This post is also available in: German
I felt like Lance Armstrong, racing along the Tegernsee at 40km+/hr whizzing past other cyclists. This was quite the accomplishment for me since I normally get passed by Omas and Opas when biking in Munich. Even better, my secret didn’t involve months of training. It was just a matter of jumping on an e-bike and stopping to eat (a girl needs sustenance when racing at those top speeds!) while cycling along the picturesque Tegernsee, located just 54km south of Munich.
Our e-bike tour around the Tegernsee took us through the Weissachauen Nature Reserve.
Our intended route took us through the Weissachauen Nature Reserve, which had meadows of spring flowers in the forefront and mountains for the backdrop – beautiful! As I whizzed passed bikers, many took note of my wheels -mostly admiring, but one who commented on my laziness. Ironically when I passed him I was in “no-assist” mode meaning that I was doing it all by myself with no help from the bike. But when you’re going that fast, you don’t have time to come up with a reply – especially in German! I took great pleasure in doing this to my husband, J.P. as well who had joined me for the e-bike adventure. Whizzing past other cyclists was a novelty for me – but an easy adjustment!
My lunch at the Naturkäserei – the best tasting lactose free cheeses I’ve ever tasted!
There are no shortage of beer gardens and restaurants en-route, but being a cheese fanatic I was most excited about the Naturkäserei – a cheese factory and beer garden in one. My cheese platter consisted of five different cheeses, all of them lactose-free except for the Camembert. They tasted so good that I bought some to take home with me, or for a snack later on. I was determined to keep up my top speeds and might need some energy to do so.
The thing that I didn’t realize about e-bikes is that it’s not a free ride. If you stop pedaling it stops working. Our bikes had several different modes. There was a “no-assist” mode where it didn’t give you any help, a “standard” mode, an “eco” mode and a “high” mode. I observed that when I was going 15km/hr on “no assist”, the “standard” mode would take me up to 25km/hr and the “high” mode up to 27km/hr. When I was going 25km/hr unassisted (clearly before the cheese stop), the increases were less dramatic. My top speed was 40km/hr+. Not bad for a rooky!
I didn’t race at top speeds for the entire 36km trip though, and stopped for a while to watch these goats that we passed – and admittedly to recover from the electric shock I received from the fence while trying to take a picture and not paying enough attention to the fence. After that adventure, that photo is getting its own post, so stay tuned, but trust me it’s really cute – almost worth the shock.
The battery on our e-bikes was good for 60km. By the time we had completed our circuit, J.P.’s battery was almost gone since we didn’t stop to exchange them. I still had over 75% of mine left. Snap! But I will confess to having some help on the hills and on one section where we were biking into the wind. He admitted to having help the entire trip, saying he wanted to “test” the bike. Either way, we both loved the e-bikes and the Tegernsee provided a beautiful setting. E-biking and eating was the perfect way to spend a Saturday – and to feel like Lance Armstrong!
Know Before You Go E-biking and Eating around the Tegernsee
- There are hundreds of different routes you can do. Our route is shown below. A trip around the Tegernsee is ~20km. The Tegernsee Tourist Office can help you plan a route and provides maps.
- E-bikes can be rented from Medius in Tegernsee. Call ahead to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
- Stop at the Naturkäserei TegernseerLand for some of the best cheese you will ever taste. They also serve cheesecake.
- The Tegernsee is easily reached by train from Munich.
See our ~36km e-bike and eating tour on Google Maps.
Thank you to the Tegernsee Tourist Office for providing us with complimentary e-bikes. As always all opinions expressed are my own.
I never tried an e-bike, but I always feel envious when they overtake me riding uphill against the wind.
Italian Notes recently posted..Best beach breaks in Puglia
@Italian Notes – It was my first time as well and it was such a good feeling to finally be able to overtake other cyclists – even if I did have some help
Okay give me some of that cheese and no one gets hurt. Seriously.
An e-bike of my own wouldn’t go astray either.
