep, because the gradient rates on the short climbs to 400 to 500 meters have 10% or more. That’s not cat shit. In 70 kilometers you get 700 meters of elevation gain. Nice to start with.
Kandel
The place to be in this area is the climb of the Kandel. This climb, which is a total of 11.8 kilometers (if you take the steepest part), and an average of 7.8%, is one of the most difficult in all of Germany. Not only that: you are presented with stunning hairpin bends, but you also have to overcome percentages that range from 10 to 16%. The first kilometers are still gentle, but after that it is a climb that goes on until the top. There is a kilometer that does not come in under 10% on average. Get your chest wet. There are several ways to start this climb, but the most beautiful is certainly the one from the northern direction. We made a nice ‘konigsrunde’ of 140 kilometers. You’ll be really happy after that, and in the end the beer on the terrace will taste great!
Feldberg
If you want to get to high altitude, then the Feldberg is the right climb for you. In the end, you reach an altitude of almost 1500 meters. The western variant measures almost 16 kilometers (15.8) in length and with an average of 5.4%, it is not an insurmountable challenge. In fact, it almost sounds like a good training climb. The section between 10 and 6 kilometers from the top lends itself perfectly for the better hill work. Note: the elevation gain is not below 7%, so it is definitely worth mentioning. You are almost in Switzerland here, and you can also feel that in everything. If you come here in the fall, you can shoot stunning shots. Like this one. It is really a beautiful environment to test yourself properly.
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.