Across the fields - Max Marquardt
It is the spring of 1919, the First World War has been over for a few months, but its consequences are omnipresent. Millions dead and injured, devastated landscapes, towns and villages in ruins, roads and paths torn up, bombed and filthy. The survivors fight for their daily bread and to alleviate the greatest need. Hardly anyone is thinking about cycling races at this time - except the editors-in-chief of the French newspaper "Le Petit Journal". In the tradition of French gazettes, which view cycle races primarily as sporting spectacles that can be written about to increase circulation, "Le Petit Journal" launched the Circuit des Champs de Bataille. This "battlefield circuit" was to start and finish in Strasbourg and follow the course of the war front in 1918 over seven stages - as a "triumph of life over death", according to the newspaper's pathos-laden announcement.
The race started on 28 April 1919, took place only once, was incredibly tough for the 87 registered riders and came very close to being abandoned more than once. German journalist and author Max Marquardt took this race, which has been largely forgotten by cycling history, as an opportunity for a very special gravel tour. In seven stages, he follows the route of the 1919 race, visits historical (war) sites, but also discovers modern-day sights and explores the culinary specialities of the regions he cycles through. He interweaves his experiences with the reports on the historic battlefield tour to create an opulent, almost 260-page illustrated book that you can browse through for hours. The book also contains GPS tracks to follow the route and lots of tips on places of interest, cycle cafés along the route and places to stay overnight.
Max Marquardt "Über die Felder; Gravelbiken in Frankreich und Belgien auf den Spuren des härtesten Radrennens aller Zeiten" Delius Klasing Verlag, 49,90 Euro.
Allgäu Gravel - Ines Thoma and Max Schumann
Allgäu? I know it, some may think - from travelling through to cycling areas further south. Lindau, Oberstdorf, Füssen, Kempten, these town names sound familiar to many, but in fact a varied and often still unspoilt landscape stretches out between these popular tourist destinations, spanned by a dense network of gravel, cart and farm tracks - resulting in a gravel bike area in a class of its own.
Ines Thoma and Max Schumann, both at home in the Allgäu and both well-travelled as mountain bike racers, have taken this insight as an opportunity to write a tour guide specifically for gravel biking. The 160-page book contains 20 tour descriptions, which are enriched with many tips for sights, cafés, bike shops and accommodation options from campsites to hotels and are lavishly illustrated. The printed Komoot maps provide an overview of the tour route and the GPS tracks can be found on Komoot in the "Allgäu Gravel" collection.
Ines Thoma, Max Schumann "Allgäu Gravel; tours, enjoyment & favourite places on the edge of the Alps" Delius Klasing Verlag, 29.90 euros.
Transalp with the gravel bike - Uli Preunkert, Holger Schaarschmidt
Crossing the Alps is possible with any type of bike - but the suitable routes differ fundamentally. Uli Preunkert has been organising Transalp trips for mountain bikers since 2003 and therefore also knows the routes that are suitable for gravel bikes. The practical guide that he has published together with Holger Schaarschmidt offers nine tour suggestions for a gravel bike holiday. The routes start in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Traunstein or Salzburg and lead to Lake Garda, Lake Como or the Adriatic Sea. The book is clearly organised and attractively designed with beautiful photos. The tours promise to be geared towards gravel biking - not as difficult as some mountain bike tours, but not too much road either. The printed maps are only suitable for a rough overview - the GPX tracks available for download enable stress-free navigation.
Uli Preunkert, Holger Schaarschmidt "Transalp mit dem Gravelbike" is available from Bruckmann Verlag for 22.99 euros.
