Schauinsland (from Horben)
Category 112 km
Distance
720 m
Elevation Gain
6%
Average Gradient
12%
Max Gradient
Schauinsland is the Black Forest's definitive climb and Freiburg's local mountain — a 1,284m summit directly above the city that has served as the finishing mountain of the Schauinsland hillclimb race (Giro del Nero) since 1925, making it one of Germany's longest-running cycling events. The ascent from Horben covers 12km at 6.0% average, rising through dense Black Forest spruce with consistent rhythm and no single catastrophic section — the gradient builds steadily to its maximum of 12% on the final exposed hairpins before the cable car station summit. The road surface is superb throughout, and the forest provides shade on hot summer days that the more exposed Feldberg summit road does not. The view from the Schauinsland summit across the Rhine plain to the Vosges mountains in France — on clear days the Alsatian plain stretches visibly westward — is among the finest panoramas in southwest Germany. The extended approach from Freiburg city centre adds a further 8km at 3-4% for riders who do not need a car shuttle to Horben.
Pro Tip
The Schauinsland hillclimb race (Bergrennen Schauinsland) is run annually in late summer — typically September — and has been a fixed point in the German cycling calendar since 1925. Riding the climb during race week provides an atmospheric context specific to this mountain. The Bergrestaurant Schauinsland at the summit serves regional Black Forest cooking — Maultaschen, Schupfnudeln, and local cherry Kirschwasser Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte — that constitutes the ideal post-climb fuel.
Part of
Cycling in Black Forest