Dreifel's Gravel Camp 2023: 4 days of gravel fun in the Palatinate Forest

The Dreifels Gravel Camp will take place at the end of August 2023. The programme includes gravel tours, workshops and adventure talks. The location is Forsthaus Annweiler - Zum Schwarzen Fuchs, in the middle of the Palatinate Forest. The Gravel Club is behind the organisation of the event.

Who is this Gravel Club?

To catch up with those who don't know who or what the Gravel Club is, a brief explanation: The Gravel Club's beginnings lie in the corona pandemic. A loose call on Strava turned into colourful group rides with up to 40 like-minded people. Since the beginning, the focus has been on the following:

For us, gravel means freedom, fun and togetherness.

Prejudices remained (and remain) at home.

Soon it wasn't just gravel rides in Berlin, but gravel rides all over Germany and also in Austria and Switzerland. Over time, more and more activities were added. Like the Dreifels, the first gravel camp organised by the Gravel Club.

And what is Dreifels?

The idea of a gravel camp has been in the head of Sascha Eulig, the founder of the Gravel Club, for years. But it wasn't until Dreifels 2023 that the Gravel Club organised a gravel camp for the first time. "There were a few obstacles, such as a tiny little pandemic," jokes Felix Krakow in his welcome speech after dinner Tarte flambée galore on Thursday.

>> The Dreifels Gravel Camp 2023 in detail

Travelling by train and bike

I'm travelling from Munich by train. I only booked my ticket for the long-distance journey a few days beforehand. And I was lucky that there were still bike spaces that could be reserved. To avoid having to change trains, I travel to Karlsruhe. From there, it's a direct route (with komoot, planned for gravel bikes) of around 65 kilometres and 700 metres in altitude to Forsthaus Annweiler, in the middle of the Palatinate Forest. I get on the S-Bahn at 6.24am and two changes later, five minutes late, I get off at Karlsruhe main station. I have changed in the train toilet. I start my planned route on the sat nav and get on my bike.

>> Travelling by bike and train

After about 30 kilometres, I stop at a petrol station. So far I've only had a hearty breakfast. Now I have an ice cream. And on I go, most of the metres in altitude still lie ahead of me. The first climb takes me through vineyards, the sun beating down. Then it's into the forest and downhill to Annweiler. Will I be there soon?

Arrive & get to know each other

With 15 kilometres to go and a final climb, I reach Forsthaus Annweiler, the home base of the Dreifels. I am greeted and given a wristband and a goodie bag. I am told where the showers and toilets are. Then I am shown to my tent.

Moving into the glamping tent

Amazing, I have a glamping tent all to myself. Pure luxury! The tent is equipped with two cardboard beds, duvets, pillows, a clothes rack, rechargeable lamp and more.

Friday: Graveling, workshops, talk

I wake up around 6.00 a.m., far too early, I think, and close my eyes. Maybe I can go back to sleep? Thunder rumbling in the distance. Quieter at first, then it gets louder. Soon it's thundering almost continuously. It takes a while, then the heavens open their floodgates. Will all the tents be able to withstand it?

Later, I learn that most of the tents remain sealed, but two tents have "flooded". So I take Anne, a packaging engineer at Canyon, into my tent for the next few nights. Why not, there's still a bed available and so she can also enjoy the glamping experience.

It doesn't stop until shortly before eight. Now I can hear people crawling out of their tents. I join them and breakfast is served punctually at 8.00 am. Meanwhile, I can hear conversations everywhere about who is travelling which route. "What are you doing?", many people ask indecisively, including me. Two people at my breakfast table even decide to go to the thermal baths because it's supposed to rain all day. Tempting. But then I decide in favour of cycling, because I've never been to the Palatinate Forest before. And I'm here to cycle. My idea: I take one of the Orbea test bikes in my size and leave my own bike clean and dry in my glamping tent.

Orbea test bike

There is a bike in size S. This is actually too big for me, but it should work for today's chosen route (Rittermahl, 88.5 kilometres, 2030 metres in altitude). First of all, a few things have to be changed and adjusted:

• my pedals,
• my Fidlock bottle holders and
• my Garmin mount comes with the Orbea Terra
• and last but not least, the seat height and saddle position are adjusted - saddle down and forwards.

You're ready to go. Admittedly, this has taken a little longer. But my group is waiting patiently - and others are also still tinkering with their test bikes.

