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GBI Deutschland 2021

The green center of Germany with its wooded ridges, castles and well-tended medieval towns is the destination of this GBI tour.

Welcome to Thuringia!

 

August 6 - 9, 2021


Online registration will be open March 1 - July 22, 2021.

IMG 0666 k
IMG 9617
GBI Europe 2016 Tag 2 2053 k2
IMG 2208 0412 k
GBI Europe 2016 Tag 1 4056 k
DiSe IMG-20201125-WA0001 Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal
Unstrut Radwanderung 12.04.08 017
RoGu DSC07176 Werra Unstrut
LZa IMG 4425 k
General information

On this tour we will discover the green center of Germany in a unique way. We visit Erfurt, Weimar and Eisenach with the world-famous Wartburg, follow the Werra and Unstrut and climb the heights of the Thuringian Forest. Incidentally, we can convince ourselves that Thuringian cuisine does not only consist of sausages and has excellent beers and wines.

Tour highlights 
  - Discover many old and new sites in Erfurt
  - Visit the house of Goethe in Weimar
  - Pedal relaxed along the Werra and Unstrut rivers
  - Enjoy the Thuringian cuisine
  - Stroll on the traces of Martin Luthers on the Wartburg
  - Climb the mountains of the Thuringian Forest

 

In Thuringia, flat areas and hilly to mountainous areas alternate frequently. We have planned the tour so that as many highlights as possible can be taken with you and you can get an impression of the beauty of the Thuringian landscape. Look forward to a few days away from everyday life with the GBI.

The Global Biking Initiative wants to show you the most interesting places in Europe the sportive way. We are proud of our international participants, that makes it easy for everybody to make new friends from other countries. Our main goal is the continuous support of charity projects worldwide. We achieve this by engaging the participants to raise funds, that support charity projects in their home countries.

Here you'll find a summary of this tour.

Tour summary (PDF)

More information needed?

There might some things missing on our event page or you have some specific questions?

Feel free to contact us.

Michael Leuenberger
Tour director

Send a mail

Charity

As the GBI is a charity ride, you have to register for a GBI country (typically your home country) and raise funds in addition to the participation fee for the local supported charity in this country. The minimum donation for this event is 50 €. Each participant is kindly requested to raise more than the minimum donations to support our charity projects.

No clue how to raise funds?
Uncertain how and who to ask for donations?
Check out our tipps for your fund raising activities!

More information
Tour description

 Currently we are working hard to design the most suitable route for you. The given routes, locations and distances show the current planning and are subject to change in the coming months. The final tracks will be available approx. 6 weeks prior to the tour start

Itinerary

Day 1: Erfurt - Nebra
After the official welcome and briefing, we start our tour in Erfurt. We reach Weimar, the city of Germanys top poets Goethe and Schiller, very soon. Now we follow the Ilm and Saale river to Naumburg, where the UNESCO heritage of the Naumburg Cathedral is worth at least a photo stopp. Behind Naumburg we meet the Unstrut and the corresponding cycle path takes us to the wine town of Freyburg, where e.g. the famous Rotkäppchen sparkling wine is produced. In Burgscheidungen we have a beautiful view from the castle garden into the Unstrut valley and to our stage destination Nebra, which we reach soon.
Track 2: Shortly after the start, we leave the regular track and wind our way up to the Großer Ettelsberg. On the way we pass the former Buchenwald concentration camp. After leaving Apolda we turn towards the Saale river, which we meet at Dornburg with its beautiful rococo castle and after a rapid descent into the valley.

Day 2: Nebra - Mühlhausen
Our way initially leads us largely flat along the Unstrut. Shortly after the start we pass close to the place where the famous Nebra Sky Disc was found and make a detour to the Memleben monastery. At Heldrungen we can see the Kyffhäuser mountain and the Emporer Wilhelm monument in a distance. After cycling through Porta Thuringia, we leave the Unstrut and at the latest at Wasserthaleben we notice the increasingly hilly landscape. We are heading towards Mühlhausen with its medieval city center and the remarkably city wall, that is close to the geographical center of Germany.
Track 2: From the Unstrut valley we take a ride to the Kyffhäuser mountain, the highest point of the day. We cross the mountain completely, including a stop at the Emporer Wilhelm monument. Before we reach Mühlhausen, we make a short detour to the official center of Germany near Niederdorla.

Day 3: Mühlhausen - Eisenach
On the third day we will accompany the Unstrut again for a short while. At Dingelstädt we turn onto the Kanonenbahn cycle path. With its numerous viaducts and tunnels it provides plenty of variety. After approx. 30 km we reach the highest point of the day and pedal (with some challenging counter climbs) down into the Werra valley. At Treffurt there are numerous relics of the German-German history, e.g. the agent lock and the listening post on the Heldrastein. From here, perhaps the most beautiful section of the Werra Valley brings us to Creuzburg with its beautiful medieval bridge and on to Hörschel, the gateway to the Rennsteig. A little later we reach our today's destination Eisenach, where we can see the mountainous ridges of the Thuringian Forest with the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Wartburg.
Track 2: As soon as we leave the Kanonenbahn cycle path, we climb up to Katharinenberg, cross Track 1 at Großburschla and follow a car-free mountain road to the Heldrastein, which, with its significant ascent, lets you forget the scenic beauty for a short time. Behind Treffurt, both tracks reunite on the way to Eisenach. If you like, you can take a detour to the Wartburg at the end of the day.

Day 4: Eisenach - Erfurt
Today we cycle a large part of the day along the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest. Track 2 can expect some challenging climbs in this mountain range. Later we turn north and get back to Erfurt to the starting point of this tour.

Date Route Track Distanc Climb
August 6, 2021 Erfurt - Nebra 1
2
104 km
135 km
570 m
1210 m
August 7, 2021 Nebra - Mühlhausen 1
2
114 km
158 km
540 m
1370 m
August 8, 2021 Mühlhausen - Eisenach 1
2
105 km
106 km
840 m
1120 m
August 9, 2021 Eisenach - Erfurt 1
2
102 km
tbd
520 m
tbd

The tracks of the different stages differ in general regarding their length and the climb as well as the surface.

Track 1

Recommended for all kinds of bikes including road bikes. Only paved roads on the track, if there is a need to use some (short) gravel sections, these are possible to cycle even with road bikes. If possible the track follows cycling paths.
Shorter and less challenging than track 2.

Track 2

Recommended in particular for road bikes, but possible for all kinds of bikes. Only paved roads on the track, if there is a need to use some (short) gravel sections, these are possible to cycle even with road bikes. If possible the track follows cycling paths.
The distance is longer and more climb than on track 1.

Teamleader

We are looking for engaged team leaders for this tour.

If you are interested in being a team leader, please send us a mail and we will contact you for more information.

Your responsibilities

You define the team details (e.g. average speed, which track your team will follow, etc.), to help participant to identify, whether your team is the right one for them.

 You will lead a cycling team of up to 10 cyclists during the tour.

Your are the communication channel between the tour office and your team. Don't worry, this is less work than expected!

Your benefits

 Teamleaders will be mentioned on our homepage with name and picture

A GPS device with preconfigured tracks (if needed) as well as a tracking device will be handed to you for the tour.

You support one of the world leading charity cycling events with your engagement and generate unforgettable memories for you and your team mates.

Apply as a team leader

Contact us

GBI Event GmbH
Aachener Str. 4b
DE-41564 Kaarst

info@gbi-event.org

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