Why this ride
A 223 km round trip from Gelsenkirchen - roughly 3 h 31 in the saddle. It goes by way of Moers-Asberg, Xanten-Fürstenberg, Kleve-Reichswald | East and back through Xanten-Fürstenberg. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in and Kleve-Reichswald | East
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 223 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 31
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
The headframe of Shaft XII at Zollverein, with its red steel lattice and double wheels, is the Eiffel Tower of the Ruhr, and it is easy to see why. Designed by the architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer and opened in 1932, the shaft and its surrounding buildings were built in a clean, functional style influenced by the Bauhaus, and it was hailed as the most beautiful coal mine in the world. At its peak, Zollverein was one of the largest and most productive mines in Europe, and the adjacent coking plant processed coal into coke for the steel industry. The mine closed in 1986, the coking plant in 1993, and UNESCO listed the complex in 2001.
Read the complete Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in is where the day begins. Next is Moers-Asberg.
2. Moers-Asberg
Asberg is a quiet district on the southern edge of Moers, on the left bank of the Lower Rhine, and beneath its houses and fields lies the Roman fort of Asciburgium, one of the earliest military bases on the Rhine frontier. It was founded around the time of the emperor Augustus or soon after, garrisoned by cavalry and auxiliary troops, and abandoned toward the end of the first century, when the Rhine shifted its course and moved away from the fort. The site is now part of the Lower German Limes UNESCO site, and although there is little to see above ground, information boards and outlines help you imagine the scene.
Read the complete Moers-Asberg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Moers-Asberg comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Xanten-Fürstenberg.
3. Xanten-Fürstenberg
The Fürstenberg is a low hill on the edge of the Lower Rhine plain, just south of Xanten, and two thousand years ago it was one of the most important military bases in the Roman Empire. Here the Romans built Vetera, a legionary fortress that housed up to two legions and served as a springboard for campaigns into Germania under Augustus. In AD 69 and 70, during the Batavian revolt, Vetera was besieged, starved into surrender and destroyed, and a new fortress was built nearby. The site on the Fürstenberg is part of the Lower German Limes, the Roman frontier along the Rhine from the Alps to the North Sea, which was added to the World Heritage list in 2021. On the ground there is little to see, mostly fields and woods, but the elevated position, with views over the river plain, explains why the Romans chose it.
Read the complete Xanten-Fürstenberg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 75 km into the recorded legs you reach Xanten-Fürstenberg. Next is Kleve-Reichswald | East.
4. Kleve-Reichswald | East
South of Kleve, near the Dutch border, the Reichswald is one of the largest forests in the Lower Rhine region, a mix of oak, beech and pine on a low ridge of sand and gravel left behind by the glaciers of the Ice Age. On its edge, the Romans built military installations as part of the Lower German Limes, the frontier along the Rhine, and the remains in the Reichswald, including traces of camps, are part of the World Heritage site listed by UNESCO in 2021. There is little to see above ground, but the forest itself is a quiet, beautiful place to walk.
Read the complete Kleve-Reichswald | East write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kleve-Reichswald | East, about halfway. Next is back through Xanten-Fürstenberg.
5. back through Xanten-Fürstenberg
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Xanten-Fürstenberg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Xanten-Fürstenberg sits at 151 km, about halfway. Next is back through Moers-Asberg.
6. back through Moers-Asberg
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Moers-Asberg write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Moers-Asberg comes up about 185 km into the recorded legs. Next is Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in.
7. Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in closes the day.
Leg by leg
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in to Moers-Asberg
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in → Moers-Asberg is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Moers-Asberg to Xanten-Fürstenberg
Moers-Asberg → Xanten-Fürstenberg is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Xanten-Fürstenberg to Kleve-Reichswald | East
Xanten-Fürstenberg → Kleve-Reichswald | East is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Kleve-Reichswald | East to back through Xanten-Fürstenberg
Kleve-Reichswald | East → back through Xanten-Fürstenberg is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Xanten-Fürstenberg to back through Moers-Asberg
back through Xanten-Fürstenberg → back through Moers-Asberg is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Moers-Asberg to Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in
back through Moers-Asberg → Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.