How else would you ride your gravel bike the last few kilometers to your coworker’s house? Even with a little rain, it feels like you’re on vacation.
I cycle from Vaterstetten train station to Parsdorf, past the farm, in less than 20 minutes. This small town is well connected to the east of Munich city center. It is still relatively unknown to tourists, but it is right next to the forest and the first hills. It is a good starting point for a bike tour and a good place to work, so it is potentially suitable for the new trend of gravel co-working.
First, let’s explain the term: Gravel means gravel. In simple terms, gravel bikes combine the dynamics of a racing bike with the off-road capabilities of a mountain bike thanks to slightly wider tires. And they are very trendy.
Co-work combines vacation time with working with colleagues, hence the “Co-”. It’s a model that more and more companies are jumping into, and it’s becoming increasingly popular among digital nomads and people with flexible work arrangements, even if they don’t have colleagues. The pandemic has accelerated this trend.
German arrest
In other countries, such as Italy, people are already more open to the concept. However, in Germany, there are still some regulations for hotels and tourist areas. “We want to use the opportunity of the New Work movement to continue to strengthen the rural areas of the Alps. We have a balance between work, life and mountains that others do not have,” says Veronika Engel, who promotes this topic in the Alpine region with her association CoworkationAlps.
Hiking, yoga, and e-bike co-ops are of course possible, but now we want to pave the way through Upper Bavaria.
The first tour leads from Parsdorf into the forest. The sun occasionally peeks through the treetops and shines through the thick moss. It looks a bit like a fairytale forest. Our guide Max Marquardt warns us to be careful of wild boars. He leads the group on the first climb through typical Bavarian meadows with cows. After 20 km, we reach the small village of Glonn.
Coffee and Cycling
Lisa Hinterholzer and her partner have run a coffee roasting business here for 15 years, making it an ideal first stop for a bike tour. “Biking and drinking coffee belong together and are historically linked,” Marquardt explains. Coffee manufacturers are often featured as sponsors at cycling events, and many aspiring cyclists swear by caffeine for an extra boost of performance.
In the end, I am not looking for the best sporting performance, but rather a relaxing break in northern Bavaria. And we return to Parsdorf at a leisurely pace. The road continues on asphalt, through cute Bavarian villages, over small hills, through forests again, and later on gravel across meadows. The variety of surfaces is not a problem for a gravel bike. After a total of 50 km, we arrive back at the “Bader Hotel” in Parsdorf in the early afternoon.
Go to the hotel desk
If it were vacation, I could have gotten my feet wet. But unfortunately, work is part of work. So, go to the small desk in the hotel room. Your legs might be a little heavy, but your head will be clearer after exercising, so it’ll be a little better.
I sit comfortably on a wooden chair, but of course I can’t work ergonomically here. And for more complex tasks, the Internet connection also reaches its limit. The hotel room is only partially suitable for the whole working day, but it is a pleasant change for an afternoon with small tasks. Plus, the green view and a very delicious dinner in the hotel restaurant compensate for it.
Together with CoworkationAlps, the Upper Bavaria region is working to improve working conditions and digital infrastructure in accommodation and to promote collaboration, because until now it has not been possible to book a coworking trip in a very simple way.
Normally, guests have to arrange their own travel, accommodation, bike rental and transport. However, some hotels in Upper Bavaria are now adapting their rooms specifically for working holidaymakers. “This is an opportunity for a region that was not previously crowded with tourists and offers the chance to extend the classic season,” says Miriam Hördegen of the Upper Bavaria Munich Tourist Board. In particular, the collaboration, combined with sports, can attract more young people to the region.
In addition to individuals, the focus is on companies that organize collaborative working sessions for their employees. Some accommodations, such as the “Bader Hotel”, offer fully equipped meeting rooms. However, many companies do not even have this concept yet.
“There is no need to talk about work where working from home is not the norm,” says Veronika Engel. But thanks to her dedication, she is already making progress in the Alpine region. Portals like coworkland.de or workation.de now offer special accommodations for groups who want to work together during their vacation, not only in other parts of Germany, but also throughout Europe.
Achieve your goals with a clear head
The next morning in Upper Bavaria, snow, mud and freezing temperatures await me. Not a good weather for a rider. But we’re on gravel bikes. So saddle up.
This time the route heads south towards the Alps. It passes through forest areas and villages with unmistakable Bavarian charm. The bike ride clears your mind and in a small group you feel half as tired as when you are alone. However, with every kilometer the temperature drops and your hands and toes get cold. In that sense, this time I am happy to reach the stage destination of Holzkirchen after just over 30 kilometers.
Specialized’s Christian Lutz welcomes us. The American bike manufacturer, based in Holzkirchen, is benefiting from the cycling trend. “Gravel bikes came to us from across the pond in the United States. I think this is a trend that will be with us for a while,” says Lutz. It is likely that collaboration proposals for this type of bike will continue.
A wide range of activities in northern Bavaria
In order to ensure cycling opportunities in Upper Bavaria, the region is working to improve its cycle paths and infrastructure. With the hop loop, the salt loop and the art loop, the tourism office has already combined three routes that focus on different needs and lesser-known routes. The water loop route, which opened in 2018, is around 1,200 km long.
In the afternoon, I return to the hotel desk. The combination of work and cycling in a new environment is very suitable for me personally and has a special charm. And working within Workation doesn’t feel like work either.
But you can do this almost anywhere, even without a marketing strategy. Rent a vacation home, hotel, or campsite with an Internet connection and a workstation, bring your bike and a colleague or friend. Either way, the concept probably has a future. Call it gravel (co)work or not.