Gravel tour Knight's banquet

We set off, with the first metres of altitude already waiting for us. Our group consists of seven people, some of whom know each other, others are getting to know each other. The first few kilometres are characterised by technical defects. A flat tyre or a sat nav that no longer holds on to its mount cost us time, and we take it.

The group is quite mixed, some ride faster uphill, others faster downhill. Those at the front wait for those further back. And then we like to stop and chat for a few minutes longer. The weather is fine, not a drop of rain.

After just over 30 kilometres, we consider that our leisurely and break-filled riding style could become time-critical at the end. We decide to switch to the Trifelsblick route (67 kilometres, 1320 metres in altitude). That means we still have a good 30 kilometres and the refreshment station ahead of us. Yes, there are refreshments too. The Gravel Club has served it up:

• various fruits,
• Water and drink powder,
• Cakes or muffins,
• and also: local wines.

We take our time, then it's time for the last 20 kilometres. And at the end, the obligatory climb up to the forester's lodge awaits. Whether leisurely or full throttle or a mixture, a bike wash station is set up at the top for everyone and we are greeted with a warm "hello".

When we arrive at the camp, most of us clean our bikes first and then take a shower ourselves. Me too. I'm also hungry, but it's still at least 2.5 hours until dinner. So I order spinach dumplings at the Forsthaus. I also have a non-alcoholic wheat beer and a coffee.

Open End Tubeless Workshop

The tubeless workshop starts a little later. Some just pop in for a quick look, others are very busy. interested. From cleaning rims and gluing rim tape to fitting valves and mounting tyres, there is a lot to learn. So many questions are asked that the workshop continues in the semi-dark after dinner.

Dinner

Today we have pasta variations and salad. After dinner, most of us gather around the campfire, others continue the tubeless workshop and some of us continue the conversations from dinner.

Campfire talk

The Gravel Club has even invited two female adventurers and a record hunter. All three sit next to each other around the campfire in the evening. First they all introduce themselves, then one by one they talk about their experiences and there is time to ask questions.

It starts with Lea Borer, who is now travelling around the world by bike with her six-year-old son. How do you travel with a child? What do you need to consider? Won't he get bored? What about school? Lots of questions, exciting answers. Definitely an inspiration. It doesn't have to be around the world.

Continue with Leona Kringe, who cycled the European Devide Trail last year - 7,000 kilometres across the continentfrom Portugal to the North Cape. On Instagram and in her podcast, she inspires others to be brave and make their dreams come true.

And then it starts to rain. Although, rain is hardly the right word for it. It's pouring. This is probably the sign that the Q&A session with Monika Sattler will be postponed until the next evening. The rain plays no part in this report and this is where Monika Sattler's introduction makes sense for the story.

Moni Sattler is a success mindset expert, cycling record holder, keynote speaker and author - it says on her website. And anyone who knows her knows what that means. On 22 August 2022, she started her most recent challenge: the 124-pass challenge. Since then, she has held the record for having cycled all 124 Swiss passes in 26 days. How does that work? What kind of bike do you need? How do you prepare? What difficulties do you encounter? Moni can answer these and other questions around the campfire.

Incidentally, Moni Sattler also published a book this year, in line with the gravel trend and ideal for tackling your next challenge: Abenteuer Gravel-Transalp.

>> The book Abenteuer Gravel-Transalp has been published by Delius Klasing Verlag.

What will her next challenge be? Of course this question is also asked. "It's being planned and will be something different to the previous challenges", Moni doesn't want to reveal any more. But the first teaser is already available on Instagram.

Saturday: Play the same song again

The programme for Saturday looks similar to Friday: four different route options, tubeless workshop and campfire talk.

The second day of the gravel camp in the Palatinate Forest also begins with coffee and breakfast. During this time, the most common conversation is once again: "What are you riding today?". Most of them are venturing out on the 100-kilometre route today, which has almost 1900 metres of elevation gain. It's called "To the Devil's Table". And there's a reason for that: it leads to the Devil's Table.

Some have planned their own route and want to go to nearby neighbouring France to eat a pain au chocolat. I myself am undecided. I'm not really in the mood for a day-long tour, as I've had enough of those in the last few weeks. Eventually I find two fellow cyclists, Elmar and Volker, who have chosen the "Reblaus" route as theirs today. 55 kilometres and 1000 metres in altitude. I join them. The first question I'm asked: "Do you eat ice cream, Sandra?". Me: "Yes, why?". I find out that a stop at an ice cream parlour is planned after the first descent. "Very good", I think, because hopefully there will be internet reception and I can finally book a return ticket.

