Whatisit?
TheB500,orSchwarzwaldhochstraße
(literally,theBlackForestHighRoad)
runsparalleltotheeastoftheRhine
valleyinsouthwestGermany,closeto
theFrenchborder,andclimbsupand
overthenorthernspineoftheBlack
Forest.It startsjustoutsidethespa
townofBaden-BadeninLichtentaland
endsup,fromnorthtosouth,a mere
36 mileslaterinthetownof
Fr eudenstadt.
Whatmakesitgreat?
It mightbeshortbutit’ssweet.The
B500ranksamongtheverybest 36
tarmacmilesinGermany,though.With
wellover 100 cornersvaryingfrom
tighthairpinstoepicsweepers,mostly
throughtreesbutwithoccasional
panoramicviewsacrosstheRhine
valley,theB500couldtakeyouaslittle
asanhourtorideif youwantedtoget
a moveon— whichis,afterall,the
Must-ridesection
TheB500is,accordingtolocalriders(ofwhomthereare
many,andthey’reexpertssodon’tgetdrawnintochasing
themunlessyouknowwhatyou’redoing),theplacetogo
whenyou’reboredoftheNürburgring.Sothemust-ride
sectionisallofit.Butdon’tspeedinthe 50 and 7 0kph
zones(nearhotels);thepolicecan(andwill)impoundyour
bike.Policepresenceisgenerallylightduringweekdaysbut
therecanbecrackdownsif therehavebeenrecent
problemsoraccidents.Also,Germantreesareas
unforgivingasBritishtrees.Avoid.Weekendsandholiday
seasonsmeanlotsoftouristtrafficandtheB500canget
busywithbikes,push-bikesandcampervans.Thequietest
ridingtimeisduringsummerweekdaysandevenings.
pointofthe‘sports’partof‘sports
touring’.Orit couldtakeyouallday;you’ll
wanttorideit atleastfourtimes.And
therearea myriadofwell-surfacedand
entertainingsideroadsthreadinginto
theforestleftandrightoftheB500
itself.Youcouldeasilyspenda week
exploringthearea.
FromitsstartjustoutsideBaden-
Baden,theB500climbsrapidlyto
1000matitshighestpoint.Theroadis
uninterruptedbytownsorcities,but
passesthrougha fewvillagesand
alongsideplentyofpicture-postcard
hotelsdoublingasskicentresinwinter,
whenthealtitudeguaranteessnow.
BecausetheB500ishighlyseasonal
— youcan’trideit inwinterandtheriding
seasononlyreallykicksofffrom
mid-MaythroughtoearlyOctober.You
DistancefromCalais 410 miles,ontheA26/A4AutoroutetoMetz,before
crossingintoGermanyjustnorthofStrasbourg
Timetogetthere6h12m(Google),8h(withstops)
MakesureyouvisitSchwarzenbachDam,Forbach.200ftdamandreservoir
StopoveratBaden-Baden:StunningspatownwithFranco-Germaninfluence
HOWWESCOREDIT
Scenery.......8/10
Roads...............8/10
THEFACTS
5 The B500, Germany
Oneof Europe’sbestbikingroutes is aneasyride away
PicturesChippyWood
34 | JULY 2019
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