Leaning back comfortably in the deckchair bench, the view sweeps over a closed sea of forest. Guide Manuel has to explain what makes this view so special: "Straight ahead is Luxembourg, to the left is France - three countries at a glance." The Trails over there are said to be as good as those on this side of the Moselle, but that would be the Dreiländereck tour, for which you would need a little more time and fitness. This Gladiator Ride, on the other hand, appeals to trail fans who place less emphasis on distance and more on uninterrupted riding fun. Nine kilometres of trails for mountain bikers wind their way through the Meeswald forest around the Roman Villa Borg. Berms, bends, small drops - due to the lack of major gradients, you not only have to actively steer here, but also keep your footing at all times. Just like in the Czech trail centres, which served as a clear role model.
A special highlight is a kind of halved half-pipe. Here, the trail does not cross the small, steep slope, but goes up and down several times. At the bottom, you have to take enough momentum in a U-turn to get back up the slope and turn into the next descent. A very fun tour with a nice roll-in phase on country lanes that offer sweeping views of the Moselle valley.
The Perl MTB area in Saarland
The idyllic wine-growing region of the Upper Moselle borders directly on Luxembourg and France, two extremely bike-friendly nations. No wonder that the municipality of Perl is only too happy to join their singletrail networks and has also orientated itself on their signposting system. Under the leadership of former racing cyclist Patrick Müller, Perl is particularly focussed on the younger generation of mountain bikers. Last year, a large tarmac pump track and a cross-country short track were created in the district of Sehndorf. Only surpassed by the trails in Meeswald: here, as many trail kilometres as possible were laid out in loops in the smallest possible space. The model here was the Czech trail centrewhich are among the best in the world. Patrick Müller was responsible for the planning, schoolchildren and clubs helped with the construction and the municipality has hired an MTB officer to look after the trail. If you need a bit more of a run, simply follow the seamless signposting across the border triangle.
Overnight stay The Landgasthaus Sonnenhof also puts together weekend offers for bikers with half board, guided tours and packed lunches, www.sonnenhof-perl.de
MTB School The MTB-Saar-Obermosel association organises riding technique courses, training sessions and races. Info: www.mtb-obermosel.de
Skill Centre Sehndorf The bike facility (pictured above) with pump track, rock gardens and jumps was completed in 2020 and is open all year round.
General information freizeit.perl.saarland/mountainbike.html
MTB tour Perl in the Saarland: Gladiator Ride
- 25.5 kilometres
- 479 metres altitude
- 2:10 hours
- Trail share 34 %
- Condition 2/5
- Driving technique 3/5
- Landscape 4/5
You can download the GPS data for the "Gladiator Ride" tour free of charge at the end of the article.
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
