Selztal cycle path

The Selz flows over its 61 km from its source in Orbis right through Rheinhessen and its typical landscapes: Coming from the ridge between the North Palatine Uplands and the Rheinhessen Switzerland, the Selz reaches Alzey after about 10 km, flows northeast through the vine-covered rolling hills of Gau-Odernheim to Selzen, where it bends northwest and passes through a wide, fertile valley landscape past Nieder-Olm to soon reach Ingelheim and the Rhine Basin.

Pleasant stretches through wide valleys alternate with gentle climbs over some hill spurs. Thus, the path between Gau-Odernheim and Bechtolsheim leads out of the valley on vineyard paths, offering a wide view over the land. Afterwards, it goes through the broad Selz meadow valley past some partially operated mills and through the villages of Friesenheim, Köngernheim and Hahnheim. A flattened ‘mountain massif’ extending here from the Rhine knee near Mainz creates steep vineyard slopes on both sides of the path - ideal for viticulture. In the valley floor, fields and meadows spread around Nieder-Olm, Stadecken-Elsheim, Schwabenheim and Großwinternheim. Before Ingelheim, the bike path runs on a 1.5 km long former railway line before bypassing the center of Ingelheim near the northern edge by the train station. It then quickly crosses the flat Rhine floodplain to the end of the bike path near where the Selz flows into the Rhine.

Requirement:
Easy to ride in both directions on quiet, separate paths. Only a few, mostly gentle climbs. The density of towns and connections allows for forming arbitrarily long sections.

Route character:

Path routing:

• 43 km farm roads
• 9.5 km bike paths
• 13 km streets without bike paths within towns
• 1.5 km streets without bike paths outside towns

Surface quality:

• Continuously asphalted bike paths (partly concrete slabs)