Projekt Karl – A Social Gravel Ride

Non-Commercial. Authentic. Pure Gravel.

Blog

  • Voting the date of Projekt Karl 2026#1

    Voting the date of Projekt Karl 2026#1

    Voting is now open – you can help decide when this year’s first Projekt Karl Social Gravel Ride will take place.
    You can find the poll here: https://nuudel.digitalcourage.de/DIqwpJaO66i6FRID
    Nuudel works without registration or tracking.
    By the way, the route scouting is all done 🙂

  • Projekt Karl 2026#1

    Dear Gravel Community,

    It’s been over six months since our last Social Ride.

    But now the Karl Project is back for 2026 and will be introducing a few new features.

    For organisational reasons, only one route will be offered per event – namely the long route.

    There will also be a change to the dates: whereas previously we set the dates at the start of the year,

    this year we’re taking a more flexible approach: you – the participants – will decide the date for our first Social Gravel Ride of the year.

    To this end, we’ve set up a survey (anonymous and without tracking, of course): Nuudel

    Please vote on the proposed dates by 29 April 2026.

    However, we reserve the right to make spontaneous changes to the dates in the event of a bad weather forecast.

    The route for our first Social Ride of 2026 starts and ends in Trier at the “Haus des Waldes” (Weisshauswald car park, https://maps.app.goo.gl/4UsrziRS5Bavgvci9).

    For the first time on this tour, we will ride through the beautiful Meulenwald forest to Zemmer. Here, at the Netto supermarket, you’ll find the first opportunity to stock up on supplies.

    Passing Spangdahlem Air Base, we’ll head through the Kailbach Valley. Shortly afterwards, we’ll reach Himmerod Abbey, where we’ll take the day’s break at Café Flesch https://www.cafe-flesch.de/.

    Well fortified, we continue via Landscheid (last refreshment stop: Netto) and back through the Meulenwald to Trier.

    The route will cover approximately 116km and 2000 metres of elevation gain. Challenging, but very varied.
    The track will be published on 29 April 2026 on Komoot https://www.komoot.com/de-de/user/3121705780346 and on our website https://projekt-karl.de/tracks/.

    See you then at Projekt Karl 2026#1 🙂

  • Impressions of Projekt Karl 2025#4

    Impressions of Projekt Karl 2025#4

    Only 3 degrees and fog in the morning did not deter 8 riders from participating in the fourth edition of our Social Gravel Ride for 2025.

    And we were rewarded not long after the start: while Kanzem was still hidden in the fog, the fog cleared from Krohkreuz onwards and the sun came out. From then on, we rode through colorful forests in beautiful autumn weather.

    The great group and the beautiful route have us really looking forward to 2026. There’s still a while to go until the first official Gravel Ride in 2026, but who knows, maybe we’ll come up with a spontaneous idea for a year-end event 🙂

  • Projekt Karl 2025#4

    Projekt Karl 2025#4

    Golden October is sadly over, but November seems to be giving us one more beautiful weekend.
    That’s why we’ve decided at short notice to hold our fourth Social Gravel Ride on November 8, 2025.

    The route has been scouted to ensure that we have plenty of gravel and forest soil under our tires. We won’t say that no one will get dirty, but we will try to minimize the mud 🙂
    We’ll ride from Trier via Konz, then over the Krohkreuz to Vierherrenborn and back into the Saar Valley.
    From Saarhölzbach, we will ride another beautiful climb along the Saarhölzbach stream before heading back to Trier.
    The short route largely shares its segments with the long route, but turns back from Vierherrenborn.

    The joint start for both routes is at 9:00 a.m. at the Südbad in Trier: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rnYUrUe3AeB4D6M17 (free parking available at the Südbad)

    Key data for both routes:

    Short: approx. 68 km with 1170 meters of elevation gain: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/2655023894
    Long: approx. 98 km with 1740 meters of elevation gain: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/2655025062

    Refreshments will be available on both routes in Zerf. The route passes the Edeka “Nah & Gut” and Norma stores.
    Please bring lights for your bikes, just to be on the safe side. We plan to be back before dark, but it’s better to be on the safe side.

    If, after the ride — showered and chain oiled — you like to chat and eat with us at the Astarix, please let us know by Wednesday, November 5, using our contact form or Instagram: https://projekt-karl.de/en/contact-us/

    We are looking forward to November 8 and wish you smooth riding at all times!

