Bike Arena Sauerland - Tour de Willingen

After the start at the visitor center at the Lagunenbad, we first roll downhill to Schwalefeld and should have carried out a function test of the brakes beforehand. From there, towards Rattlar and Usseln, the typical 9% climbs and descents of the tour begin. In Usseln, the road branches off to the right, joins a narrow asphalted forest path and takes us past the Diemel spring between Pön and Kalied to Titmaringhausen. Similar small mountain roads can be found in the Pyrenees. We then roll along the panoramic valley road to Referinghausen to continue on the so-called "Hochsauerland-Höhenstraße" towards Küstelberg, where the approx. 7 km long moderate uphill section offers a view of the Uplandberge to the right, the Hochsauerland plateau in front of us and the Küstelberg Schlossberg to the left. We pass this and literally "shoot" down to Medebach on the newly asphalted "strada" and see the Kellerwald shimmering in the distance. 25 km long undulating southern loop to Liesen after Medebach. For the 7 km to Züschen, there is a newly constructed cycle path next to the main road, where we then climb along a narrow forest road via Mollseifen to the Asten massif and Altastenberg. You should take the time to make a detour to the "Kahler Asten", with a magnificent view as far as the Ruhrgebiet. A kiosk invites you to take a break and you should close your wind vest to protect yourself from the wind before setting off. Via Neuastenberg, we pass the "Land of 1000 Mountains" and reach the "Großes Bildchen" junction, where an everyman mountain time trial ends every September, starting in Siedlinghausen. A 20 km long wonderful descent awaits us past the dammed water of the Neger, through forest and meadow zones to Wulmeringhausen. From there, a few more "Helligen" - comparable to the classic "Tour of Flanders" - have to be conquered before the Willinger Hochheideturm signals the end of the tour: From Wulmeringhausen into the Ruhrtal to Assinghausen and from there in 2 serpentines to Bruchhausen. Our efforts are rewarded with a view of the imposing Bruchhauser Steine, which accompany us all the way to the Rhine-Weser watershed with the "Feuereiche". After a short shot to Brilonwald, we reach the town limits of Willingen, 5 km away, via the main road. From there, we roll to our starting point at the visitor center with lagoon pool and shower facilities. The Tour de Willingen circles the Willingen mountain massif, touches the Medebach Bay, conquers the Asten high plateau and leads us back past the early historical cult site "Bruchhauser Steine".