Iserlohn: Between Ruhrpott & Hochsauerland - a visit to the trails of the Dead Pedals Society
Max Schumann
· 02.10.2024
A visit to the "Dead Pedals Society" in Iserlohn
"Here we go, let's get on the roll!" Rasmus calls out to his mate Jan, who obviously knows what's going on. He gives me an inviting arm wave and tells me to just follow. The two of them gain momentum with a few powerful pedal strokes. I try to keep up. I have no idea what to expect. We fly along a forest path for a few metres, then it's off into the woods at a sharp angle - and things get wild straight away: a kind of downhill pump track in the middle of the forest takes over.
In contrast to the parallel forest path, experience in rhythmic gymnastics would be an advantage here. It's all rollable, but those who know every wave here and surf athletically will make much faster progress. I lose metres and metres to the two locals and keep seeing them flying through the air in front of me. After a few hundred metres, the fun is over and all three of us are struggling for air.
I met Jan and Rasmus at an event a few years ago. Both mountain bikers with heart and soul, that was clear after just a few sentences. At the time, they spoke enthusiastically about their club, the Dead Pedals Society, and about their new trails, which they were allowed to lay in the foothills of the Rothaargebirge with official authorisation. It was clear that we would honour their invitation at some point.
We are standing at the top of the smelting site in Iserlohn's iron forest. A place with a lot of history, as Iserlohn was one of the most important industrial cities in Prussia in the 18th and 19th centuries and was known for its wire and iron production. Today, this place is the hub for the Dead Pedals and all their mountain bike activities.
Both of the tracks built start up here and a public children's training programme is held once a week. At least once a month, people also meet up here for longer rides and once a year the club organises the Iron Race on the course. This is a mountain bike race in a creative enduro format that attracts racers from all over the Sauerland region. E
oday, Rasmus, Tina and Jan want to show me some of these enduro lines on an extensive tour through the Märkisch part of the Sauerland. I also find out how it all came about: A few years ago, a few biking members from two sports clubs came together to form the Dead Pedals Society mountain bike club. Doesn't that sound a bit like a rocker club and a rather illegal trail past?
The answer to my question will have to wait, because the three of them are already starting again. It's a seamless transition into the next trail. Right, left, bend, short uphill, downhill and immediately a bend with a berm - pedalling, then hopping again and another root to pull off. I'm slowly getting into the Iserlohn rhythm.
"Not really illegal," Tina picks up the conversation again when we eventually drop onto the next gravel path and our pulse has calmed down again. In any case, it took a lot of commitment to get these legal trails organised and created. These trails are now known far beyond the region.
Just as I'm about to ask again about the name of the club, we arrive back at the car park where we started. However, our trail from earlier is now closed. Promoting young talent! A point that, in addition to the work for legal trails, is right at the top of the club's agenda. Every Wednesday, a trail is closed just for the kids, i.e. for the "mini pedals".
Martina is running the course today, but has a few more trainers at her side because the car park is so busy. She gives us a quick wave, but then has to pick up another two-and-a-half-year-old who has strayed off the course and got tangled up in the undergrowth. The slightly older kids are already equipped with protectors and race along the trail. "The nice thing about the children's training is that it's not just for club members," explains Jan, pointing to the group of adults on the sidelines. "But then a parent has to be there and take responsibility."
It's fun to see how the passion for biking is passed on to the little ones. Little Matti shows just how well this works. The start number from his first race, which he contested a few days ago at the Dirtmasters Festival in nearby Winterberg, is still hanging on his handlebars: "Mummy, I'm going to do a flip...", he screeches as he starts off, shoots into the trail and takes off on a jump. In the air, he actually puts his hips to one side and puts the rear wheel sideways.
So if there had been a Crankworx for five-year-olds - a podium place would have been possible. There is applause, the little boy beams and pushes his bike back to the start. He doesn't mind that he bounces a little on his saddle on the next attempt. On we go.
The Schmelzbahn is a lovingly built and varied trail with lots of berms. While Rasmus explains the built-in drainage at a berm, Matti whizzes past again, now following his father. The junior programme will probably take a while yet.
So we turn to the second showpiece of the Dead Pedals: the wire reel. Rasmus and Jan take off, disappear and then you see them flying through the air again. This trail is a mixture of children's flow trail, pump track and jumpline. It's the kind of course that can be found in many good mountain bike areas, but I've never had so much fun on a few hundred metres of trail with so little gradient!
