BR-Radltour
The BR-Radltour (German pronunciation: [ˌbeːʔɛɐ ˈʁaːdl̩tuɐ]) is an annual bicycle tour for recreational bicycle riders that was established in 1990. It is organized by the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (Bayerischer Rundfunk) which is therefore represented in the name of the tour. Radl is the Bavarian vernacular for bicycle (German: Fahrrad). The inventor of the BR-Radltour, Thomas Gaitanides retired in 2013 after his 23rd tour.
Normally the BR-Radltour has six leads through the Bavarian countryside. It is no competition but an event for people who prefer healthy sport and the community spirit with fellow cyclists.
The BR-Radltour boasts to be the largest bicycling event in Germany. This is only accurate for the number of participants for the whole tour, which is mostly between 1,000 and 1,300. Bicycle tours that also allow one-day participants might have several thousand more.
Registration and participation
The tour is announced in April on the internet pages of the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation. Participation is only possible after an application and winning a vacancy in the following draw. Cyclists who sneak their way into the tour will be expelled. One-day participation was re-introduced in 2016.
The tour can handle some 1,000 to 1,300 cyclists of which only a limited proportion of pedelecs are admitted. The number of participants depends on the number of available overnight quarters.
Schedule
The BR-Radltour generally starts on the first Saturday after the beginning of the summer holiday in Bavaria. This is in the last week of July or the first week of August. The tour ends on the following Saturday.
The tour
Sequence of events
The first day of the tour is reserved for the check-in. The German railways provide several special trains for the cyclists.
The tour itself starts one day later. One lead has a length of 60–100 km (40–60 mi). There are one or two water breaks and a longer break for lunch.[1] The tour has six or seven leads, so it will arrive at its destination on the following Friday. The next morning the cyclists return home, mostly on special trains.
Every evening, including the final one, an open-air concert with disco takes place on the local fairground, mostly with well-known international bands. These events are free and open to the public, as far as space is available.
Service and support
The cyclists stay overnight in sports halls on mattresses that were borrowed from the police or army.
The tour is supported by the "Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club" (ADFC), a German association of hobby cyclists. The ADFC provide a mobile workshop for fast bicycle repairs. The most important supporter is the "Technisches Hilfswerk" (THW) that transports the luggage and the mattresses for the overnight quarters and prepares the quarters (mostly gym halls). "Adelholzener Alpenquellen", a supplier of mineral water, sponsors the drinks for the cyclists.
BR-Radltour 2015
The 26th BR-Radltour started on 2 August 2015 in Weilheim and ended in Mellrichstadt (Lower Franconia). It covered 483 kilometres (300 miles).
| lead | date | start | 1st water break | lunch break | 2nd water break | destination | length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 3 August | Weilheim | Utting am Ammersee | Jesenwang | Friedberg | 80 km (50 mi) | |
| 2nd | 4 August | Friedberg | Thierhaupten | Donauwörth | Wemding | 90 km (56 mi) | |
| 3rd | 5 August | Wemding | Dittenheim | Spalt | Heilsbronn | 75 km (47 mi) | |
| 4th | 6 August | Heilsbronn | Neuhof an der Zenn | Veitsbronn | Höchstadt an der Aisch | 80 km (50 mi) | |
| 5th | 7 August | Höchstadt an der Aisch | Schlüsselfeld | Wiesentheid | Sommerach | Volkach | 78 km (48 mi) |
| 6th | 8 August | Volkach | Geldersheim | Münnerstadt | Mellrichstadt | 80 km (50 mi) | |
BR-Radltour 2016
The BR-Radltour 2016 started on 30 July 2016 in Marktredwitz and passed through Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Neunburg vorm Wald, Viechtach and Vilshofen. It ended on 5 August 2016 in Burghausen, Altötting. In 2016 there were only 1000 participants, and the tour covered only 430 km (267 mi.)
BR-Radltour 2017
The BR-Radltour 2017 started on 29 July 2017 in Gunzenhausen. After a round-trip to Ellingen and back the tour passed through Nördlingen, Gersthofen, Landsberg and Memmingen. It ended on 4 August 2017 in Sonthofen. There were 1100 participants, and the tour covered 460 km (286 mi.)
BR-Radltour 2018
The BR-Radltour 2018 started on 28 July 2018 in Mühldorf am Inn. The tour passed through Landshut, Bad Gögging, Berching, Baiersdorf and Kitzingen. It ended on 3 August 2018 in Marktheidenfeld after covering 480 km (298 mi.). The weather was dry and very hot, with only a short rainshower. 1100 participants joined the tour.
BR-Radltour 2019
The BR-Radltour 2019 started on 27 July 2019 in Bad Staffelstein with 1100 participants. It began with a round tour to Seßlach and back before passing through Hollfeld, Lauf an der Pegnitz, Schwandorf, Deggendorf and ending in Bad Füssing.[2] On the last day there was another round tour to Bad Birnbach and back. The Radltour was one day longer than usual because it was the 30th tour. It covered 567 km (352 miles) in total.
The two round tours were open for another 1100 participants.
BR-Radltour 2020/21
The BR-Radltour 2020 was planned as a six-day tour from Cham to Lauf an der Pegnitz. It had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 tour could not take place for the same reason.
