August 18, 2025
Day 1 of riding - The Elbe River (Source to Sea)
Pramen Labe (source) To Vrchlabi
To get our Elbe ride underway, we first had to reach the source of the river – Pramen Labe. That meant a three-hour van trip with bikes and gear, followed by a nine-kilometre push to the top.
I’d lined up Bag & Bike Transport months earlier to sort out this first stage. Our driver, Martin, took us via Vrchlabi so we could drop most of our bags at our first night’s stay. A smart move on my part, I thought – less weight to carry up the mountain.
The original plan was to head to Spindleruv Mlyn, catch the chairlift to Medvedin, and ride from there. Martin had a better idea: skip the chairlift and start from Horni Misecky, which is close to where the lift ends. On the spot, I said “Great idea!” without thinking it through. Only later did it dawn on me – yes, we’d save a few Koruna on lift tickets, but we’d also be starting 300 metres lower in altitude and facing a brutal 2 km climb before even reaching the chairlift’s original drop-off point. Did I share this with my fellow riders? Of course not. Some things are better left unsaid.
Uphill
The next eight kilometres were nothing but up, with gradients ranging from 5% to 14%. For Brisbane boys, that’s a shock to the system – we’re more used to short, sharp hills than long, grinding climbs.
Stewart and David headed off uphill as quick as rabbits, and Brett soon got into stride and followed them. Meanwhile I was so slow that after a while I noticed I was being overtaken by some of the many families out enjoying the day. They were walking.
It was when a pregnant woman pushing a pram overtook me I admitted defeat. I hopped off the bike and pushed, feigning a flat tire! Eventually the road slipped back into a single digit gradient, allowing me to end the humiliation and cycle again.
The scenery, though, was spectacular, which helped soften the sting. Almost.
Pramen Labe sits at around 1,400 metres in the Krkonoše (Giant) Mountains. From here, the Elbe winds its way all the way to the North Sea. Europe’s cycling network is impressive – the EuroVelo routes weave across the continent, and I’ve ridden the EV15 (the Rhine) and parts of the EV6 across France. This trip is different. The Elberadweg (Elbe Cycle Path) isn’t a EuroVelo route at all, but it’s well looked after by the Elberadweg IG, a coalition of towns, tourism groups, and service providers along the river. They’ve been excellent to deal with – responsive, organised, and their free guidebook (yes, in German, but Google Translate does the trick) has been a planning lifesaver.
Eventually we arrived at Pramen Labe, the source of the Elbe River, and took the appropriate photographs before beginning our descent. The source is symbolically marked by a small round well, and a nearby wall featured the shields of the main towns and cities along the river’s route, from Vrchlabi to Cuxhaven.
Downhill
From the spring, we rolled back downhill, retracing our steps before cutting through forests and past summer ski slopes – grassy now, not snowy. The 25 km back to Vrchlabi was mostly fast, smooth, and mercifully downhill, with only a few small climbs to keep us honest.
We checked in at the Wellness Hotel Gendorf, where a booking hiccup worked in our favour – single rooms all round. After a few days of close quarters, that felt like a small luxury.
prozatím sbohem (goodbye for now in Czech).
Today's ride: 31 km (19 miles)
Total: 31 km (19 miles)
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1 day ago
1 day ago
1 day ago
Too kind. Yes, a great place to visit do far. Still alive after two days of riding. Hope all well there.
1 day ago