There are lots of small bends and even more waves. Rasmus is more in the air than riding. But he also designed this gem of a trail and modelled it himself with his club mates.
The dirt monster in Rasmus' garden
Just how far Rasmus goes for his love of mountain biking can be seen at the evening barbecue in his garden. With our first beer in hand, we look out over a more than impressive dirt jump line. The man from Iserlohn has been honing the perfect line here for years. He shovels again and again. "I'm close, but something's still missing."
What is particularly interesting is the information that the jumps and the landing areas are made of stone. A kind of Sölden in the Sauerland. It all started with a miniature model, through which he flicked marbles to find the optimum design for the course.
But in the meantime, Rasmus has had seven lorry loads of material from the local quarry tipped into his garden. The dimensions of the jumps are far beyond my comfort zone. It's a good thing that the approaches to the jumps are still too wet from the last rain.
The rooted trails the next day are more in my area of expertise. A wide loop takes us back through the Märkisches Sauerland. The trail sections are once again very entertaining: sometimes steep, sometimes flowing, then challenging again - there's everything that makes a good bike tour. In between, there are even a few beautiful vantage points to take a breath.
en. "Well, unfortunately the bark beetle makes that possible. A few years ago there was still a dense spruce forest here," grumbles Jan, but then prefers to choke off the topic himself: "Hungry?" Of course! Shortly before the end of the tour, we stop in front of the old Sundwiger mill. Just like hundreds of years ago, grain is still milled here today and some of this fresh flour is kneaded directly into incredibly tasty baked goods.
I take two nut corners with me for tomorrow's journey home, but even these are eaten before dinner. The Dead Pedals have plans for many more trails in the coming years. The concepts are in the drawer and negotiations with the authorities have already begun.
Once again, a lot of passion and heart and soul will be required, I think as I sit in the car back home the next day. But you don't have to worry about that with the Dead Pedals. Damn, it occurs to me that I haven't even learnt what the name is all about. Nothing to do with brutal rockers and illegal trails, anyway.
Info Iserlohn
The precinct
Located between the Ruhr region and the Hochsauerland, the Märkisches Sauerland around the towns of Iserlohn and Hemer combines a long industrial tradition with beautiful forests and surprising nature. The iron ore from the sometimes steep slopes, timber from the large forests and water power from the fast-flowing rivers allowed industrialisation to flourish here early on.
For mountain biking, there are the best low mountain range conditions here today with gentle hills, sometimes steep valleys and lots of forest. The latter are criss-crossed by a dense network of farm tracks and old forest paths. In addition, more and more trails are being created by bikers. The "Eisenwald Trails" in the city forest of Iserlohn are a showcase project for the construction of legal bike trails. And hopefully this is just the beginning.
More trails
A good hour's drive away are Winterberg, Willingen and Green Hill, the Sauerland bike parks with lifts. The Ruhr region, with its more or less secret trail treasures, can also be reached by car in around 30 minutes.
Bike shops
There are two competent shops in Iserlohn:
- Bikeman: Friendly service and all types of downhill bikes, shop owner Ralf Schuckert (Schucki) was himself a downhill racer from the very beginning and had his own racing team for a long time. Tel. 02371/7944651.
- Megabike: Expert help and advice from people who are trail fans themselves. A torn chain or broken tyre is quickly replaced in the in-house workshop. Well sorted! Info: megabike.com
Guided tours/camps
The Dead Pedals Society e.V. offers guided tours every first Sunday of the month. If you have just missed this, you are welcome to get in touch with the organisation: deadpedalssociety.com
The 3 best trail tours from Iserlohn
Tour 1: Waldstadt circuit
- Length: 28.0 kilometres
- Uphill512 vertical metres
- Trail share: 4.3 kilometres
- Difficulty: light
Tour description
This tour is the Dead Pedals Society's home game, as it includes the two official trails that are maintained by the dedicated club members. Immediately after the start, the so-called Schmelzplatz, you enter trail no. 1: the "Schmelzbahn". It curves through the forest in beautiful berms and takes a lot of riding time out of the slope with long traverses. Trail no. 2, the "Drahtrolle", is fun at the end of the tour. The line begins with a kind of downhill pump track, then tilts more steeply towards the valley and tightens up the bends. Both trails can be ridden several times and the climbs are pleasantly flat. The tour is complemented by some established paths and trails in the Iserlohn city forest, which are not designated mountain bike trails, but are almost as much fun to ride due to their very natural character.
