Today we like to present two sources of inspiration that have already had a positive influence on us for a wide variety of runs or gravel tours.
“Wanderbares Deutschland”
First the website “Wanderbares Deutschland”. We like to use these when we are looking for a new FKT because the current ones don't appeal to us, or because we are planning another long run at the weekend. The long-distance routes, which are often signposted as hiking trails, offer a diverse nature or a certain topic and you can learn about the region. This is how we find regions in Germany that we didn't initially have on our radar. Some of the hiking trails can certainly also be tackled by mountain bike or gravel bike. Keep in mind that it may be partially closed to bicycles or, depending on the region, not ridable and you will have to carry your bike. As a cyclist you are only a guest on the hiking trail and therefore I ask you to be considerate. In addition, you can further have a look at websites that only cover one holiday region. For Taunus and Spessart, for example, there are also local websites that specifically list the well-maintained hiking trails in that region. The advantage compared to planning your own through e.g. Komoot, Strava etc., is that the paths are deliberately curated and therefore often contain beautiful places in the region and you don't find yourself on a path that were used a long time ago.
https://www.wanderbares-deutschland.de/
Radroutenplaner
There is a bike route planner for cyclists. This is ideal for initial inspiration and for very long adventures. There you will find the routes that go through Germany, but can also be part of the European long-distance network. On the website you will also find links to various federal states, which break this down for their own region. Of course, cycle paths can also be explored on foot. These are often paved and usually much wider. A real trail runner or mountain biker might be a bit unsatisfied because there will hardly be any single trials. Here, too, it applies that hiking on pure cycle paths, means looking out for bikes and behave respectfully.
https://www.radroutenplaner-deutschland.de/veraHome_DE.asp
Feel free to use both sources to find inspiration for your next adventure. If the long-distance hiking trail is not yet in Fastest Known Time, you can of course try to listing it on the website and be the first officially recorded runner for that track. As last hint, both websites offer the possibility to download a GPS file, so you don't get lost.