The MadMilers were an eclectic collection of misfits who rode mountain bikes in the Heidelberg area. Three of the four founding members have since left the country, so we bequeath this page of riding knowledge to all fellow riders.

The MadMiler name comes from the first big rides we tried to ride together in the summer of '98: one vertical mile of climbing on single tracks. After hours of painstaking work pouring over maps (this was before Google Earth!), Andy finally came up with the initial route. All founding members as well as guest Chris Springett completed the run. Check out the route below.

Biking in Heidelberg

Good mountain biking is to be found in Heidelberg, once you know the area.The trailheads for most single trails are hard to find, but once you're on a track, its usually easy going. Most riding is either around the Königstuhl or the Weißer Stein, the two hills on either side of the city.

The Weißer Stein lies North of Heidelberg at an altitude of 560m. It generally has less tourists and walkers than the Königstuhl side. Between the two is the Neckar river, so to get to either one a 450m climb is a minimum necessity. The Königstuhl, at 570m, is the highest point around Heidelberg and has most of the best single tracks, including the Felsenmeer (Sea of Rocks), Silverback and Rocky Path. Both peaks have a restaurant offering coffee and cakes (in winter) and ice-cream (or beer for the less sporty) in the summer.

Most junctions in the woods have a large 'signpost' boulder - on the side of these rocks you'll find arrows giving directions. Incidentally, the state of Baden-Wurttemberg has a by-laws which says that biking on any trail less than 2 meters wide is illegal, so all single track riding is theoretically punishable by law. You've been warned!

Andy's MadMile Route (4 1/2 hours riding time, 52km, 2150m height gain)

The general consensus is that this route fits in all the top routes in the Heidelberg area, and is about as hard as it can get. On the negative side, it is a little convuluted - the other MadMilers are trying to conjure up a improved route. The full route is:

From the centre of Heidelberg, go South on Rohrbacherstraße
Up Steigerweg to Rocky Path
Down Silverback to the Wolfsbrunnen
Up the Felsenmeer
Down Auerhahnenkopf
Cross the river in Ziegelhausen
Up and across Sidewinder,
Down the Alpe D'Huez serpentine,
Up to Thingstätte,
Down Rollercoaster and up Trim-Dich,
Down Simon's Knee,
Up Judo Roll,
Down Jägerhütte,
Up Dossenheim climb to end at the Wießer Stein.

Click on the links to find a trail decription.

Some other worthwhile routes include:

MadMilers Way
Straight Serpentine