Munich is probably not the city or the destination you would be thinking about for a cycling vacation, right? But let’s get straight to the point, it actually should be! For some years I have been strolling around in the Munich backcountry on my bike while visiting family and friends and spending summer and winter holidays. I’ve always enjoyed my rides over there, be it on the roadbike, mountainbike or on the gravel bike. So, this summer while I was over there, I decided that I should do a little write-up on cycling in the Munich area.

The city itself is probably best known for its “Oktoberfest”, a big beer festival that happens on the Theresienwiese in Ludwigvorstadt in, you guessed it, October. But apart from this there’s plenty the city has to offer. You have great museums like Brandhorst or the Pinakotheken, great parks like Englisher Garten (with its inner city white water surfing spot on the Eisbach that you should definitely check out) and much more than a Lonely Planet guide will reveal to you. What you probably won’t find in the lonely planet are the cycling hotspots, so we picked the best for you the city has to offer. To be honest, if you’re cycling and you need repairs, there are a lot of bike shops spread out over the city which carry all the big brands so it should be relatively easy to find spare parts.

As an adventure cyclist there’s only one place we would recommend you go to and that is Guten Biken, located in the heart of the city on the Thomas Wimmer Ring. Apart from being a great shop they probably have one of the nicest logo’s I’ve seen to date; a guy with a typical Bavarian “Jäger” hat riding a “Breze” (the Bavarian word for Pretzel). The shop was founded 10 years ago by Kevin White and Davo Phillips. Guten Biken offers all the stuff you need as a bikepacker or adventure cyclist, so if you need a repair or are just looking for some new stuff, you know where to go. Together with Brother cycles, these guys have organized the “Brother in the wild” campout in 2019. Sadly, they had to cancel the 2020 edition because of the ongoing Covid-19 situation but we sincerely hope they can go for a new edition in 2021. So, keep an eye on this because this could be a very nice first acquaintance with some adventurous cycling out off one of Germany’s biggest cities.

Another treasure we like to share with you are the Bici Baverese cycling bars and shops. When we visited Munich in August, we passed by the original place in the Pariser Strasse. By then, they had also just opened a 2nd and bigger location in the Türken Strasse in Maxvorstadt, which we were unfortunately unable to visit. Bici Baverese is the perfect blend between vintage cycling culture and classic Bavarian folklore. From the vintage cycling jerseys and steel frames on the wall to the beautiful handcrafted wooden furniture and the “wolpertinger” on the cupboard, it all breaths authenticity. These guys specialize in retro bikes and high end roadbikes and are starting to offer gravel bikes now too. In better times their locations are highly recommended for pre- or post-ride coffees. Apart from the shop they also organize the Giro Baverese, a bike rally for vintage bicycles not unlike the more famous L’Eroica in Tuscany or the Retro Ronde in Flanders.

Although you can start cycling from the inner city, one general rule is the further you go the more beautiful and natural it all gets. If you wander South you will soon find yourself in the foot hills of the Bavarian Alps, if you pedal North-West you will end up in the Bayrische Wald and if you go out West you will be coasting the hills of the Dachau backcountry. If you start from the city center, the Isar-trails are great on a mountainbike or on a beefy dropbar bike while a big loop through the Englisher Garten with a stop at the mini-Hofbräuhaus is also recommended. But as we like rough stuff the most, we like to venture out of the city and discover trails and backroads in the Bavarian outback around Munich.

Like I just mentioned, the further out, the better. Munich’s S-bahn system quickly takes you from the inner city to any place within an hour. That’s why we opted to create our tours from S-Bahn stations. Of course, there is always an alternative starting point if you go by car, but that is entirely up to you.

Our first ride (91km) starts from the city of Dachau, a small city west from Munich infamous for its concentration camp for political prisoners during the Nazi-rule. The ride starts from the train station close to the Altstadt. As soon as you get out of the city this ride will take you over rolling hills on smooth gravel roads, forest paths and the occasional single track to the most Western point near Odelzhausen. On the route we squeezed in two nice beer gardens. The 1st one, a castel brewery is located after you crossed the highway at km 39 in Odelzhausen. It offers fine food and they serve their own beer. The 2nd one, a Wildhood favourite, is the beer garden at Mariabrunn (km 70). With its romantic location under old tall trees it is probably one of the nicest spots in the whole Munich area. You will enjoy the mellow hills and the smooth compact gravel the area has to offer on this 91km long day-adventure with 700 m of elevation.

The two other rides we created are situated more southbound from Munich. Both are day adventures which you can also combine into an XL adventure. Like on our previous ride in Dachau both rides start at a train station with an S-Bahn connection. One ride leaves from Herrsching and pulls a loop around the Ammer See (75km) while the other leaves from Starnberg and circles the Starnberger See (87 km). The rides cross paths at Kloster Andechs, a monastery famous for its brewery and with a classic beer garden having a nice view on the Alps. Andechs is also a great starting point if you decide to go by car. Both rides will let you enjoy some moderate climbing, smooth gravel and country roads. You will have some opportunities to take a dip in the lakes, so we suggest you take a pack-towel and your speedo’s or a bikini. The landscape is different from what you will experience in the Dachau area, the towns and the whole scenery are slightly starting to feel more alpine. Food and water are easily available in the towns you pass. At first glance this area might seem quite touristy, especially at the beaches near the lakes, but once you get out and into the hills you won’t meet too many people except the occasional hiker and some curious cows.

So once more, Munich is a great stop to spend a couple of days when you’re on your way to or from Austria and Italy and want to experience some great riding and Bavarian culture. If you go to our Komoot page you will find gpx-tracks from all 3 rides. So, hop on your bikes, enjoy the landscape and say “Schön ge!” when you’re in awe of your surroundings.

Words: Philippe Michiels

Photograpy: Philippe Michiels

Munich outback