Every year for over 10 years myself and two mates Dom & Holger have gone away for a long weekend bike trip.
We’ve been to the Harz, Glentress, Trail Center Rabenberg, and a bunch of other Destinations. Each year one of us has the task of organising everything and the other two join to complete the package.
This year, its Holgers Task, and we’re going to former east Germany. He was born there and is our Ost-Beauftragte (as we say in Germany). And to Saalfeld, a small town in Thüringen close to the “Thüringer Schiefergebirge” (“Thüringer shist mountains”).
With Corona, and everything else it took us three goes to actually make it. So last Thursday night we all reached Saalfeld. Happy to be out with the boys again.
Holger had planned something special. A tour called “Two worlds” by local guiding company “Trailwerk” (www.trailwerk.bike). Named this way because the first part of the day takes place on trails in the woods, followed by the second part below the ground in a former iron ore mine.
So, let’s get started…
We met our Guide Lucas and two riders to ride the trails in the neighbouring hills. We rode up gravel roads and down on quite steep loamy trails through the woods: Maintained but not overbuilt, a little like my own home trails. We called it “Labyrinth through the trees”. After a big lunch we headed for part 2, the mine.
Lucas provided us with some headlights (I enhanced mine with the tried and trusted R4.) The mine isn’t that deep, so we rode in, down some stairs and entered the dark.
It was intense, there’s no time to rest, physically or mentally. Completely dark (beside our lights), no shadows or anything (like on normal night rides), so you have to stay focused. Some three hours later we returned back to sunlight. Shattered and bruised but deeply satisfied with the unique adventure.
We were eager to ride some of Saalfeld’s local trails as they had recently been featured in a German Bike magazine.
So the following day we met up with local guide Jens, he provided us with routes, and luckily, he decided to come along with two of his friends. 3 local guides to ourselves!
A proper HB.130 day: In the woods, loads of up and downs, and a bunch of technical trails all surrounded by a beautiful landscape. Then toward the end of the day, we visited Burgk Castle, and finished off by riding over an old (now unused) railway bridge from 1900, feeling like bank robbers on an escape!
Words & Photos: Olaf Bolting