Cyclists celebrate the maineck mountain festival in front of a beautiful facade

"Yes, we’re here on a bike" the old town of maineck has been in existence for 110 years. The cycling club (RV) viktoria maineck is the home of two-wheeled enthusiasts. For the anniversary, the club members have spruced up their cycling clubhouse.

"The facade of our stadel has been renovated", says chairwoman sonja baumann. At the traditional mountain festival, which will take place on sunday, 22. July, takes place, the facade can be admired. The people are invited.

But actually the festival is the frame for a district hiking tour of the bavarian cycling federation district, which every year takes cyclists from all over upper franconia to the picturesque old town of maineck. "This year we expect about 130 pedal knights", says baumann and clarifies in the same breath: "during such district hiking trips, the clubs visit each other. Cyclists from ATS kulmbach, for example, are among the annual guests."

In addition, it is a competition. Awards will be given to the clubs that have traveled the farthest, have the most participants and the most young people. In order for a club to be included in the evaluation, baumann said, it had to be present by 1 p.M. To baumann’s delight, the number of participants has been on the rise again for some years now.

She has identified two reasons for this: "E-bikes make it easy to cover long distances. Cycling is also healthy, environmentally friendly and easy on the wallet. For all these reasons, it is once again fully in vogue."

Baumann’s thoughts wander back to the early days of the club, when penny-farthings were in and mountain bikes had not yet been invented: "in november 1908, in peter heinkelmann’s inn, several young maineckers who were enthusiastic about cycling decided to launch a cycling club. Andreas muff was elected as the first chairman." In which year the mountain festival saw the light of day, baumann is not able to say. But a lot of youth memories connects them with it.

As a child, she had lived out her childish urge to move there. "Riding over a seesaw on my bike and keeping my balance was quite a challenge for me as a little girl, recalls the 55-year-old. Instead of the skills tournament, this year there will be a bouncy castle for the little ones on the playground below the cyclists’ home.

What would happen if the bergfest did not exist?? Baumann doesn’t have to think about it for long: "then the old town district of maineck would be poorer by one piece of sociability. The festival also contributes to the upkeep of the cyclists’ home."

The clubhouse with its shady beer garden, which is situated on a hill on the outskirts of the village, is the idyllic setting for a few hours of relaxation.

Before the visitors indulge in worldly pleasures, spiritual edification is on the agenda: on sunday, 22. July, takes place at 8 o’clock in the curacy church "allerheiligen" in maineck a service takes place, with which the deceased club members are commemorated.

From 10 a.M. On there will be a breakfast in the beergarden of the "radlerheim", which will be accompanied by the brass band of the "musikverein mainroth". For lunch there will be from 11.30 o’clock rouladen or horseradish with klob as well as bartwurst and steaks. At the family afternoon between 2 and 5 p.M., the coffee table will be richly decorated with homemade cakes and pies.

Between 13.30 and 14 o’clock the clubs are pramiert. The festivities end with an evening of entertainment that begins at 5 p.M. In the beer garden and the club hall. The visitors can enjoy the culinary delights of the event. The lichtenfels solo entertainer christian bauer will provide the atmosphere.