Germania·2026

Jena

Jena sits in a narrow river valley in Thuringia with serious elevation changes—the Jenaer Kernberglauf climbs 27km through steep forested terrain, and the Lobdeburglauf (15km) tackles the castle ridge above the city. Cyclists face constant rolling hills on all routes out; the Horizontale circuit (100km) loops the entire region and is a popular gravel/mixed-surface test. The surrounding Schwarzatal and Frankenwald forests offer technical trail options for mountain bikers, while road runners find the valley bottoms relatively manageable but rarely flat.