Of course, a real Thuringian mountain biker does not gondola along the Rennsteig cycle path with the tourists. If only because there are much more exciting paths and trails winding through the 150 kilometre long and 35 kilometre wide slate mountains. Thomas Taut is one of these locals who are constantly roaming the peaks, which are not quite 1000 metres high. For days on end. And with a sleeping bag. He took our colleague Henri Lesewitz with him on one of these three-day breaks: From Schleiz, in the far east of the mountain ridge, they travelled via Bad Blankenburg to the Goldisthal pumped storage plant and back to Bad Blankenburg in a sweeping loop. They didn't put a lucky stone in their rucksacks, as the tour was exhausting enough on the first day alone with its 120 kilometres and 3400 metres of altitude. There wouldn't have been any more room in the rucksack. Sleeping bag, insulating mat, a change of clothes and basic provisions were already tugging at our backs - and already exuding enough feelings of happiness. This adventure route leads up and down the wooded ridge. Often in the form of short ramps, which require a lot of strength in the long run. Root networks demand concentration and whip your pulse up to your eardrums.
Even if civilisation is never completely out of reach, in the Thuringian Forest this does not necessarily mean that you can expect to find a supermarket in the next village. And 20 extra kilometres to the next larger village with a supermarket could be a bit short on energy and time after a long stage. So remember to fill up your snack box in good time and take the opportunity to eat a piece of pudding crumble. The calories will give you plenty of energy for the great trails in Goldisthal!
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The tour: A total of 247 km / 6400 m elevation gain / 3 stages
From Schleiz (west of Plauen) past the Hohewarte reservoir to Bad Blankenburg. Then via Oberweißbach, around the Goldisthal reservoir and via Großbreitenbach back to Bad Blankenburg. You don't necessarily have to cover 120 kilometres on the first day. The length of the stages depends on whether you want to spend the night outdoors or in a guesthouse. From Bad Blankenburg, the route can also be shortened from time to time. However, you will then miss out on the flowing trails in Goldisthal.
The report on the Thuringian Forest MTB adventure including map and GPS data for the tour can be found here. You can also download the GPS data for the BIKE tour free of charge under this article.
The Rennsteig as an MTB tour
Fishing a stone out of the Werra in Hörschel (Eisenach) and throwing it back into the Saale 168 kilometres later in Blankenstein is said to bring good luck. Hikers have been following Germany's oldest long-distance hiking trail since 1890, while a parallel Rennsteig route was signposted for cyclists in 2000. The variant is somewhat flatter, but 30 kilometres longer over the ridge of the Thuringian Forest. A good part of the route is tarmac, but there are also gravelled and rooty sections. However, no key technical sections are to be expected. The great thing about this two-day tour for bikers is that the Rennsteig is well marked with an "R" throughout. More information about the MTB tour over the Rennsteig can be found here.
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
