Welcome to the steppe
The Steppenwolf is a non-commercial self-supported bikepacking challenge across the country from Berlin to Usedom and back. Full of variety between technical trails at the Oderbruch, the beach promenade of Usedom, some nasty cobblestone sections, Märkisch sand passages and quite a few kilometers along Brandenburg lakes, it goes across the steppe. The technically as well as physically hard Wildtrack is every year between 700 and 800 km long, the Graveltrack (former Shorttrack) rolls better and has a length of 500-550 km. In between there are three checkpoints where inexperienced riders can set up camp. Whether alone or in a pack, for speed or as a personal challenge - the Steppenwolf is for everyone. It is not a classic bike race, but a wild ride between metropolis and sea, which really challenges everyone.
#BUB23
May 11-14, 2023
The big Steppenwolf goes into its third year - and knows no borders. As #NoBorder version it goes this year across the Oder on the Polish side via the island of Wolin to Usedom. On 01 January at 6 pm registration for women* and non-binaries starts, from 04 January (6 pm) it is open to all. The BUB will start at may 11th in Bernau. At sunday the finish will close at midnight - but you can still finish officially until the 17th of may!
History
Die Strecke durch die „Steppe“ hat für uns beide, Jonathan und Markus, schon seit Kindesbeinen eine besondere Rolle: Als Grundschüler fuhren wir das erste mal auf dem Radweg zur Ostsee, später querfeld ein mit dem MTB. Lange war klar, dass wir auf den vielen Wegen durch dünnbesiedelte Gebiete eine echte Challenge organisieren wollten. 2021 war es so weit. Der große Radsport lag wegen der Pandemie brach, dafür fuhren plötzlich alle mit Biwacksack in den Wald. Im September fiel der Startschuss: Mit 33 Startern ging der erste Steppenwolf am Bernauer Steintor an den Start. Den Checkpoint auf der Insel erreichte noch ein Großteil, doch speziell die Trails auf dem Rückweg zogen vielen die Zähne. Am Ende von vier großartigen Tagen schafften es 11 Starter, den ersten Steppenwolf zu finishen. 2022 legten wir ihn ins Frühjahr. Erstmals mit Short- und Wildtrack waren die 100 Plätze nach wenigen Stunden komplett ausgebucht. Es wurden unvergessliche Tage in der Steppe, die wir gerne fortsetzen wollen.
route
From the metropolis to the sea and back.
Since 2022, there have been two tracks: a more technical Wildtrack over 700-750 km and a more direct Graveltrack over 450-500 km.
The exact track will be sent to the starters a few days before the Steppenwolf as a .gpx file.
Wildtrack
The Wildtrack is a great place to ride: root trails on countless Brandenburg lakes, a selection of the most beautiful pavé in the Uckermark and a few small challenges that await you on the picturesque path to the Baltic Sea and back. It is based on the premiere route from 2021, when mainly MTB riders felt comfortable on the track, but a handful of gravel bikers were also able to finish the Steppenwolf. We want to preserve the character of the track in the same way.
Graveltrack
The Graveltrack (former Shorttrack) is a nice balance between the shortest way and
the most exciting landscapes between Berlin and Usedom. You can expect a varied mix of the finest gravel, long forest trails, small plate road and asphalt sections, short
challenges on pavé and a few kilometers of flow trail.
No matter what you ride, no matter who you are: It is important to us to enable as many different people as possible to participate. Therefore the registration for women*, nonbinaries and queers (Frauen, Lesben, intersexuelle, nicht-binäre, trans und agender Personen) first.some days later it is open for everyone. In total there are 150 places - 75 for each track - which from experience are fully booked after a few hours.
We will communicate the start of registration early here.
The basis for participation is the consent to the Ethos and codex (see below) of the Steppenwolf.
There is no official registration fee, but as a completely voluntary project without sponsors we depend on donations. You can either send them via Paypal to jonathan.lenz@t-online.de (Intended purpose: Donation BAB) or bring it on site in cash. As a guideline, 30-130 €, depending on your income. This will cover all our costs. What is left over we give to projects of the climate justice movement.
All bikes are welcome.
Final starting list BUB23
As at: 04.01.2023 - 10 PM
Graveltrack
Miriam L. – Eberswalde
Charly – Berlin
Friedrun O. – Bochum
Suse – Berlin
Mai – Berlin
Sandra v.D. – Groningen (NL)
Barbara S. – Berlin
Vanessa D. – Bocholt
Lena T. – Berlin
Jeneba S. – Berlin
Adriana – Barcelona (ESP)
Jessica H. – München
Silke – Binningen
Christina W. – Braunschweig
Alexandra K. – Berlin
Dorothea – Berlin
Dorothea B. – Biesenthal
Katarzyna S. – Berlin
Linda K. – Lemgo
Dorien – Groningen (NL)
Cordula M. – München
Louisa P. – Darmstadt
Wibke – Hamburg
David G. – Velké Přílepy (CZ)
Miriam L. – Bremen
Anna R. – Dresden
Juliane H. – Dresden
Andrea M. – Berlin
Hilke K. – Hamburg
Sophia L. – Eberswalde
Audrey – Berlin
Franzi – Dresden
Susann P. – Leipzig
Friederike S. – Köln
Marei M. – Heidelberg
Christina – Berlin
Amelie L. – Köln
Inga S. – Witten
Insa P. – Hamburg
Christine – Hamburg
Lisa – Dresden
Marie – Köln
Sebastina – Hamburg
Ben – Potsdam
Oskar S. – Szczecin (POL)
Katharina S. – Hamburg
Judith S. – Berlin
Cindy – Hamburg
Bianca – Braunschweig
Sarah N. – Frankfurt (a.M.)
