Cycling in the Harz

The western Harz is cycling country: the Volksbank Arena Harz connects 31 Harz towns with 74 marked mountain-bike routes — from family loops to enduro tours. Osterode is one of the starting points, and from Lerbach you roll straight onto the forest tracks of the western Harz.

The Harz is made for gravel bikes: a network of forest roads across the whole range, long climbs, fast descents, hardly any traffic. You can plan day loops of 80 or 100 kilometres here without riding the same track twice — and Lerbach sits right in the middle of it, so you start at the front door. The Volksbank Arena marks dedicated gravel routes for it, too.

For lift-assisted descents there are several bike parks: Hahnenklee with the Bocksberg cable car and a practice course (great for getting started), Braunlage with the Wurmberg gondola, the MSB-X-Trail in St. Andreasberg with nine runs from flow trail to downhill — and, for a day trip, the Rosstrappe downhill in Thale in the eastern Harz.

You can hire e-bikes in Osterode and other Harz towns; there are charging stations along the Arena routes. After the ride your bikes are stored in our lockable shed — while your electric car charges at the wallbox.