On May 19, 2024 it is Saar-Pedal!
On Sunday, May 19th, the popular car-free Saar-Pedal adventure day will take place for the 29th time. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the roads between the city of Konz and the Saarland city of Merzig will be closed to all motor vehicle traffic and cyclists, inline skaters and hikers will have free rein.
Together with all those involved, Jürgen Dixius, Mayor of the Saarburg-Kell municipality, Joachim Weber, Mayor of the Konz municipality, Daniel Kiefer, Mayor of the Mettlach municipality and Christopher Klein as representative of the city of Merzig presented the 2024 Adventure Day in a joint press conference.
The official starting signal will be given at the same time at 10 a.m. in Maierspark in Konz and in the Stadtpark in Merzig. Participants can then use the approximately 40-kilometer-long route until 6 p.m. and discover the beauty of the Saar Valley. Those who only want to travel in one direction or in sections can change to the train that runs parallel to the route. Special trains are in use between Trier and Saarbrücken that are equipped with additional carriages for bicycles. Transporting bicycles on these trains is free of charge.
Saar-Pedal has firmly established itself in the calendar of events and is popular with locals as well as holidaymakers and day visitors. The special attractiveness of Saar-Pedal results from the combination of undisturbed cycling fun in a beautiful landscape and a varied and family-friendly program that is offered in the 12 action zones along the route. In the towns of Konz, Filzen, Kanzem, Wiltingen, Schoden, Ockfen, Saarburg, Serrig, Serrig barrage, Saarholzbach, Mettlach and Merzig, the towns and local communities, clubs and groups as well as the winegrowers and restaurateurs put together a wide range of offers.
Starting with traditional regional delicacies such as spit roast from the wood grill or roast pork, there are also fish specialties, jacket potatoes with quark, pea soup, pizza as well as cake buffets, crêpes and waffles, as well as beer, wine, cider and cocktail stands - gastronomically speaking, Saar-Pedal leaves little to be desired.
The varied supporting programme with concerts by local music groups, live bands and DJs also gives plenty of reason to stop along the way. Children are offered lots of fun and plenty of variety in the activity zones with creative games such as bike courses, tower spectacles, snail slides, roller sprint facilities and participatory circus.
The extensive range of services also includes breakdown assistance. If your bike breaks down, help is available in Konz, Schoden, Serrig and Merzig. The Serrig cycling club “Frei Weg” also operates on the route between Konz and Saarhölzbach.
The police, DRK, fire brigades and THW work together to secure the route. There are also several accident assistance stations that are manned throughout the day.
The city of Merzig starts the open-air cycling season one day earlier, on May 18th, with live music in the city park.
The Saar-Pedal-Flyer is also available at the tourist information offices in Konz (06501-6018040), Saarburg (06581-995980), Mettlach (06865-91151009) and Merzig (06861-85330) or can be requested there.
sponsorship and organization
Above all, the main sponsor Bitburger, which has supported Saar-Pedal for more than 10 years, is making a decisive contribution with its commitment to ensuring that the event can take place on the usual scale. Also involved are Volksbank Trier eG and SaarRiesling e.V., as well as Multicycle Cube-Store Trier, RadBusse and AOK, which are also represented with information stands at Saar-Pedal.
The organizers of Saar-Pedal are the municipalities of Konz and Saarburg-Kell on the Rhineland-Palatinate side as well as the municipality of Mettlach and the city of Merzig in Saarland. The coordination of the entire event is in the hands of Saar-Obermosel-Touristik. The organization is only possible through the good and proven cooperation of all participants. The voluntary work that is done on this day is particularly noteworthy.