Every year on the third weekend of March, it burns again: Cyclingworld Europe in Dusseldorf. Now, attending an event is not necessarily an adventure, but several rides take place during the event, mainly for gravel riders. Which is exactly what we were born for. To get in the mood for the event, we ride the 'City Gravel' route. A nice short route from Areal Bohler, which leaves the city fairly quickly and takes in a very nice stretch of gravel in the region. Will you join us on city gravel adventure in Düsseldorf?
Start at Areal Bohler
For this route, you start and end at Areal Bohler, because that's where the event is, of course. This route was drawn by the cool guys from The Gravel Club, who organise more events and rides like this. The route picks up the best of the Rhine bank and then also travels through the arable fields just outside the city. As we climb into the saddle, there is beautiful sunshine that sometimes comes from behind the clouds. Rain is forecast, but it seems to be staying away for a while. Supertoll! The force 4-5 wind is a major opponent, but since gravel is not about speed, that is not a problem.
Urban jungle
Ok, enough promo talk. Now to the route. The first part of the route we have to manoeuvre through the urban jungle that is Dusseldorf. The green wave is not quite known here yet, but well, we'll make do with that. Once we arrive at the rhine bank, the gravel fun begins immediately. We dive past a small marina into the field and voila, immediately a nice gravel strip, while the Rhine flows past us. Only point to note about these gravel strips: it is also in a dog walking area. Now it goes quite nicely, but not all owners have their dogs well under control. It is sometimes a bit of swinging and ringing, but eventually we get through just fine. Once we have had the gravel lanes, we ride a nice stretch along the Rhine towards the bridge, which leads us to the other side of the Rhine bank.
Miles of gravel heath
Once on the other side of the Rhine, the real enjoyment begins. After only a few hundred metres, we are steered to the left. Should we enter the water? No we don't. As it turns out, an additional path runs along the bank below, following the water for kilometres. If you wanted to, I think you could follow the river all the way to Lobith, but we turn right back into the field after about 8 kilometres and get an extra gravel dessert. We drive under the bridge and then back to the other bank. There, too, we have the gravel gods on our side again. Germany really is a wonderful gravel destination and with city gravel, Dusseldorf is doing quite well too!
Last kilometres
Once back on the other bank, we are presented with a few more pretty paths but soon it is a nice, wide asphalt road, with few other cyclists, towards the city. At the Areal Bohler, we park the bike for a drink. Then it's further into town, towards the hotel, where we again have to swing between cars and pedestrians for a while. That is another point of note, that German road users have not yet fully embraced cycling.
Cycling route City Gravel - Cyclingworld Dusseldorf
Tips for the bike geek
- While you're in town, stop by Schicke Mütze. The team at Carsten & Conrad has got it right here. Great brands, a nice cup of coffee and regular rides you can join.
- Are you in town for the Querfeld Rhein Cross Festival? Then you're not going to be disappointed either. That makes Dusseldorf one of the best places to experience cycling!
- Rund um die Kö is always a spectacle. This 'fixed gear crit' on Europe's most beautiful shopping street is one to put in your diary! Then Dusseldorf is under the spell of cycling.
- Want to explore Dusseldorf at your leisure? You can also rent a bike and take a nice tour via an Urban Art ride. You can find all the info on the site of Dusseldorf Tourismus
- Do anyway: great Asian food in Little Tokyo. Takumi is the place to be. With six branches, it is a Dusseldorf legend.
