With a choice of routes, fantastic scenery and a chance to tackle the infamous “Super Planche des Zellertal" with an unbelievable 28% gradient, not to mention some speciality flame grilled salmon as a post-ride feast, the Nibelungen Gravelride sounds like an amazing event. Timo Rokitta reports from the sixth edition, which was held recently in Worms, Germany.
It is now six years since we ran the premiere edition of the Nibelungen Gravelride in Worms, Germany. The number of participants has increased over the years from 34 starters in 2018 to well over 300 in 2023. This is clear proof of the popularity [and good organisation] of the event. At the Nibelungen Gravelride there are different routes for the participants every year and the route lengths and the associated requirements also vary from year to year. This year we went to the mystical "Monster Lake" in the Palatinate Forest. Only the short route of 70 km branched off in the direction of the Rhine plain.
As usual, the evening before the main event there was the popular Welcome Ride which took participants over a course 40 km in length. Here too, the speed was set high as the riders literally flew over the gravel roads. On Saturday, at exactly 8 a.m., the 100 or so riders of the 160 km route lined up at the start. Also at the start was MTB racing legend Karl Platt, who lives almost next door. Karl Platt achieved his greatest successes at the Cape Epic. He has won the South African mountain bike stage race five times since 2004. Apart from him, only the Swiss racer Christoph Sauser has managed to do this. In 2008 and 2015 "King Karl" also became German champion in the MTB marathon event.
An hour later, the riders for the 120 km route set off. They had to cope with significantly fewer meters in altitude gain than the riders in the 160 km group. Their route initially led from Worms along the River Rhine for a while on an old gravel railway bike path. They then headed towards the first hills, which are covered in vineyards. After about 50 km there was the first of the aid stations. There were all sorts of goodies on offer - in addition to cakes, there were chips, milk rolls and biscuits, plus, as usual, healthy bananas and apples.
The organiser arranged the route in such a way that the hardest climbs could only be tackled in the last third of the route, which didn't make things any easier. In addition to the "Wand" of Asselheim with a gradient of 24%, there was a special highlight at the end, the "Super Planche des Zellertal" with an unbelievable 28% gradient. Overall, the route had everything to offer that gravel bikers like - fast gravel roads, steep climbs, technical singletracks and often intoxicating views of the picturesque landscape.
The fastest riders needed just over 6 hours and thus managed an average speed of well over 26 km/h on this demanding route.
A post-ride massage and a taste of the legendary salmon flambée then rounded off the successful gravel day. The best news, however, was that a donation of almost EUR 5,000 was collected, which will be donated to the Worms Children's Hospital.
It was also really international - the participants came from all over Germany, such as Hamburg, Berlin or Bavaria, as well as from Mexico, Poland and Spain. A trademark of the event, which is aimed more at amateur athletes than at top athletes in the gravel riding world, is certainly the Rhenish-Hessian cordiality. As an example, each year there is the group of four physiotherapists from the hospital Worms who intensively take care of the muscles of the gravel bikers with a relaxing massage after the tour. "Fun and enjoyment on the tour through nature" is the motto for the event. One participant said aptly that he couldn't stop smiling - “I was on the road for three and a half hours. Three and a half hours of fun and enjoyment, riding through nature,” he announced. Even if a heavy summer rain shower slowed down some of the riders, all you saw at the Bistro Pit Pat near the finish line were happy cyclists.
Images courtesy of Andreas Rausch
You can find the route of the 160 km event here: