Maats Local Loops Germany

Local Legends

Navigating unfamiliar terrain can be challenging, so for this trip we partnered up with Local Legends we've met over the years who know these cities inside and out. Who better to craft our routes than those who ride them regularly? These legends curated the perfect routes, highlighting the best coffee stops and finishing points for cold beers and snacks. Essential for a successful Maats Germany trip. 

PNS Brand Ambassador and Maats amigo Rik de Voogd joined us and captured this trip by camera. Here you can find all routes in Komoot.

Day 1: Hamburg

On the first day of our trip, we drove the Maats Sprinter to Hamburg. This trip takes around five hours and is known for frequent traffic jams and roadworks. Fortunately, our trip went relatively smoothly, and we arrived in Hamburg around 3 p.m. There we met local legend Sebastian Friedrich, who we know from his role as brand ambassador for Pas Normal Studios. 

The weather forecast for Friday evening had been uncertain all week and didn't improve as the day went on. After some considiration, we decided to proceed with the ride, expecting a small turnout due to the warnings of rain and storms. To our surprise, a group of eight people showed up, ready to ride despite the weather conditions. Clearly, the people of Hamburg are badass!

Sebastian had put together a route for us that many people from Hamburg ride as a training ride, the perfect local loop called Deikrunde. The route took us on a the South-Eastern direction and went mainly over dikes winding along the River Elbe. People who joined the ride told us that during the summer weekends many hundreds of people ride this route as a training loop. When we started at night, the weather was still reasonable, but during the ride the wind and rain increased and so we decided to shorten the ride a bit.

Afterwards everyone was cold and wet and most people dropped out. Luckily there were a few locals (big shoutout to local legend Konrad Mader) who wanted to have a beer with us! Due to the weather, we probably didn't get the full Hamburg experience, but we certainly enjoyed ourselves. We'll be back! Probably a bit earlier in summer next time. 

Day 2: Coburg

On the second day, we left Hamburg at 5:30 a.m., heading towards Coburg, a journey of roughly 4.5 hours. Time enough to discuss our curiosity about this area, none of us had ever visited before. As we got closer to Coburg, the weather steadily improved and it started to look like a perfect day to ride some bikes. We did some shopping at a local bakery and filled up the Maats Sprinter with snacks and gas.

Our reason for visiting this less obvious destination was Philipp, a long-time friend and customer of Maats. Philipp had often invited us to explore his hometown’s cycling routes, and we thought our Local Loops Germany tour would be the perfect opportunity to finally take him up on his offer and discover this region in the heart of Germany. By far the most unknown city of our Germany weekend, but absolutely worth the trip, we found out later.

Philipp, along with his friend Maximilian, had crafted a 75 km route with plenty of climbs. Although we didn't know what to expect from this relatively undiscovered area, we were pleasantly surprised by its rolling hills and wide, picturesque views. About twenty riders joined us for a group ride, with a planned stop at the Maats Sprinter halfway through.

We managed to keep the group together as we approached the final steep climb to Philipp's house. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the finish—a warm, family-style welcome at Philipp and Corinna's home, complete with a long table of homemade cake and cold drinks. After enjoying their hospitality and saying our goodbyes, we set off for the final stop of our trip: Cologne, the day after.

Day 3: Cologne

On the final day of our trip to Germany, we visited Cologne. A well-known city closer to the Dutch border and ony a few hours away from Amsterdam and Utrecht. Yet it's a destination often overlooked in favor of the Eifel. Cyclists prefer to avoid the bustling Ruhr area with its large industrial cities. We enlisted the help of local legend Jan Recker, and that turned out to be a smart move.

Jan activated his entire cycling network, and by Sunday morning, around thirty cyclists had gathered at the starting point, ready with coffee in hand. After a quick introduction about Maats and a ride briefing from Jan, we embarked on a 100 km ride with around 800 meters of elevation. Halfway, we parked the Maats Sprinter and provided a well-deserved break for cake, cold drinks, and snacks.

We discovered that cyclists in Cologne prefer riding in large groups, as drivers are more considerate of them. It was a busy Sunday morning, and it took us some time to navigate out of the city. After about 45 minutes, we arrived in an area known as 'Bergische' where the scenery became much greener and more rolling. It is not the most accessible aera from people in Cologne because you have to cross the entire city to get there, but it is perfect if you want to get some altitude in your ride.  

Most of the elevation gain occurred in the first part of the route, and right after our halfway stop, we faced a longer climb before heading back to the city of Cologne. There, we were guests at the local brewery Zappos, where we watched Pogi winning the Men World Cup Race while we were enjoying a beer. It was the perfect ending to our day before we drove back the Maats Sprinter to the Netherlands in the evening.