Wow, our first visit to Germany is one that will go down in the history books! The Grinduro Germany Planning Crew made a killer 100km loop, that thanks to the heavy rain that unfortunately hit the Eifel region during the event, raised the difficulty level up to 11!
The rain did little to dampen spirits however. The picturesque town of Hellenthal and the wonderful people who call this place home welcomed us with open arms. Located close to the border with Belgium, Hellenthal acts as the unofficial gravel gateway to the Eifel National Parc, a unique natural setting with magnificent landscapes, challenging climbs, and breath-taking forest trails.
The challenging course was made even tougher by heavy rainfall during the morning, turning sections of what were once warp speed gravel track into deep pockets of mud. Riders had two options: throw in the towel and sit it out in the Grinduro Village, or power on through. Nearly all the riders stayed true to our world-famous #partytoraceratio throughout the day and were rewarded in the afternoon by glorious sunshine.
Founding sponsors, Giro Sport Design, commented “The best part of a new Grinduro location is seeing how it all plays out! The first ever Grinduro Germany went down this past weekend and it delivered all the rowdy fun you’d except from the purple party.”
Without the constant battering of rain, the trails firmed up, the speed ramped up and the rays of late autumnal sunshine lit the path back to Hellenthal and the party of all parties.
Post ride, the Grinduro party continued with local craft beer, live music from Dutch rockers the Swamp Rats followed by a wild rave set by DJ Lumberjack and friends that reverberated around the hills until the early hours. What better accompaniment for relaxin’ after all that maxin’! Grinduro wishes to thank all our sponsors, Giro, SRAM, Zipp, Time, EVOC, komoot, event hosts Canyon, and regional sponsors, Bike Components and Pirelli. But most of all, to the volunteers.
So successful was our first visit to Germany, we’re already fired up for next year and are stoked to announce that Grinduro returns to Hellenthal on the weekend 5 – 7 May 2023. Entries are now live, with a special early bird discount to save EUR 30!
