Bodensee - Königssee - Bodensee.

This year we (see image above) have chosen for a long distance tour by trekking bike, instead of day trips up and down alpine passes (see years 2004 and 2005). Starting at Hergensweiler we have followed the Bodensee - Königssee Radweg and cycled back through Tirol and Vorarlberg. Find below a short description of our tour. Details can be found on separte pages (see links below).
The detailed description includes notes that can be useful to cyclists that like to make a similar tour.
Finally a page is added with a short description of Oof's idworx Easy Rohler trekking bike, a perfect bike for long distance tours.
Images of the B-K-B tour are taken by Henro de Witt and Oof Oud.

The tour in a nutshell, including map

The tour in figures

Day by day details of part 1: Bodensee - Allgäu - Oberbayern - Königssee

Day by day details of part 2a: Königssee - Tirol - Imst

Day by day details of part 2b: Imst - Vorarlberg - Bodensee

The idworx trekking bike

Part 1.

Bodensee - Königssee Radweg (BKR) is a 400 km tour from Lindau (Bodensee) to Königssee (near Berchtesgaden). The BKR crosses the beautiful and varied German Allgäu and Oberbayern regions. The signposted route follows quiet minor roads (Landstrassen) and forest roads. Unpaved, but good quality roads are no exception (approximately 10% of the distance). These roads are not advisable for racing bikes.

Although the height difference between the Bodensee and Königssee is only 200 meters a total of more than 4000 meters have to be climbed. By far the largest part of the route goes up- and downhill. Steep (>10%) gradients are occasionally met. The BKR requires a good physical condition and a bike with a sufficiently low gearing.

The BKR is reasonably well signposted in both directions, but occasionally signs are missing, obscured or illogically positioned. The use of a map is a must. The best choice is the "Bodensee-Königssee-Radtourenbuch und Karte" published by Esterbauer Verlag (BikeLine series). Excellent maps (1:50.000); text in German. See: www.esterbauer.com.
Details about our 6 day Bodensee - Königssee trip are given on a separate page.

Part 2.

Through Austria back to the Bodensee. A not-signposted route through Tirol and Vorarlberg. We have looked for scenic and (relatively) quite roads. These conditions (happily) forced us to incorporate five (sub)alpine passes: Hirschbichl (1183 m), Kühtaisattel (2020 m), Hahntennjoch (1894 m), Hochtannbergpass (1679 m) and Losenpass (1148 m). Together almost 6000 meters of climbing.
Finally, we have added a relaxing roundtrip along a part of the Bodensee (from Hard, near Bregenz, via Konstanz to Lindau) .
Details about this 8 day trip are given on separate pages  2  and  3 .

For the Austrian part of the tour we have used maps of: Freytag & Berndt and Kompass Karten GmbH. The detailed descriptions give the names of the sheets.

THE TOUR IN FIGURES.

Full tour: 14 days (+ 1 day rest at Köningssee); 914 km; 10,635 m uphill; 58h34' of cycling.

Hergensweiler * - Königssee = 413 km; 4,405 m uphill.
Königssee - Hard (Bodensee, Austria) = 380 km; 5,857 m uphill **.
Bodensee roundtrip (Hard - Konstanz *** - Lindau) = 107 km; 253 m uphill.

*    Lindau - Hergensweiler = 14 km; 120 m uphill (we have cycled this part at the final day of the tour).
**  without Bodensee roundtrip the shortenst route from Hard, via Bregenz to Lindau = 15 km.
*** ferry from Konstanz to Meersburg.

Averages:

• distance per day: 65 km (shortest dist. at day 8: 46 km; longest dist. at day 9: 90 km);
• cycling per day: 4h10min (min. at day 8: 3h15min; max at dat 12: 5h27min);
• climbing: 760 m per day (min. at day 14: 105 hm; max. at day 12: 1,721 hm);
• speed: 15.6 km/h (min. at day 12: 11.2 km/h; max. at day 9: 18.5 km/h).