Stages

As a prelude and prologue to the four days, you will sprint up the Rabenberg on Thursday evening on the ‘Dunkelwald Climb’ (Dark Forest Climb). You start individually at the Nonnenfelsen, where people climb up the mountain differently than you are about to do. Your buddy, friend or fellow rider has started the race a few seconds before you. Imagine him like a carrot that you want to catch as a donkey. It will be a wild chase – if you want it and your legs are up to it.

You make your first metres on well-maintained, wide forest paths before you slowly start to feel the Rabenberg. You can already push your heart rate to the limit and burn off everything you don't need for the next few days. The following uphill trails demand your riding skills, which you hopefully have in your luggage. If you want to overdo it, you will pass a ‘lurker’ in front of you on the trails.

Just when you think you've used up all your energy, the forest spits you out into a clearing and you sprint across the finish line.
So, did you get the carrot?

When: Thursday from 18:30
Where: Breitenbrunn, TrailCenter Rabenberg
Start mode: Single start
Length: Approx. 5 - 6 km
Ascent: Approx. 300 m

On the first real stage of the Dark Forest Race, you will get to know every nook and cranny of the TrailCenter Rabenberg. You'll remember every single trail, every single root, every single spike in the elevation profile. Opened in 2013 as Germany's first trail park, the kilometre-long trail network in the Ore Mountains is visited by several thousand visitors every year – and now you too.

What makes it so special are the predominantly natural trails. Insider tip: Pay attention to the person in front of you before you turn into the trail – brakeman or bike juggler? Every trail separates the wheat from the chaff. It's not a question of whether you can master the trail, but how. How much distance will you have lost or gained from the front?

Perhaps your strength lies in the longer climbs, which alternate with the downhill trails. This constant up and down is so typical of low mountain ranges like the Ore Mountains.

Make the right decision. For the right bike. For one round of fun or two.

When: Friday from 13:00
Where: Breitenbrunn, TrailCenter Rabenberg
Start mode: Mass start
Length: 30 or 60 km (30 km loop)
Ascent: Approx. 1,000 or 2,000 m

At the KAMM-BIKE-CROSS, the Ore Mountains will once again confirm that mountain biking in low mountain ranges can be at least as challenging and emotional as in the Alps and even more so.

If your legs are hungry for a warm-up before the race, feed them with the transfer from the TrailCenter Rabenberg to the start at the Cross-country skiing centre (Loipenhaus) in Johanngeorgenstadt (approx. 7 kilometres, 35 minutes by bike).

Johanngeorgenstadt, the ‘town of the candle arch’, is known for its mining history and winter sports. With direct access to the cross-country trail (ski), it is just as popular with winter sports enthusiasts as it is with summer holidaymakers.

From the headquarters of the local winter sports club, you set off on a successful mix of forest paths and trails. On the forest highways, you will be pushed along by the ‘pusher columns’. Your legs will be spinning like road runners. Whether you then glide down the old toboggan run or conquer the ascent to the ski jump – on the trails you will experience winter sports up close.

On the final root and meadow climb, you'll be dreaming of diving into the cool water of the natural pool after crossing the finish line and letting your muscles regenerate.

When: Saturday from 12:15 pm
Where: Johanngeorgenstadt, Loipenhaus
Start mode: Mass start
Length: 30 or 60 km (15 km loop)
Ascent: Approx. 850 or 1,700 h

On the final day – you already have three days of intensive training behind you – you will once again be faced with the fresh legs of the day's starters. The pace and level remain high right from the start as you disappear into the forest of Rabenberg with the field of riders. Similar, but different, you will once again experience the professionally laid out trails. More fluid and with a higher average speed than on Friday.

The last few metres of elevation gain await you before you reach the finish line in the backdrop of the sports area. Four challenging, exhausting days are behind you. You are filled with pride, joy and success – you did it! The Dark Forest Race ‘Treibjagd im Dunkelwald’

When: Sunday from 10:00 am
Where: Breitenbrunn, TrailCenter Rabenberg
Start mode: Mass start
Length: 30 or 60 km (30 km loop)
Ascent: Approx. 1,000 or 2,000 m

The route shown in the 2022 video took place in Oberwiesenthal. The character of this year's route differs significantly from the route shown; it is more similar to the route of Friday's stage.