Raymond @ Man On The Lam recently posted..The Holy Grail of Hokey: Inside The Holy Land Experience (Part Two)
Aha! I’ve noticed a few of these bikes around Catania recently and wondered how they worked. I guess they’re the modern version of those ones that are halfway between a pushbike and a moped, where you pedal to get them started and then they run on residual power. (Do I sound like I know what I’m talking about? ‘Cos I absolutely don’t!) However they work, I think I could probably do with one to get me started. My bike here has been gathering dust since I bought it last year. Even bikini season hasn’t been enough to spur me into action. I fear I’m destined ever to be lazy …
Tried this last summer. Felt like I had wings on the pedals. Loved it.
Sophie recently posted..A taste of Italy: Umbria Agriturismo il Mandoleto
Beautiful scenery! Hopefully you didn’t whiz past it TOO fast on your e-bike!
Brock – Backpack With Brock recently posted..Exploring Franconia Notch State Park – New Hampshire, USA
@Raymond – I hear ya, I know refuse to go to the Tegernsee without stopping for some cheese.
@Katja – An E-bike is perfect if you’re lazy and for bikini season, since you still have to pedal, it just makes it easier.
@Sophie – You’re one of the only people I’ve met that’s tried it. Like your wings analogy.
@Brock – Only some sections, we definitely took our time to enjoy the scenery
It looks like a lot of fun. The scenery is incredibly beautiful. Would you say it was kind of a calorie neutral type of day?
Barry recently posted..Hidden Trail – Kananaskis Country – Hiking Alberta
Lovely set, everything looks so fresh! The food, the green grass… Worth the ride apparently!
BTW, the new FaceBook widget is really annoying, on my computer is follows me around until I close it
Zhu recently posted..Picture of the Week: The Classic Ottawa Shot
I had actually not heard of an e-bike until reading your post. I will have to try one out! And I am looking forward to hearing more about this electric shock and seeing the photo that was the cause of it! We’ve been encountering a lot of electric fences on out travels lately and my husband keeps joking he’s going to grab one to see what it feels like. Hopefully you will be descriptive and nip his desire to test out electric fences!
Jennifer Dombrowdki recently posted..The Fairy Tale Village of Appenzell, Switzerland
woo, I do not like biking because I have a hard time biking uphills (blush), e-biking sounds easier and may be I won’t be afraid of the sport anymore XD
Annie – FootTracker recently posted..OmuRice Fiesta In Japan!
My Spanish teacher in Costa Rica had an “e-bike” although we didn’t know that slang! I loved the idea, because it sort of freed you up a little to look around — at both the scenery and what’s going on around you. Keeps you safer and alert!
Abby recently posted..Champagne Campaign
I’ve seen a few posts lately about these bikes – and would naturally love to give it a try. Sounds to me like you had a great time – and nothing like a little speed to fall in love with biking. Beautiful country you rode through too. Bummer though that you only get 60 kms- I think they need to work on a longer life battery.
Leigh recently posted..An Outstanding Shoulder Season Hike Near Banff, Alberta
That is awesome! Would love to hoon around on some ebikes and that food looks tasty too.
Cole @ Four Jandals recently posted..Basic Arabic Words for Travel to Egypt
These bikes sound fabulous – I could definitely see them coming in handy on the hills. I enjoy biking in scenic locations, but I don’t enjoy shlepping it up mountains.
Christy @ Technosyncratic recently posted..Is Visiting Halong Bay (Vietnam) Worth it When the Weather is Terrible?
Looks so fun–Gotta try that cheese!!!
Funny how I kept thinking an e-bike would be some kind of cycling video game.
The tour sounds like quite the adventure.
InsideJourneys recently posted..5 Things to do in Montego Bay
Not bad for a rookie indeed
What a fantastic idea! I love that you can speed past everyone else and that you still get a bit of a workout. Just checked out the goat pics…very cute and yes, totally worth the shock.
Cherina recently posted..Florence and the Naked Man