Hansegravel Adventure
Posted By Gravel Union
On 23 June 2020
Timo Rokitta and Torsten Penkuhn, gravel fans and event organisers for the Nibelungen Gravel Ride, have sent in this great write-up of a recent gravel adventure from Hamburg to the German/Polish border.
Hanse is the name of the association of North German merchants between the mid-12th century and the mid-17th century, the aim of which was to promote free trade and common interests abroad. The first cities to form a covenant were Lübeck and Hamburg. Other coastal cities such as Lübeck, Hamburg, Bremen, Wismar, Rostock, Stralsund, Greifswald, Danzig and Königsberg joined soon after.
Today you can follow the Hanseatenweg, a marked path from Hamburg to the Polish border, which is ideal for gravel bikes. We start our adventure at the outskirts of Hamburg. Here, at the beginning the track follows the banks of the River Alster. The path is very narrow and technically demanding at times. After an hour of riding, the route opens up to fast slopes up to Bad Oldesloe. Here I have the first and only flat tyre on our entire tour!
Riding beside the River Trave we cruise nicely to Lübeck. We cross the old fishing village of Gothmund with its picturesque thatched roofs. Our first stage ends in the port of Travemünde, where we watch the ferries coming from Sweden.
On a small ferry we cross over to Priwall. Quickly we arrive at the former inner German border, known as the Iron Curtain, at the village Vorwerk. Thankfully this border is the past and we enjoy top notch gravel roads. Every now and then there are sandy sections that cause our gravel bikes to lurch like crazy. We reach the Baltic Sea and follow it on a narrow single trail. We have our lunch break in the nicely refurbished Hanseatic city of Wismar. Via graveled alleys and forest paths we reach Bad Doberan two hours later where we spend the night.
The old steam railway called "Molly" crosses our path here with a snort. A few meters later we head back into the forest towards Rostock. After crossing the Hanseatic city, the route goes on towards the Bodden to Ribnitz-Damgarten. We enjoy a perfect fish for lunch that was caught the same morning and sold directly from the fisherman's boat. Via those typical concrete slabs we ride to Stralsund with its remarkable old town.
After Stralsund the route leads along 25 kilometers of bone shaking cobblestones to Greifswald. The last day of our tour takes us to Wolgast on the island of Usedom - it gets foggy and humid. The wind blows violently from the sea and the path in the forest is lit mystically and mysteriously. Unexpectedly, the steepest climbs of the trip await us here. Often, the gradient reaches up to 16% just before we reach the old seaside resorts of Heringsdorf and Ahlbeck.
Our journey on the Hanse Trail ends at the Polish border. We covered over 430 kilometers of great landscapes and passing through many of the old Hanseatic cities. Combined with the charm of the old GDR, we truly enjoyed an unforgettable gravel adventure.
For more details on Timo and Torsten’s route, check out the link here