The organisers of the legendary Nibelungengravelride organised a very special gravel event on July 31, 2021 - the Siegfried Gravel or SiegfriedGRVL. Why the name SiegfriedGRVL? “Siegfried was the best and toughest fighter in the realm of the old Nibelungs story. He even killed a dragon and could only be defeated by using a magic trick."

Thirty-four gravel bikers, including a mix of men and women, were at the start to complete this extremely tough challenge. 250 kilometers of riding and almost 3,000 meters in altitude gain were waiting for the participants. The neutralised mass start took place at 8 a.m. After completion of the first kilometer, the event proper started and groups of different speeds were formed.

From the start in Worms, the route went along the Eisbach towards the west. After a few beautiful sections of trail, the Palatinate Forest was reached. Over the Ungeheuersee and the Langental we went, before arriving into Altleiningen with its imposing castle.

After the remote Lauberhof, the track led over an old decaying road which took us to shortly before Kaiserslautern. There was a surprise checkpoint with food here. The route here made an arc back to the picturesque lake Eiswoog. Here the gravellers immersed themselves in the dark forest with its mystical stories. The old Rosenthaler monastery was another highlight before we left the forest at Kerzenheim.

From the route rolled more quickly through a wind farm and then almost exclusively downhill to Worms, where a well-laden refreshment station waited for the participants at the start and finish area after the first 125 kilometers. From here, the route headed out on to the second loop.

On the Rheinterrassenweg it was initially up and down and with a wonderful view over the vineyards to Nierstein. If you felt like it, you could take a short break with coffee and cake on the market square. Later, the route led in a clockwise loop, initially on the Roter Hang to Selzen. Afterwards, the participants were challenged with bumpy cobblestone-laid trails through extensive fields. The Rhine was reached at Bodenheim. The last 50 kilometers were flat and almost always led off-road alongside the river to the finish.

The winners were two amateur cyclists from Trier who had come especially for this event. They completed the 250-kilometer route in incredible 10 hours and 35 minutes. Of the 34 gravellers who started, 25 reached the finish. The final four riders arrived at the finish line just before it closed at midnight. Everyone agreed that this event was epic and needed to be repeated!