What the foothills of the Alps are to Bavaria, the Harz Mountains are to northern German bikers. With the difference that this 1142 metre high low mountain range has much more beautiful forest trails to offer. Enough touring material for a three-day crossing. BIKE tour author Matthias Rotter travelled from Bavaria to Goslar, followed the guides from MTB-Harz and could hardly believe his luck on the single trails. Despite the typically nasty foggy rain on the Brocken.
Biking in the Harz Mountains is often a fun-filled affair
"Well, schnapps?" The conductor winks and waves a small basket into my field of vision. "Schierker Feuerstein" is the product name on the mini ampoules inside. The fiery red label signals high-percentage danger. How weird is that? A funicular railway in which the official staff personally supply the passengers with alcoholic drinks. But since I've been travelling with the boys in the Harz Mountains, nothing can really surprise me anymore. Our leader Michael accepts the train attendant's immoral offer and buys a round. His argument sounds convincing: What was originally mixed by a local pharmacist called Willy Drube as a medicine for an upset stomach can't do any harm. So cheers, Willy! Meanwhile, the little steam train snorts its way further and further into the dark forest. I feel like I'm in a historical film about robbers.
It all started with a brochure that popped up as a PDF in my e-mail inbox. It talked about a "Trans Harz", a stage tour through northern Germany's highest mountain range. Over the Brocken, of course, a proud 1142 metres high, notorious as a cold spot and witches' party mile. And the luggage list that Michael sent me soon afterwards also sounded exciting. Items such as "pocket knife, to deter snorers" and "bike lighting, due to the length of the stage" suggested that there would be plenty of adventure in every respect. Despite all the euphoria, I hadn't realised that all the bikers in the animated photos were constantly chasing along the trails in rain gear. The whole thing was signed with the greeting "See you soon ... in the forest". It almost sounded a bit like a threat. So while we literally rumbled full steam ahead to the start of the last stage, Micha prepared us morally for the final exertions. There is talk of the steepest ramps and blocked paths. But thanks to the firewater, I nod off into the land of dreams.
In the green hell
The dream is about the first stage. We are standing in a forest clearing, ready and waiting. It's just starting to drizzle. Micha and Henric, known as "Kabel" (he himself doesn't know why), are playing a game of "Schnickschnackschnuck". Single trail or road? A question that is actually out of the question. But at this moment, I really hope that the road wins. Because then we would have reached our destination in five minutes after six hours of singletrack. But the boys just can't get enough. Even the vehemently pressing bad weather front doesn't automatically tip the balance in favour of the warm shower. The hands swing into the centre one last time. Rock beats scissors, the trail faction wins. All right, the few metres in altitude on top are no longer important. And the quality of the extra loop once again meets the highest standards. Wonderful, just like all the flowing trails that have been winding and undulating under our knobbly tyres since Goslar. After all, this is Michael Sagner's concept, who, as a Harz local and tour guide, wants to prove to me that his home turf is one of the best in this country. The others in the group have known this for a long time. Henric, Philipp and Helmut have been part of the hard core for many years and enjoy being regularly chased through the forest by Micha and his partner Olaf. Barely wider than an open book, the path now winds its way through the woods towards Torfhaus. Everything is green, lush green, suspiciously green. The water droplets, which are now collecting in large numbers on my helmet shield and then slapping against the top tube, answer why. The ride started so beautifully in the morning. A steel-blue sky, one path more cheerful than the next. But no, the Harz mountains have to live up to their rough-and-tumble image.
At 800 metres like Everest base camp
The settlement of Torfhaus, already rather bleak on sunny days, easily surpasses this impression in the drizzle. Up there at the large Brockenblick car park, 800 metres above sea level, hundreds of pairs of hiking boots are laced up every day. You could almost say that the place is something like the base camp on Everest. Before the fall of communism, people looked longingly over to the listening posts on its inaccessible summit. Restricted zone. The death strip once ran between here and the mountain, in the boggy depression, where today only dead wood ghostly fingers at us from the foggy soup. We roll over slippery wooden footbridges as if on raw eggs. Any wrong turn could end in a swamp. Then solid ground under our studs again. After the endless trails of the previous day, the path over to the Brocken seems boring and as wide as a boulevard. And the comments from the hiking groups provide only limited entertainment. From "Isn't the Tour de France over yet?" to "Could you maybe give me a lift on the pole", there's a joke for everyone. It's lucky that you only meet these funny fellows in such high concentrations here in the heart of the Harz Mountains. Then it suddenly gets steep, damn steep. A dilapidated slab path from the occupation era leads us directly up to the storm-tossed summit, where we tick off the obligatory yeah-I-did-it photo with maximum routine. Because it's arse cold. Visibility not even twenty metres. Just get out of here quickly! However, as soon as we speed along the back of the mountain towards the east, the sky clears. And with it our faces, because at last the singletrack trails are making us grin again. Kilometre after kilometre. Michael knows trails in the lonely eastern Harz Mountains that not even hardcore hikers get lost on. A dream - from which the shrill whistle of the steam locomotive jolts me abruptly into the here and now. No more napping, all aboard! The conductor has changed back from an entertainer to an official and hands us the bikes from the luggage car. The sky is blue. Incredibly blue, at least by Harz standards.
These three stages of the Harz crossing by mountain bike can be found below as a PDF download:
- Stage 1: Goslar - Torfhaus (52.3 km, 1630 m elevation gain, riding time 3:50 h)
- Stage 2: Torfhaus - Nordhausen (62.8 km, 1440 m elevation gain, riding time 6 h)
- Stage 3: Drei-Annen-Hohne - Goslar (40.6 km, 1024 m elevation gain, riding time 4:20 h)
MTB information about the Harz Mountains
The precinct
The highest mountain range in northern Germany lies at the intersection of the federal states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. Extension: 110 kilometres in a west-east direction and 40 kilometres in a north-south direction. The highest mountain is the Brocken at 1142 metres. In addition to the much-visited core zone around the Brocken, there are still many lonely regions with upland moors, rare plants and animals.
Journey
From the south and north via the A7 Kassel - Hanover motorway, exits 67 (Seesen) and 66 (Rhüden). From there either directly into the mountains or to the northern edge to Goslar, Bad Harzburg, Wernigerode and Blankenburg. The largest towns on the southern edge are Osterode, Bad Lauterberg and Nordhausen.
Tour network & maps In the Volksbank Arena Harz, touring bikers will find 74 signposted routes with a total of 2200 kilometres and 59000 metres of altitude. Info: www.volksbank-arena-harz.de
Map set "The Harz Mountains for mountain bikers", ISBN 978-3-935806-20-6, 13.80 euros
Guided tours
In addition to a multi-day Harz crossing, Michael Sagner and his team also offer day tours and hut weekends. mtb-harz, Schieferweg 17, 38640 Goslar, Tel. 05321/317071,
www.mtb-harz.de
Bike parks
Freeriders will find four parks in the Harz Mountains with various DH, freeride, cross and slopestyle trails. Info:
1st Racepark Schulenberg (near the Oker reservoir), www.racepark.de
2nd Bikepark Hahnenklee, www.bike-park-hahnenklee.de
3rd DH route Thale, www.rosstrappendownhill.de
4th Bikepark Braunlage, www.bikepark-braunlage.de
