If you're looking for a location for a fun micro-adventure or a cool weekender, Germany immediately comes to mind. Close, solid, good infrastructure. When I once started cycling, I always only heard about the Ardennes and Limburg. Never did Germany come up. Strange really, because just across the border in the Eifel or in the Teutoburgerwald you have lots of great climbs and routes. But it's also a little further out to enjoy. Cycling in Sauerland is a nice option in that respect. There is a ski area so, as in 'real' mountains, it can be quite cold in winter. In spring, summer and autumn, it offers plenty of opportunities for a cool trip. I went exploring and found many challenging routes.
Text: Sander Kolsloot
Sperren all over the place
If you go cycling in Sauerland then you will notice a few things. The area is hilly, allowing you to make wonderful altimeters. Through these hills there are also several valleys and in these valleys you will find several reservoirs. At these reservoirs, you wouldn't expect it, you will also find a dam, a sperre. You can often ride your bike over these dams, which is great for instagram, but also just plain cool to see and do. Among others at the Hennesee, at the Sorpesee and a little to the south also the beautiful Biggesee with the Biggetalsperre. The region has a lot of natural beauty anyway. Highly recommended in that respect!
Basecamp
Several places in the region are suitable as basecamp. Eslohe is a nice village with plenty of basecamp options to the region. Winterberg is also popular but that is a bit more to the east. There you do have more opportunities to ride a flatter route. A spot on the Hennesee, near Meschede might be ideal. Nice in the morning in the mountains and in summer afterwards a fresh dip in this reservoir! Count your winnings.
Route throughout the region
To explore the region properly in one go, the route over the Rhein-Weser-Turm is the best way to see beautiful places. You ride from a starting point outside Olpe, a medium-sized town, with a nice swing to Eslohe on the north side before finishing with a vicious climb. A few things that make this route special:
- The climb of the Rhein-Weser-Turm is really recommended. With really nice curves, a climb of about 6 kilometres with a friendly gradient makes this an ideal climb for basically everyone. At the top, you can enjoy a nice view one and tasty snack and drink at the restaurant. I highly recommend that!
- In the 1990s, I was on holiday in this region. The town of Eslohe has stayed with me because of one thing: the Dolomiti ice cream parlour. After all, they had spaghetti ice cream there then and they still do now! That alone is worth a small deviation from the route.
- After Eslohe, you come across several loose train cars along the path. The exact background is still unknown to me, but it gives a nice mood picture! Among others, you come across a locomotive a a loose wagon.
At the end of the ride, you will have made a nice lap around the national park, right through the Hochsauerlandkreis!
Gravel paradise
That this region is not just a great place for road cycling, that becomes clear pretty quickly. You can make a beautiful route in the forests, over the hills, taking in all the highs (and lows) of the Sauerland in 50kilometres. This seven valleys tour is highly recommended. You pick up the route from Winterberg and drive fairly directly through the forests towards the Orketal. There you have a number of geological excavations that are quite beautiful. Furthermore, you have the beautiful church in Medelon where you should stop for a while. Then you get to the high point halfway through. The view at Opolt is to be framed immediately. Finally, you end this ride with a long uphill route towards Winterberg. To be honest, I came to six valleys. Probably the German count is just different.
Good info
The Sauerland cycling website (Bike-Arena) offers lots of good info on the region. Although the emphasis is on 'Genussradfahrer', there is also a lot of clear information for road cyclists, gravel bikers and other cycling enthusiasts. From routes to weather forecast and even when it's best to cycle this route. That's really nice!
Want to go on a cycling holiday to Sauerland? Then take a look at the Amateur cyclist offer. With Dutch guidance, a good hotel and nice routes. A good tip as far as we are concerned. Do you have any tips of your own? Then let us know in the comments.
