Welcome to the homepage of Audax Randonneurs Allemagne (ARA) Dresden!

Photos: Arno Burgi, Björn Lenhard

As currently the 15th location of ARA Germany, I will be opening the Dresden location from 2022. To be more precise, the start and finish point will be the SSV Heidenau cycling complex. On the one hand, it is very accessible. Whether by train or by car or by bike anyway. On the other hand, we find perfect conditions here. There is ample parking nearby, there are showers and a gym, a workshop and a large lounge with kitchen. Especially after longer brevets, it is important to me that the participants can at least shower and maybe get some sleep afterwards. But what is best about the location is the location.

Located on the border to Saxon Switzerland and the Eastern Ore Mountains, I would like to organize brevets in the direction of the Ore Mountains, Bohemia to Poland and Lusatia from here. A beautiful low mountain range landscape awaits you here, in which one mountain range follows the next. One more beautiful than the other. Starting in the south with the UNESCO World Heritage "Montanregion Ore Mountains" ( Krušné Hory ). A mountain range of clods sloping steeply towards Bohemia, where mining has been practiced since the Middle Ages. Then to the east, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also known as Saxon / Bohemian Switzerland. Here we mainly find table mountains made of sandstone. Further east it goes over the Lusatian Mountains into the Jizera Mountains ( Jizerské Hory ). Ještěd, which can be seen from afar, stands out here. Some describe it as the most beautiful mountain in their homeland. From here it is only a short way to the home of the Rübezahl, the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše). With the Schneekoppe (Sněžka) at 1602 m, the highest mountain range in the Czech Republic.

But even on the way there, we won't get bored. Numerous castles, palaces, churches and cultural monuments from mining will enrich our way. The area is also richly blessed with history. Numerous kings, princes and an emperor of the Roman Empire ( Charles IV, King of Bohemia ) shaped the country. Another delicacy is the cuisine. We will certainly rarely be able to enjoy the Dresdner Christstollen (although you could do a stollen certificate in the run-up to Christmas :-) ), but there are Dresdner Eierschecke. All the year long. On the other side of the border, the Bohemian beer (0.0 per thousand applies in CZ!), but also delicious, hearty meals. Bohemian dumplings with goulash should not be missing from any certification!

The only downside is that the routes are anything but flat. Apart from the west and north, the only flat area nearby is the Elbe valley. It is also relatively flat after the Bohemian low mountain range in the direction of Prague or in the north-east of Prague. You just have to cross the mountains on the way there and back. In short, 1500hm over 100km will be the minimum rather than the maximum. I am aware that this does not reflect the profile of PBP. So that no one is surprised by the routes, I will present all routes with a map and elevation profile. So everyone can decide for themselves before registering whether they want to take this "test".

I will start in 2022 with a complete certification series. The dates with the respective routes are already fixed. Registration for this will be released in January after the last detailed questions have been clarified. But I still have enough ideas in my head for the next few years. There should be super randonnées. Three pieces are already more or less planned. Maybe a fourth too. There will definitely be something longer than 600 km as well as a certification week in 2023. Slovakia would be an excellent destination for this. So let yourself be surprised...