Tour de Zieleniec, or by bike not necessarily in the mountains

Inspired by the exciting race around Poland, i.e. the cycling Tour de Pologne and the excellent atmosphere of this race, we decided to see if there is an attractive route around our resort for a more serious bike trip, but this time not necessarily mountain.

‍It turned out that we could safely apply to the organizers of the Tour, that is, Czesław Lang, for the location of the finish line of one of the mountain stages in Zieleniec. Recall that in 2012 the race route ran through the Sudetes and even large parts of the Kłodzka Basin - the second stage started in Wałbrzych, led through Nowa Ruda, Kłodzko, Złoty Stok all the way to Opole. The race reached Zieleniec in the third stage of the Tour de Pologne this year, where the 3rd mountain bonus on the section Wałbrzych - Duszniki Zdrój was also located. It is worth mentioning that the Zieleniec Association prepared a special prize for the fastest Pole at the mountain bonus in Zieleniec (which was Marcin Budziński), which was skis.

However, staying in the surroundings of the Orlice and Bystrich Mountains and looking for an ambitious route of a more serious tour, kept in the spirit of the Tour, we have of course many options to choose from. However, in order to focus on specific proposals, we propose two stages - a shorter one, for less skilled cyclists, with one mountain bonus and several flying ones, and a longer one, much more demanding, with a large number of flying, mountain, but above all - scenic bonuses.

‍Stage I: Zieleniec - Duszniki Zdroj - Zieleniec (23 km)

The first part of the stage is not particularly demanding, because for 10 kilometers we will practically... descend. A beautiful scenic route, quite good quality asphalt through Bystrzyca Dusznicka will therefore be a good warm-up before the second part of the tour that awaits us. Unfortunately, it won't be so nice there anymore. Of course, it depends on us how professionally we approach the subject. If we have adopted a sports-relaxation attitude, then we should definitely take a break to visit the Dusznice Spa Park, whose history dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. Although the spa properties of these lands and, above all, the waters were known much earlier. Some data even speak of the 15th century.

Duszniki is in general a town of exceptional beauty, which, without suffering severe losses during the war, has become the pearl of the whole region and is visited by crowds not only by healers, but also by tourists. Assuming that the break is over, we can slowly get back on the bike and proceed to continue the ride, the second part of which will already be much more demanding. The almost 13-kilometer stretch, with a total of more than 400 meters of climbs, is a real treat for all those who like to get tired on the bike. And the route itself, especially from the moment of the turn from road No. 8, gives you the opportunity to really feel like on the route of a cycling race. Asphalt, but in some places narrow and winding road, with lots of climbs, appearing every now and then with viewpoints of the Bystrzyckie Mountains and the entire Kłodzko Basin, is a guarantee of excitement and a very high level of adrenaline.

The record for this tour has not been officially announced, but we suspect that any score below an hour on this stretch will deserve quite a bit of credit. The whole round on the route Zieleniec - Duszniki Zdrój - Zieleniec is almost 24 kilometers. Adding to this the moments of rest in the Spa Park, we can assume that we will devote an entire afternoon to it. ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍

Stage II - Zieleniec - Bystrzyca Kłodzka - Międzylesie - Zieleniec (85 km)

Our second proposal is no longer transfers - by no means. Stage almost exclusively for professionals, or at least people familiar with cycling. 85 kilometers, almost 700 meters of climbs and about 5-6 hours of fighting fatigue and your own weakness, but in what scenery! Stage from Zieleniec to Międzylesie via Bystrzyca Kłodzka to travel through fantastic mountains, the history of these lands, delicious views and charming towns, towns and villages, all of which cannot be mentioned.

So whether we stop in Bystrzyca Kłodzka to admire the unusual urban layout of this city, or in Długopol Zdrój, which is also famous for its healing properties, or maybe on the volatile bonus at the Jagodna Shelter - it depends entirely on us. There are plenty of unique places on this tour, which can (and even should!) Make the whole trip much longer. Anyway, let's not fool ourselves, anyway, we should devote the whole day to it - from dawn to late evening (we remind you that the day is already getting shorter, unfortunately).

By the way, proving that Zieleniec is an excellent place not only for recreational cycling, but also for professional training, we quote from an interview with Bartosz Huzarski, one of the best Polish cyclists, which he gave during the Tour de Pologne in 2009:

‍In front of you are the final touches of the form before the Tour de Pologne. You are training again in Zieleniec. It is probably a specific place, because many Polish cyclists, it is there that prepare for the most important performances?

‍- So I am currently in the final stage of preparations for the Tour de Pologne and thinking ahead, until the last part of the season. My base, just like before the Polish championship, is Zieleniec, where there is actually a specific climate. This is a very good place to prepare. First of all, the climatic conditions: Zieleniec is at an altitude of 950 m above sea level while the air here is like at an altitude of 1800 meters. After the opening of the borders, I increasingly use the hospitality and quality of Czech roads. And most importantly, you have a great rest here after training, it is much cooler than at the bottom, for example, in Duszniki or Polanica, much quieter and calmer than in resorts besieged by tourists, which certainly promotes regeneration. (Source: www.pzkol.pl)