Worms to Karlsruhe

Worms, GermanyRoad

Retraced from the map Ridden by Marcus on 5th September 2015; the recording was lost, so the line is the road between the day's towns, drawn from OpenStreetMap (the rider logged 147 km that day). The blog's 147 km includes the loop lost in the forest after Speyer; the retraced line is the intended road.

94 km
Distance: 75 m
Elevation gain: Moderate
Difficulty: Paved
Surface

Download GPX Map

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 75 m
Distance: 94 km

Rider notes

This is the day we hope to forget…or remember for a lifetime. Disturbingly it should have been a relatively sedate 88k but turned into a horrific 147km and a hotel arrival at quarter to 1 in the morning. Where did it all go wrong? Here’s the route we were supposed to follow between Worms and Karlsruhe.

We stopped in Speyer at around 4.30pm after around 55km on the road. What should have been a fairly easy 40km or so became more like 95km. We’re not entirely sure this happened but it seemed to be related to a decision to switch off navigation and follow the signs for Eurovelo 15. We picked up signs and entered a heavily forested area. A dozen or so km later came a feeling that we may have missed a sign. Indeed, there was a further feeling that we may have been routing in a circular fashion. We found ourselves surrounded by fields with a small orchard adjacent. I spotted a very juicy looking apply hanging temptingly within reach and it was debated whether or not it was ok to take said apple from the tree. I did and what a nice apple it was. But…was the theft of the apple the reason for the awful payback to follow?

Around 1 hr after rotating through forest trails and fields I had that familiar feeling. Hearts and minds sank as I spotted a building that we had definately passed 1.5 hrs earlier. From there we were forced to retrace another 10-12km back across a road bridge to the other side of the Rhine. At this point, we attempted to plot a course for a place called Lemersheim. Some debate followed about Garmin vs Google Maps, and bridges versus ferries. One way or another we got there, but by this point it was getting dark, and we already knew there were no hotels here. We stopped to consider the options outside a kebab/pizza shop and decided it would be a good idea to refuel and regroup. Mileage at this point was 106km so we knew we’d already messed up on a grand scale. I fired up the usual hotel search and found a Raddisson which we figured would be welcoming to late arrivals. It was supposed to be 28km away. Given our position in the middle of the countryside, with pitch darkness in all directions, it was not an appealing plan, but what choice did we have? Lights were fitted and Google Maps set to route us to the destination.

As we’ve noted in previous days, Google Maps can be a jekyll and hide of a navigational aid. It’s one thing to be routed through a farmers field in the middle of the day, but quite another to be directed 28km across country in the black of night. After 2km we stopped in the midst of a corn field, looked at one another, and said, “No – this is not a good idea”. So, we turned around, found some street lighting and instead asked Maps to give us a car routing instead. This routed us back from whence we had came for several km. A slip road appeared and Maps guided us in that direction. We had just about reached the main road, when we realised there was no cycle path by the side of the road, and that the cars were travelling too fast for comfort. A driver entering the same road stopped, opened his window and shouted “autobahn”. Oh oh. Time to turn round yet again.

Much debate followed including looking to the sky to see if navigation by stars might work. It was a cold, cloudy night, so that option was out. At this point, we stumbled upon a cycle route sign for Worth am Rhein. We knew that was at least in the right direction so we followed it. 12km later through a pitch black trail, we arrived and set a new course via Maps. It was 11pm and we had another 18km left to run to the hotel. More blackness followed before we reached the outskirts of Karlsrhue. Again, Maps starting routing us along the darkest, windiest paths. I started to see ghosts coming out of the trees. Being a Saturday night, there were various groups of drunks dotted around the network of paths. We once again tried to find a route for cars rather than bicycle and just about ended up on the autobahn again. With 5km to go and about 5% of batter life left on the phone, we opted for a walking route. That succeeded in taking us through a dense forest on the edge of town. We finally made it to the Radisson Blu, which is not exactly central Karlsrhue, with 147km on the clock, at 12.40am. The night receptionist was good enough to take our bikes into his office, and the barman pulled us a last orders beer. Hoping this was the only stage from hell on the tour. Is there anything left in the legs after 7 days and 763km.

Route overview

Suitable for riders wanting a long flat ride of 94 km with minimal climbing.

Day 7 of Rotterdam to Budapest: 94.4 km from Worms to Karlsruhe with 75 m of climbing, retraced from the map.

Starting in Worms at 91 m elevation, the route heads east through several towns including Karl-Marx-Siedlung, Bobenheim-Roxheim, and Frankenthal (Pfalz) by 11 km. The terrain is mostly flat with a slight elevation gain of 75 m, reaching 122 m at Karlsruhe near the end of the 94.4 km journey. The path surface is 95% paved with 4% gravel or unpaved. The ride includes a mix of paths (25.5 km), quiet streets (17.2 km), main roads (14.6 km) and tracks (13.4 km). There are 15.3 km on main roads without cycle lanes and 5.1 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or more. Cycle paths and lanes total 12.6 km, with L 507 being the longest named road at 6.2 km. Facilities include bakeries, cafés, supermarkets, and bike shops at various points along the route. The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 8.8 km from km 70.3 to 79.1. Several bailout points with stations or halts are available, for example at Bobenheim (5.4 km), Frankenthal Süd (12.8 km), and Speyer Hauptbahnhof (37.9 km). Toilets and drinking water points are also located near towns along the route.

