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From the Rhine near Basel to Cape Arkona in 14 days. The "Bikepacking Trans Germany (BTG) is the little sister of the "Great Divide Mountain Bike Route" - says Sara in her book of the same name. With 1600 kilometres and 22,000 metres in altitude, the route was founded as an event in 2016 by Achim Walther and Thomas Borst.
It is a self-supporting endeavour on which the participants should only accept help that they find along the way, they should spend the night in places they discover and trust in their own strengths, Sara continues.
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The route of the Bikepacking Trans Germany leads off the main roads, on narrow paths and unpaved roads through the Swabian Alb, the Fichtelgebirge, the Erzgebirge, Lusatia, the desert landscapes of Brandenburg, over the cobblestones in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to the Baltic Sea. Or as the Ultracyclist puts it:
The route takes us to areas that we would not have expected in Germany - wild, lonely, full of surprises. - Sara Hallbauer, author
But beware! The BTG can change your life. After the tour, Sara gave up her old life as a marketing manager and set off on a few more ultra tours and races - and wrote this book.
A little foretaste of Bikepacking Trans Germany
Let's take a look at the BTG route together with Sara Hallbauer. There are so many great pictures in the book itself that you would like to enlarge them all with your thumb and index finger, but unfortunately you have to realise: that's paper! But here you can ...
Through the Wental
We ride on beautiful gravel through the legendary Wental valley - a sea of bizarre dolomite rocks formed from an ancient river course.
A bed in a cornfield
We spend the night in a tiny refuge in the middle of nowhere in Franconia: I've always dreamed of this.
Breakdown in the pouring rain
The tyre is patched with wet hands and full commitment - it doesn't help! You have to accept that sometimes things don't go as planned. That's part of the adventure.
In Brandenburg
Easier? No way! Brandenburg's sand dunes also have their pitfalls. Here you have to dismount and push.
In the rugged north
A brief moment of pause, a small cheer: we've almost made it. The last stage lies ahead of us.
We've made it!
When we reach Cape Arkona and stand at the north-easternmost tip of Germany with tears in our eyes, we are happy and proud and at the same time sad that the adventure is over.
Contents of the book
The book is intended to inspire people to try it out - whether as a big trip from Basel to Cape Arkona or as a starting point for their first trip into the (German) wilderness. The author gives tips on preparation, equipment, training and route planning. The individual stages are also well described. Above all, however, the long-distance expert gives great tips on the individual sections. Each section of the route also has an overview page:
- Overview map section
- GPS data for start and end point
- Length and vertical metres to be covered including elevation profile
- Difficulty level and description
- Highlights
- QR code with link to the route on the Komoot outdoor platform
I travel to show that women can also be outstanding adventurers. And I cycle to meet people in the world with an open mind. - Sara Hallbauer, Ultracycler
- Title: Bikepacking Trans Germany
- Author: Sara Hallbauer
- Pages: 240
- Format: Paperback
- Publisher: Bruckmann Verlag GmbH
- Price: 25,99 Euro >> available here
Marc Strucken
Editor
