To the Torfhaus summit

The start of the king stage is at the bus stop at the Apart-Hotel above the Kurhaus. First, head along Kurhausstraße past the hotel on the left. In the forest, keep going straight until the 2-kilometer climb is behind us, then turn right before the stone bridge. At the next intersection, turn left toward Marienteichbaude and shortly afterward, take a slight climb to the right. At the following intersections, turn left, then go straight four times until kilometer 5, where turn left onto the wide path heading toward Ahrensberg. At kilometer 5.7, at the next shelter, there is an option to shorten the route. For this, turn left and keep going straight. After reaching the paved road and passing the diabase quarry, from the paved road just before a left curve, take a sharp left onto a forest path. Our route continues straight to the Jugendwaldheim Ahrendsberg (7.6), where we follow the paved road down to the Okertalsperre reservoir (9.4). There, we meet the also-paved management path of the reservoir. Follow left along the Okertalsperre to the Kalbetal (triangular paved intersection with a stone in the center, signposted Kalbetal), then follow the route left uphill into the valley (toward Torfhaus) on a paved road. For the longer circuit, turn right, cross the main dam, then turn left onto the bike path to the Brückenschänke. Cross the bridge on the left. On the other side, you rejoin the described route. All cyclists who do not want to carry their bikes over short rocky sections should take this shortcut option described here (several times on a 200 m section, narrow path). Follow the road toward Schulenberg. After the bridge, turn right, then left toward the Ski-Alpinum. Upon reaching this, go right past the main building and just before the lifts left over the piste into the forest. At the next intersection, turn right toward Ginsterkamp and Schulenberg. Then go straight and then (16.2 km) down the hill to the left. On the last part of the Schulenberg fitness trail, cross a meadow into Schulenberg. Keep going straight and behind the church, turn left into Lindenweg, then right toward Clausthal-Zellerfeld. Upon reaching the road at the Okertalsperre, follow the bike path right until it ends, then left and left again. After 22 kilometers, the path becomes very narrow, hilly, and rocky (this part requires carrying the bike), but widens again after 200 m and leads back to the federal road to Altenau. Follow the bike path (to the right) to the fore-reservoir (25.6). Cross this and turn left on the other side. After a while, reach the Kalbetal (triangular intersection with a stone in the center), exit the Okertalsperre, and follow the paved road uphill to Torfhaus until reaching the B4 (challenging). At a barrier, turn left into the forest on a narrow path over a meadow to a small parking area and then another forest path (left along the meadow, through the barrier). At the next intersection, continue straight, then left, then right at the following one (not too fast!). When reaching a wide paved road, turn right and shortly before a left curve, turn sharply left onto a forest path. At the next intersection, keep left again. Those who want can stop at Marienteichbaude (just follow the signs). At the next intersection, turn right over the Speckenbach (not sharp right), then shortly afterward right again. Follow the path to a triangular intersection. Turn left there, then left uphill, then straight ahead, and then sharply right. From here, just follow the paths downhill to Bad Harzburg. Cross the stone bridge, then carefully descend the path into the valley until reaching the starting point at the Apart-Hotel.