Kraichgau-Stromberg: One of our partners for gravel bike adventures
When our partner Kraichgau-Stromberg Tourism e.V. started to turn their focus to gravel biking, they were guided by the principle: “Let’s just do it and see what happens”. But what exactly is gravel biking? As the term “gravel” suggests, gravel biking refers to off-road explorations on unpaved roads – and there’s even dedicated bikes for it.
In 2021, the team of Kraichgau-Stromberg Tourism e.V. released their first Collection for gravel riders on komoot and the region has since become a popular area for riding on natural trails. From the very start, komoot played an important role in the project, providing significant reach and free opportunities to distribute outdoor content.
Becoming a top destination for gravel riders
Kraichgau-Stromberg has long been a popular cycling destination. With 29 marked bike trails, 12 long-distance cycling routes, and formerly six MTB routes at Stromberg-Heuchelberg Nature Park, the region offers a diverse selection of trails.
However, the cycling industry and its audience are constantly evolving, with new bike models and riding styles emerging. That’s why, in 2021, the team at Kraichgau-Stromberg Tourism e.V. asked themselves a crucial question: Who do we want to attract to our region?
The answer was as follows:
- A younger, adventure-loving target group
- Cyclists who are digitally inclined (using apps)
- Visitors seeking unique experiences
- Outdoor enthusiasts who care about (or at least are not uninterested in) sustainability
Based on this information, the tourism organization decided to focus on gravel riders as their target audience.
The launch of a successful project
With their new target audience in mind, the tourism organization drew up a roadmap implementing the following steps:
- Communicating and explaining the topic to relevant committees
- Creating a landing page to position the region as a gravel biking destination in 2021
- Creating a komoot Collection based on former MTB routes at Stromberg-Heuchelberg Nature Park
- Entering a partnership with LifeCycle Magazine on the topic, “Wine, bike and gravel: a bikepacking weekend in the land of 1,000 hills”, including a dedicated blog article and komoot Collection
- Publishing another komoot Collection titled, “Three overnighters from city to city” in 2022
- Being present at the Gravel Games in Herten
- Starting a collaboration with “GravelDeluxe”
As there’s no special signage for the region’s gravel bike routes, gravel riders are encouraged to use digital navigation sources and platforms such as komoot.
Action-packed Tours
Building on these successful steps, the tourism organization continued its efforts – leading to many more published gravel routes on komoot. Among others, you can enjoy the following collections:
- Riding through Stromberg-Heuchelberg Nature Park
- Gravel pleasure in the land of 1,000 hills: A Collection of routes taking you across the hills and to places where you can indulge in local delicacies, all of them with special gravel bike racks
- Nature Park Gravel Crossing from Mannheim to Basel
- Across the hills: Mountain passes in the Kraichgau-Stromberg region (designated mountain passes with QR codes for uploading your selfie to the Wall of Fame)
Great offers for gravel riders
The Nature Park Gravel Crossing Collection was developed in collaboration with other regions in Baden-Württemberg. With approximately 690 kilometers and 15,000 meters of elevation gain, the Collection presents an exciting challenge for avid gravel riders.
Plans for the future: Our partner Kraichgau-Stromberg Tourismus e.V. plans to offer printed versions of the komoot gravel rides, making use of our print maps option.
Kraichgau-Stromberg Tourismus e.V. & komoot
Kraichgau-Stromberg Tourism e.V. and komoot have been working together since 2019. Komoot played an integral role in establishing gravel biking in the region, with komoot Tours being created for all the region’s gravel adventures.
Our partner uses this content for free in their 360-degree communication strategy, embedding it on their website and creating QR codes for print media.
The komoot platform is a popular channel for promoting outdoor adventures like gravel rides. More than 40 million people have an account and use the platform to find inspiration for diverse activities.
Start your success story with komoot
Would you like to tap into a new outdoor target audience or strengthen your position in the outdoor community? Then take the first step and create a free partner profile with us. Together, we’ll define a roadmap to achieve your goals
Our tip: If you’re still looking for inspiration, be sure to check out our partners’ Best Practices.