Starting point: The tour starts at Schmelzplatz, in the Iserlohn city forest. There are plenty of parking spaces there. Otherwise at the nearby Danzturm.
Highlights: Technical bike highlights are definitely the two official trails "Schmelzbahn" and "Drahtrolle".
Key points: Both trails are easy to roll through. But with advanced riding technique, the berms and jumps are of course more fun.
Retreat: In addition to the Danzturm tower near the start and end of the tour, the Forst Löhen is a good place to stop for refreshments on the second half of the tour (at kilometre 22). Creatively furnished from rustic to overloaded, with a wide menu and a beer garden and party rooms, it is a worthwhile location at almost any time of day or night (closed on Tuesdays).
Tour 2: Lennefelsen - Klaras Acht
- Length: 17.7 kilometres
- Uphill559 vertical metres
- Trail share: 4.2 kilometres
- Difficulty: medium
Tour description
This tour in the steep Lenne valley leads in a figure of eight around the small village of Nachrodt. We started the tour at the top at Hotel Neuhaus and saved the beautiful ascent, which leads across meadows and up a flat trail, for the end of the tour. The first descent is relatively steep along a rocky hiking trail into the Lenne valley. On the left, there are always views from the steep rocks. The second ascent leads up a road. If you are not afraid of overgrown paths and a longer pushing section, you can shorten the ascent via a beautiful hiking trail (turn-off at the bottom of the village). At the top, the view opens up briefly to the impressive Lasbeck quarry and an old forest path, which becomes increasingly narrow and steep. A rapid descent with individual jumps, fast bends and a wobbly crossing over a mossy old oak tree. The ascent back towards the starting point first leads over a pasture, then follows a nice trail with a pleasant gradient and finally over a flat forest path. Always with beautiful views over the Lenne valley.
Starting point: Hikers' car park "Vorm Neu", near the Hotel Neuhaus. Alternatively, the tour can also be started at the bottom in Nachrodt, in which case the tour ends with a descent.
Highlights: The straight and fun descents and, above all, the view on the first descent is spectacular.
Key points: The descents are fun, but should be enjoyed with a little caution. Legend has it that Klara has already plunged to her death here.
Retreat: The Mr. Döner shop in Nachrodt and the grocery shop right next door offer friendly catering with Ruhrpott flair.
Tour 3: Around Stephanopel
- Length: 28.7 kilometres
- Uphill550 vertical metres
- Trail share: 5.6 kilometres
- Difficulty: light
Tour description
A scenic tour in one of the region's most popular biking areas: the impressive Hemer Felsenmeer. The tour takes a wide loop over the hills to the south of Hemer and the majority of the metres in altitude are tackled right at the start of the tour. Then it's over flat forest roads to the Quitmannsturm turning point on the Kohlberg. Storms and bark beetles have massively thinned out the once dense spruce forests, which means that the tour offers beautiful and expansive views almost throughout. The highlights await in the second part of the tour: from Leveringhausen, flat trails lead via Kriegerbrand and Kreuzeiche to the highest elevation in the region (Balver Wald, 545 m). From the cairn on the Ostenberg, a long, flowing trail winds downhill and at the end you roll carefully over the footbridges at the Hemer Felsenmeer before the tour ends at the Sundwiger Mühle with a delicious pastry.
Starting point: Caravan park near the Sunwiger Mühle mill in the south of Hemer. Alternatively: the larger Panzerpark car park near Sauerlandpark. Then the tour starts with the Felsenmeer.
Highlights: The trail on the Ostenberg, the footbridge ride in the Hemer Felsenmeer over jagged rocks and the organic and retro charm of the Sundwiger Mühle with high-quality products and pastries that can be taken from the vending machine around the clock.
Key points: None. The trail on the Ostenberg is pure flow. The only thing you shouldn't do is fall off the footbridges in the Hemer Felsenmeer.
Retreat: The farm café at the Schultenhof farm in Leveringhausen is a worthwhile stop.
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