BR-Radltour 2022
After two years of a forced hiatus, the BR-Radltour 2022 was announced as "finally cycling and celebrating again".[3]
| lead | date | start | 1st water break | lunch break | 2nd water break | destination | length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 July | Cham | Cham | Furth im Wald | Cham | 81.0 km (50.3 mi) | |
| 2 | 1 August | Cham | Konzell | Bogen | Landau an der Isar | 80.4 km (50.0 mi) | |
| 3 | 2 August | Landau | Dornwang | Ergolding | Langenbach | Freising | 89.6 km (55.7 mi) |
| 4 | 3 August | Freising | Petershausen | Odelzhausen | Aichach | 83.3 km (51.8 mi) | |
| 5 | 4 August | Aichach | Königsmoos | Gaimersheim | Denkendorf | Dietfurt | 95.8 km (59.5 mi) |
| 6 | 5 August | Dietfurt | Großhöbing | Brombachsee | Gunzenhausen | 82.5 km (51.3 mi) | |
BR-Radltour 2023
| lead | date | start | 1st water break | lunch break | 2nd water break | destination | length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 July | Murnau am Staffelsee | Schwaiganger | Penzberg | Murnau | 80 km (50 mi) | |
| 2 | 31 July | Murnau | Königsdorf | Valley | Bruckmühl | 91 km (57 mi) | |
| 3 | 1 August | Bruckmühl | Neubeuern | Bernau am Chiemsee | Bad Adelholzen | Traunstein | 90 km (56 mi) |
| 4 | 2 August | Traunstein | Seebruck | Bernau a.Ch. | Bad Adelholzen | Traunstein | 82 km (51 mi) |
| 5 | 3 August | Traunstein | Kirchweidach | Neuötting | Hebertsfelden | Pfarrkirchen | 91 km (57 mi) |
| 6 | 4 August | Pfarrkirchen | Arnstorf | Aldersbach | Winzer | Vilshofen | 86 km (53 mi) |
BR-Radltour 2024
On the BR's 75-year jubilee, the BR-Radltour 2024 went through all seven Regierungsbezirke of Bavaria.[4]
| lead | date | start | 1st water break | lunch break | 2nd water break | destination | length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 July | Landau an der Isar Lower Bavaria | Postau | Rottenburg an der Laaber | Geisenfeld | 94 km (58 mi) | |
| 2 | 29 July | Geisenfeld Upper Bavaria | Obermühle | Rennertshofen | Donauwörth | 83 km (52 mi) | |
| 3 | 30 July | Donauwörth Swabia | Tagmersheim | Titting | Berching | 94 km (58 mi) | |
| 4 | 31 July | Berching Upper Palatinate | Ezelsdorf | Schnaittach | Pegnitz | 99 km (62 mi) | |
| 5 | 1 August | Pegnitz Upper Franconia | Veilbronn | Memmelsdorf | Ebern | 96 km (60 mi) | |
| 6 | 2 August | Ebern Lower Franconia | Sand am Main | Prichsenstadt | Scheinfeld | Neustadt an der Aisch Middle Franconia | 104 km (65 mi) |
BR-Radltour 2025
| lead | date | start | 1st water break | lunch break | 2nd water break | destination | length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 August | Bad Neustadt an der Saale | Ostheim vor der Rhön | Fladungen | Bischofsheim | Bad Neustadt | 86 km (53 mi) |
| 2 | 4 August | Bad Neustadt | Maria Bildhausen | Bad Kissingen | Hammelburg | 86 km (53 mi) | |
| 3 | 5 August | Hammelburg | Gemünden am Main | Rothenbuch | Heimbuchenthal | Miltenberg | 107 km (66 mi) |
| 4 | 6 August | Miltenberg | Kreuzwertheim | Waldbüttelbrunn | Ochsenfurt | 93 km (58 mi) | |
| 5 | 7 August | Ochsenfurt | Weigenheim | Obernzenn | Herrieden | 86 km (53 mi) | |
| 6 | 8 August | Herrieden | Gunzenhausen | Pappenheim | Wellheim | Neuburg an der Donau | 110 km (68 mi) |
BR-Radltour 2026
| lead | date | start | 1st water break | lunch break | 2nd water break | destination | length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 August | Nördlingen | Wassertrüdingen | Dinkelsbühl | Nördlingen | 90.5 km (56.2 mi) | |
| 2 | 3 August | Nördlingen | Balderschwang | Zusmarshausen | Stadtbergen | Königsbrunn | 107.8 km (67.0 mi) |
| 3 | 4 August | Königsbrunn | Erpfting | Schongau | Oberammergau | 96.7 km (60.1 mi) | |
| 4 | 5 August | Oberammergau | Bichl | Gmund am Tegernsee | Au bei Bad Aibling | Rosenheim | 113.7 km (70.6 mi) |
| 5 | 6 August | Rosenheim | Maxlrain | Ebersberg | Dorfen | 84.3 km (52.4 mi) | |
| 6 | 7 August | Dorfen | Winhöring | Simbach am Inn | Bad Füssing | 103.8 km (64.5 mi) | |
See also
Literature
- Lutz Bäucker: BR-Radltour – Unsere Lieblingstouren: Mit Karten und Tipps, vielen Fotos und Anekdoten. Die schönsten Tourenbeschreibungen, Bilder und Geschichten aus 25 Jahren BR-Radltour. Bruckmann 2014, ISBN 978-3-7654-8763-7 (in German)
References
- ↑ "Die Mittagspausen auf der diesjährigen Tour" [Lunch breaks on this year's tour] (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunkk. 22 July 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ "Route der 30. BR-Radltour steht fest "Gemeinsam unterwegs" von Oberfranken nach Niederbayern!". Bad Fuessing website. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ↑ Christian Dück (20 May 2022). "Das Konzertprogramm der 31. BR-Radltour" (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunk. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ "Das ist die Strecke 2024!" [This is the route 2024!] (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunk. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
External links
- Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation: BR-Radltour (in German)