Trail Centre Rabenberg (
Photo above
)
Park 5 out of 6 points
Info www.trailcenter-rabenberg.de
Trails Five laps of up to 26 kilometres; large pump track
Costs Nine euros for trail use
22 varied single trails make up for the difficult journey to Rabenberg/Breitenbrunn. Five perfectly signposted laps offer numerous flowing, easy-to-ride slopes as well as natural, technical trails with lots of roots. If you want to have fun on all trails, it's best to get on a fully with 120 millimetres of suspension travel or more. Uphill trails are mostly on forest roads. Campers can pitch their tent directly at the trailhead next to the well-maintained sanitary facilities, otherwise there are affordable rooms at the Rabenberg sports park.
Trail park KlÍnovec
Park 5 out of 6 points
Info www.trailpark.cz.de
Trails Four descents for all skill levels
Costs 20 euros per day ticket for the lift
From Rabenberg, it's just a 30-minute drive to Oberwiesental, then just cross the border into the Czech Republic and you'll reach the newly renovated Klínovec trail park. In addition to a challenging downhill trail, children and less experienced riders will get their money's worth on the newly created flow trails. Trail artist Thomáš Kvasnicka has conjured up two seemingly endless descents here. While the Azur Trail follows the Pod Smrkems model and makes it easier to get into the bike park without any jumps, the Rubin Trail is also fun for experienced bike park riders. The faster you ride on the eight-kilometre trail, the more challenging the crushed sand slope becomes. All the waves can be rolled over or jumped, which makes the ride extremely fun. A descent on the Rubin Trail takes around 15 minutes. The chairlift takes bikers back to the trail entrance in 13 minutes. If you want to conquer the 500 metres in altitude under your own steam, it takes around 50 minutes on the forest road. The new Baron Trail is also due to be completed this autumn.
Bikewelt-Schöneck
Park 4 out of 6 points
Info www.bikewelt-schoeneck.de
Trails Five downhill runs for all skill levels; large practice course with pump track and many jumps
Costs 23 euros (children 14 euros) per day ticket for the lift
The slope in Schöneck has an altitude difference of just 120 metres, but with five completely different routes it still manages to inspire every biker. Beginners or children will be happy on the easy Flowline, while advanced riders can try their hand at big jumps on the Jumpline. Enduro or downhill riders will find a beautiful, natural trail on the Rock'n'Rock trail, which challenges even bike park cracks with its many small jumps, a wall ride and a washboard. The drawback: the lift is slow and there are no camping facilities. The best place to stay overnight is the biker-run Pension Rosenhof in the centre of Schöneck.
Singltrek Pod Smrkem
Park 6 out of 6 points
Info www.singltrekpodsmrkem.cz/de/
Trails Over 100 kilometres of single trails can be combined in various laps
Costs Free trails
Nové Mesto Pod Smrkem is a little out of the way near Görlitz, but flow fans should have seen the winding network of trails. Over 100 kilometres of groomed single trails attract 50,000 bikers to the Czech province every year. The flowing trails are mostly made of crushed sand, only very rarely interspersed with stones or roots and offer a lot of fun for all skill levels. As in Rabenberg, there is no lift here either - every metre of descent has to be worked for. The campsite at the bathing lake isn't brimming with luxury, but fulfils its purpose. Various pubs along the route and at the trail entrance provide the best catering. Those expecting tough enduro trails will be disappointed.
Black Mountain Bike Park
Park 4 out of 6 points
Info www.black-mountain-bikepark.de
Trails Four descents for all skill levels
Costs 25 euros (children 19 euros) per day ticket for the lift
Similar to Schöneck, the bike park in Elstra (approx. 30 minutes north of Dresden) only has an altitude difference of 120 metres. However, ex-racer Robin Klinkert, in collaboration with Josha Forstreuter, has created an excellent park on the slope with great attention to detail. The flowline is absolutely suitable for beginners, and thanks to table jumps, you can also slowly approach the difficulty level on the park or jump line. The drag lift to the summit takes just four minutes.
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Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