Lara R. – Braunschweig
Silke O. – Aerzen
Selina B. – Berlin
Leonie B. – Berlin
Silke J. – Binningen
Fine B. – Berlin
Rilana – Hamburg
Wiebke H. – Hamburg
Nika – Berlin
Sophia K. – Hamburg
Svenja K. – Berlin
Kamila – Mannheim
Laura I. – Berlin
Steffi F. – Dresden
Rachel W. – Berlin
Miriam S. – Dresden
Johanna J. – Hamburg
Wieslaw H. – Berlin
Patrick B. – Basel (CH)
Egor G. – Berlin
Barbara N. – Lublin (POL)
Johanna M. – Berlin
Svea – Hamburg
Nathalie H. – Hierden (NL)
PiliJo – Berlin
Martina D. – Berlin
Steffi K. – Münster
Taras – Berlin
Tim Z. – Rhenen (NL)
Félix G. – Berlin
Matthias B. – Wustermark
Arkadiusz Z. – Piła (POL)
Patrick S. – Hamburg
Daniel A. – Berlin
Lennart – Chemnitz
Jonas H. – Berlin
Vincent H. – Berlin
Mario K. – Berlin
Dominik – Bocholt
Matthias – Panketal
Christoph W. – Bernau
Csaba M. – Budapest (HUN)
Tiko T. – Zepernick
Endrik E. – Tallinn (EST)
Wildtrack
(†) Sven W. - Neustrelitz - deceased on 22.02.2023 after a dooring accident in Berlin
Melina B. – Berlin
Frauke B. – Herne
Joanna M. – Berlin
Elke G. – Nürnberg
Christine – Berlin
Szymon W. – Szczecin (POL)
Jiří M. – Pamětice (CZ)
Louise – Berlin
Laura I. – Berlin
Katja W. – Dresden
Theresa K. – Berlin
Jule – Hachenburg
Friederike W. – Koblenz
Ludwig B. – Bernau
Lukas B. – Hannover
Flo S. – Berlin
Oliver v. M. – Berlin
Jascha L. – Darmstadt
Simone B. – Berlin
Burkhard P. – Berlin
Leanne B. – Amsterdam (NL)
Thomas T. – Langenwetzendorf
Till M. – Potsdam
Marco P. – Aalen
René P – Berlin
Stefan H. – Berlin
Felix H. – Münster
Matthias R. – Hamburg
Gerrit H. – Berlin
Johannes T. – Berlin
Alina H. – Münster
Björn – Bremerhaven
Finn G. – Berlin
Bennet B. – Berlin
Sandro – Glarus Süd (CH)
Norman – Berlin
Daniel S. – Berlin
Nils – Oldenburg
Tristan L. – Flensburg
Lars S. – Boizenburg
Milan B. – Prag (CZ)
Patrick E. – Recklinghausen
Jens G. – Guxhagen
Michel – Berlin
Samuel K. – Berlin
Albrecht M. – Berlin
Jasse M. – Hannover
Ernest P. – Piła (POL)
Flo T. – Berlin
Tim B. – Berlin
Eric – Berlin
Moritz B. – Bonn
Jack – Berlin
Jan H. – Braunschweig
Christian P. – Berlin
Florian S. – Berlin
Henning t. S. – Celle
Philipp O. – Berlin
Wolfgang H. – Lüneburg
Sascha H – Beeskow
Patrick Z. – Lindenfels
Vojtech S. – Prag (CZ)
Daniel – Kassel
Jacob W. – Leipzig
Luis P. – Würzburg
Fips – Münster
Flo – Berlin
Alexander K. – Köln
Thorsten – Hamburg
Martin N. – Berlin
Oleg D. – Berlin
Miguel – Münster
Fridolin S. – Berlin
Nis – Berlin
Kai W. – Osnabrück
René W. – Vaassen (NL)
Olaf F. – Braunschweig
Sascha H. – Berlin
Codex
1. Everyone acts on their own responsibility at all times. Be considerate of other road users.
2. The Steppenwolf is a self-supported trip of a different kind: You can start as a lone wolf or as a pack. Everything you need you have to carry with you or acquire on the way. Planned help from outside, pre-planned repair shop appointments or similar are prohibited. If you split your equipment, you must also arrive as a pack.
3. The entire route must be covered under your own power. Which bike you choose is up to you, but we recommend a gravel or mountain bike. When you leave the track, return to the same place.
4. There are wolves here but we are not in Uzbekistan. So we would like to encourage you to biwacking. However, commercial overnight stays are not excluded. Booked or pre-planned overnight stays with acquaintances are prohibited. Help on the way is only allowed if it arises spontaneously ("trail magic").
5. If you see a wolf you are either very lucky or should urgently take a break.
6. The Steppenwolf is a no-flight-ride, the arrival or departure by plane is prohibited. Try to arrive as climate neutral as possible. Together we create a sustainable cycling.
7. Just like at the Grenzsteintrophy applies: who looks for loopholes in the codex is not yet ready for the Steppenwolf!