  • Impressions of Projekt Karl 2025#3

    All participants opted for the long distance in the third edition of our Social Gravel Ride for 2025. So the weather forecast didn’t deter anyone 🙂
    However, it wasn’t as rainy as predicted. We had two small showers, but we were able to take shelter and continue after a few minutes.
    The route took us through the Konzer Tälchen, Pellingen and Vierherrenborn to Losheim am See. After a quick refreshment break, we made our way back to Trier in a large loop through the beautiful Hochwald forest.
    Enjoy the impressions – we all had a thoroughly successful day 🙂

  • Projekt Karl on Youtube

    You can now also find us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ProjektKarl

    Check out our Worms-based gravel friend Andor on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@andor.biking) to get an impression of our social gravel rides:

    Projekt Karl 2024#2:

    Projekt Karl 2025#2:

  • Projekt Karl 2025#3

    Our third Social Gravel Ride of the year will take place on 13 September 2025. Thorsten has scouted a beautiful route from Trier to Losheim.
    We will ride through the Mattheiser Forest to the ‘Tälchen’ valley, then on to Losheim and back via the Hochwald forest. We won’t need our swimming trunks, but we’ll definitely have time for an ice cream at Losheim Lake 🙂
    From Losheim, we will ride back over the heights of the Black Forest Hochwald and the Ruwer Valley.
    As usual, we will publish the tracks on Komoot (https://www.komoot.com/de-de/user/3121705780346/routes) and on our website https://projekt-karl.de/en/2025-en/ one week before the start of the tour.
    The joint start is at 10:00 a.m. in Trier at the Südbahnhof: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HkDTcuECxjXPECuq5

    The key data for the two routes:

    Short: approx. 67 km with 1200 metres of elevation gain
    Long: approx. 106 km with 1900 metres of elevation gain

    Refreshments are available on the long route in Losheim. We will briefly drive into town where we can stock up at one of the supermarkets.
    If you are doing the short route, you can stock up in Zerf.

    If you are staying for dinner after the ride, please let us know by 10 September 2025 using the contact form so that we can plan the number of seats: https://projekt-karl.de/en/contact-us/
    We have reserved a table for 6 p.m. at https://www.brauhaustrier.de.

    You can park at the South Station in Seniastraße https://maps.app.goo.gl/AZR8GZjrgxXunYwW8 (the car park is open on Saturdays and free of charge).

    We are already looking forward to 13th of September and wish you good gravel under your tyres at all times!

  • Impressions of Projekt Karl 2025#2

    Impressions of Projekt Karl 2025#2

    At the second edition of our Social Gravel Rides for 2025, all participants went on the long-distance route. This took us to the Hochwald forest, through the romantic valley of the Kleine Drohn, via Thalfang and then back again.
    The weather was perfect again and after a great tour, the day ended in style at Bella I’Talia with lots of conversations about gravel and the rest of the world.

    Look forward to 13 September 2025 when we will return to the Hochwald – but on a new route.

  • Projekt Karl 2025#2

    In the midsummer, it’s time for us gravelers to head into the forest! That’s why we’ll be heading into the Hochwald forest on 19.07.25 with the second edition of the Karl Social Gravel Rides project for 2025.
    Chief Scout Vera has once again worked out two wonderful routes for us.
    We will start together at 10:00 am in Ruwer at the starting point of the Ruwer-Hochwald cycle path: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zepkexsTiiinoWHAA

    The key data of the two routes:

    Short: approx. 74km with 1300 metres in altitude (Track here: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/2349571331)
    Long: approx. 96km with 1800 metres in altitude (Track here: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/2349572274)

    Both routes will pass through the “Kleine Drohn” valley. Only the long route will make an extra loop via Thalfang, where there will also be ample opportunity for refreshments.
    In addition, the long route leads via Rascheid to the “National Park View” tower with a vending machine with drinks and snacks.
    We recommend that participants on the short route take sufficient supplies with them or alternatively make a detour via Reinsfeld for supplies.

    If you are staying for dinner after the ride, please let us know by 15.07.25 via the contact form so that we can plan the number of seats: https://projekt-karl.de/index.php/contact/
    We will reserve a table for 18:00 at https://www.bella-italia-ruwer.de/.

    You can park in Ruwer in the free car park ‘An der Hüsterwiese’ – opposite the starting point.

    We are already looking forward to 19 July and wish you good gravel under your tyres at all times!