Highlights

Pass through Frankenthal (Pfalz) and Speyer
Longest named road L 507 for 6.2 km
Reach 122 m elevation at Karlsruhe
Multiple bakeries and cafés en route

Along the route

Measured from the recorded track and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

Karl-Marx-Siedlung 2.8 km
Bobenheim-Roxheim 5.9 km
Frankenthal (Pfalz) 11.3 km
Kernstadt 11.3 km
Studernheim 14.7 km
Oggersheim 16.4 km
Mutterstadt 22.5 km
Große Erde 26.5 km
Schifferstadt 29.4 km
Rinkenberger Forsthaus 34.2 km
Speyer-Nord 35.3 km
Nord-West 36.5 km
Nord-Ost 37.3 km
Im Erlich 37.5 km
Kernstadt-Nord 38.4 km
Kernstadt-Süd 39.1 km
Speyer 39.2 km
Süd 39.9 km
Süd-West 40.4 km
Im Vogelgesang 40.6 km
Berghausen 42.7 km
Heiligenstein 43.8 km
Römerberg 44.1 km
Lingenfeld 49.7 km
Germersheim 53.1 km
Sondernheim 55.9 km
Hördt 60.7 km
Kuhardt 63 km
Leimersheim 66.6 km
Neupotz 69.4 km
Wörth am Rhein 78.7 km
Maximiliansau 81.3 km
Maxau 83.3 km
Knielingen 86 km
Mühlburg 88.5 km
Weststadt 89.6 km
Innenstadt-West 90.8 km
Südstadt 91.7 km
Karlsruhe 91.7 km
Innenstadt-Ost 91.7 km

What this ride is like

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Roads: 28% path · 19% quiet street · 16% main road · 15% track
Main roads: 15.3 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads: 5.1 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths: 12.6 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used: L 507 (6 km)
Surface: Paved throughout
Gradient: 1% climbing · 0% descending · 99% flat

Along the way

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

Food, water and shops

0 kmBäcker Görtz · bakery · on the route
0 kmToilets · 90 m off route
4.9 kmPenny · supermarket · 60 m off route
9.5 kmShell · petrol station · on the route
11.1 kmFahrradhaus Steinleitner · bike shop · 80 m off route
11.7 kmColumbus Apotheke · pharmacy · 60 m off route
18 kmEDEKA Scholz · supermarket · 50 m off route
31.2 kmRaffiniert · café · 70 m off route
38.8 kmAmalie Genusskult · café · on the route
40.6 kmbft · petrol station · on the route
43.3 kmKreuz Apotheke · pharmacy · 70 m off route
60.9 kmToilets · 100 m off route
78.6 kmVelocenter Hessert · bike shop · on the route
81.3 kmJet · petrol station · 30 m off route
85.6 kmToilets · 80 m off route
86.1 kmMerkur Apotheke · pharmacy · on the route
90.1 kmdenn's Biomarkt · supermarket · 40 m off route
91 kmToilets · 30 m off route

Need to bail out?

5.4 km — Bobenheim (station), 390 m off route
12.8 km — Frankenthal Süd (halt), 380 m off route
30.7 km — Schifferstadt Süd (halt), 50 m off route
37.9 km — Speyer Hauptbahnhof (station), 250 m off route
52.6 km — Germersheim (station), 80 m off route
67.6 km — Leimersheim (ferry), 1.5 km off route
80 km — Wörth (Rhein) (station), 70 m off route
91.4 km — Schlossgartenbahn (station), 680 m off route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Worth a stop

0 km — Heylsschlößchen (castle)
5.1 km — Fügenanlage (picnic site)
11.9 km — Rangierlok (attraction)
38.8 km — Altpörtel (attraction)
50.7 km — Waschplatz an der Tuchbleiche (attraction)
53.9 km — Lünette 83 (castle)

At the start

Bäcker Görtz · bakery · 20 m
Eiscafé Vannini · café · 20 m
Café Çukur · café · 100 m
Nordsee · fast food · 30 m
Wochenmarkt Worms · market · 30 m

At the finish

Badische Backstub · café · 40 m
KaffeeBasis · café · 130 m
Südstern · bike shop · 80 m
Armbruster · bakery · 90 m
Florenz Eiscafe · ice cream · 30 m

Stay after this ride

Kaiserhof · hotel · 110 m from the finish
Hotel am Markt · hotel · 330 m from the finish
Trip Inn Hotel Blankenburg · hotel · 280 m from the finish
ALFA Hotel · hotel · 550 m from the finish
Hotel Erbprinzenhof · hotel · 500 m from the finish

Practical information

Surface: Paved
Route shape: Point to point
Riding time: 6 h 45 min

Know before you go

15.3 km on main roads without cycle lane
5.1 km on roads with 80 km/h speed limit
Gravel or unpaved 4% of route
No café, shop or water for 8.8 km after 70 km

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

1 photograph from the road

Stage of

Rotterdam to Budapest