With Volker and Elmar, the tour is, as announced, a leisurely one. We ride together, wait for each other after climbs and take a long break at the refreshment station. Back at the forester's lodge, we wash our bikes and swap stories with others. Then it's time for a shower. Cold. As on the previous days, there's something wrong with the hot water supply. So two of my three showers are cold for the whole weekend. But that's supposed to be healthy. Maybe that was intentional? Others took three cold showers. And still others only did a cat wash.

Later, a group is waiting for Benno from the Gravel Club to give him a proper welcome. Why? Because the longest route today has found a taker in him. He is the only one who dares to take on the very long route and starts at 7.00 a.m. or earlier. The "calf cramp" is a tough one, with no less than 3440 metres of elevation gain over 160 kilometres.

Benno - Benjamin Spahn - unfortunately, and here we have to say "unfortunately", has already been able to contribute to an article on the subject of warranties. First he lost air from his tubeless wheel, then he noticed a crack in the rim. Find out how the story ended and what the warranty, liability for material defects and goodwill are all about here.

Back to the forester's lodge: we're having a barbecue today. The vegan options include vegetables, salad, potatoes and bread. There are no proteins. There is also cheese and various meats and sausages - I didn't take a closer look.

Sunday - Hangover Ride and departure

Today, after breakfast, there is only one Hangover Ride on. 15 kilometres, 260 metres in altitude, two viewpoints and, for those who want it, a single trail in the S3 to S4 category. It's blocked and has two hairpin bends, of which you can only ride one. I think about whether I'm up to it and have blocked trails on Lake Garda in mind. But I decide to give it a go.

Safety first on the trail. And so we start according to the traffic light system. One person sets off, takes a break, only then is the next person allowed on the trail.

If nobody had told me the classification, but we had just ridden, I could have ridden much more cleanly. As it was, I was expecting the worst and was too tense to ride down with a relaxed flow. There are a few stones, occasional roots and in some places you have to see which line fits. Overall, however, I find it easy to ride - apart from the hairpin bends.

Well-scouted routes at the Dreifels gravel camp

Here is a brief introduction to the routes on offer. All the routes and route sections that I have ridden are well scouted. There are often sections where I think to myself: "Well, surely that could have been planned differently" - not so with the routes at Dreifels. The routes are varied, leading from the forest into vineyards, to viewpoints and through charming villages.

Back to the last item on the programme. At the bottom, i.e. at the end of the singletrail, both groups meet up, the Singletrail group and the No Trail group. Together we head towards the next viewpoint. But together is relative here. Some push hard on the pedals and fly away, while others take a more leisurely approach. Still others are involuntarily slowed down: flat tyres.

I'm slowly running out of time. My departure is scheduled for 12 noon. I've booked my train ticket with a time buffer so that I can still say goodbye - or so I thought. But it's now just before twelve. I either have to go down to Rinnthal or, better still, to Neustadt an der Weinstraße (38 kilometres, 260 metres in altitude), where my train would leave at 2.30 pm.

If everything goes well, no problem, but if there's a defect like a flat tyre, I'll miss the train. So I just take a quick look at the view, don't wait for everyone, but ride back to camp. There I grab my already packed things, put the panniers on my bike and sneak off. 38 kilometres, a good two hours, that shouldn't be a problem, but in my head I fear the worst and step on the gas.

I arrive in Neustadt so early that I can get something to eat at the bakery shop and even catch an S-Bahn train earlier. That gives me more time in Mannheim - for a coffee and more food. And: I didn't have to hurry at all, the ICE to Munich is 40 minutes late! A few hours later, I put the key in the front door.

Summary of the Dreifels Gravel Camp 2023: A successful first time

The Dreifels is a lovingly organised gravel camp with a family atmosphere. Everyone is welcome here, no matter what clothes, no matter what pedals, no matter what bike. Everyone is united by a love of cycling.

Got the urge? Then get your diary out right away, because the date for next year has already been set. The Dreifels Gravel Camp will take place in 2024 from 22 to 25 August. I can't wait to see what else the Gravel Club comes up with.