Taunus - Day 1 - Villmar - Eschbach

This is the route we rode today:

Another bright and early start at 6 AM – nothing says “vacation” like setting an alarm before the sun comes up! We loaded up the car and made the drive to Villmar, arriving at 9:15 with just enough time to sort out our gear and pretend we knew what we were doing.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper bikepacking adventure without some immediate drama. Our tires were looking a bit sad from being squished under all our bags, so we had to pump them up before we could even think about riding. Then, barely 100 meters from our starting point, we were already having our first family navigation debate. Classic start!

We kicked things off with a proper climb because apparently the cycling gods thought we needed to earn our views. But honestly, the payoff was immediate – it’s amazing how quickly you can escape civilization and find yourself surrounded by gorgeous German countryside.

The first few kilometers threw everything at us like some kind of bikepacking initiation ritual. We encountered obstacles that required us to literally carry our bikes over them (my back was thrilled), my brother nearly donated his gloves to the trail gods after leaving them on his bike, and dad discovered his bags had a personal vendetta against his legs and needed some serious readjusting.

Next up: playing “find the actual trail” through multiple meadows where the so-called roads had basically given up and turned into glorified grass patches.

But between the botanical adventures, we did get rewarded with some genuinely beautiful trails and killer valley views that made all the grass-wrestling worth it.

Then came the bridge with red lights – because apparently even bridges need traffic control in Germany. We stood there for what felt like an eternity, seriously considering just making a run for it, but our law-abiding Belgian hearts couldn’t handle the rebellion (plus my brother is a cop so I might have gotten fined!)

After that, we climbed up to the village of Gräveneck, thankfully on proper tarmac this time. Our legs were grateful for the break from technical terrain, and we celebrated reaching the top with lunch at our usual five-star lunch establishment: a bus stop.

In the next village, Weinbach, we treated ourselves to coffee and cheesecake because when you’re burning calories like a furnace, dessert becomes a legitimate fuel source, right?

We spotted this cool bridge with a tunnel and had grand plans for an epic group photo. But with zero passersby and nowhere to prop our phones, we ended up in an awkward bike-balancing photo session that we eventually abandoned. Sometimes the best shots are the ones that live only in memory!

The final 20 kilometers decided to test our remaining willpower with gentle but relentless climbing. My legs were sending some very clear messages about their feelings on the matter, leading to multiple sugar stops and energy bar interventions. But hey, we made it to Eschbach at 17:15 – exhausted, satisfied, and only slightly questioning our life choices.

Now we’re showered, fed, and slowly remembering why we thought this was a good idea in the first place. Tomorrow’s another day, and hopefully my legs will have forgiven me by morning.

See you on the trails tomorrow!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​