Highlights Jelling - Viborg

• 0 km: Jelling

  The start

  And you're off! Have a good ride!

  The local orienteering and skiing club Gorm Jelling is ready to welcome you in the starting area at Gormshallen.

  You head south for the first few kilometers, because we really want to show you Faarup Lake and the Viking ship Jelling Orm.

  You also pass the festival square of the famous Jelling Music Festival.

  From Faarup the route runs through Jelling Forest, before you feel the sense of history with burial mounds and rune stones.

• The King's Jelling

  UNESCO World Heritage

  You ride straight through one of the most important and most remarkable areas in Danish history.

  The Kings' Jelling with the Jelling monuments, the stones and the burial mounds is the place, where the christian Denmark allegedly arose.

  King Harald Bluetooth was the king of Denmark through much of the Viking age, so you don't get much closer to the proper land of the Vikings than this.

  Slow down, look up and feel the breath of history right here.

• Kollemorten

  Feed station 1

  The first feed station of the day

  You follow Hærvejen along fields and tracks to the first feed station and a well-deserved break in Kollemorten.

  Here, the local sports association Baltic Nykirke IF offers home-baked treats. Fuel up and get ready for the next part.

• The sources of two Danish rivers

  The sources of Gudenåen & Skjernåen

  The watershed of Jutland has been a central hub for traffic through a thousand years.

  The sources of Gudenåen and Skjernåen originate here, and the route runs along small paths and trails through the oak forest and moor.

  This will challenge you on your way to the next feed station.

• Nr. Snede

  Feed station 2

  Time for a break and some food and drinks.

  The feed station in Nr. Snede is famous for serving both scrambled eggs with bacon as well as hot soup and other refreshments.

  Here, time stands still for a little while, while local associations spoils you.

  As you roll out of town on a full stomach, green forests and fiels await you. Here, you can almost feel contemporary rumbling carriages in the uneven ruts.

  Nr. Snede has been a rallying point for the travelers of Hærvejen - and on race day it's the gathering place for both MTB and road riders.

• Vrads

  Idyllic lakes and forests

  Time to push the pedals on the gravel roads of the large plantations and moor landscapes here.

  An old veteran train rides here, but as a participant in DGI Hærvejsløbet you continue in the woods on single track and onwards to Vrads Sande along the heather-covered rolling hills.

• Hjøllund

  Feed station 3

  Now it's time to fill those energy stores back up.

  The local club Bryrup IF spoils you with food, drinks and good service at this feed station, before you are sent off through the plantation of Gludsted.

• Gludsted Plantation

  Isenbjerg

  This plantation is panflat, so you can save a bit of energy here - or go full gas.

  While riding through Gludsted Plantation, the hill of Isenbjerg rises. It might only be 30 meters high, but it is noticable in this flat landscape.

  It's mostly nice boulevard gravel roads here.

• Engesvang

  Feed station 4

  Time for lunch!

  Next stop is in Engesvang, and it's a good one.

  Here Engesvang Boldklub serves the food, and this feed station is famously known for its pulled pork burgers as well as pastries and other snacks.

  The bike can get a rinse too, and your body or bike can be given a bit of care if need be.

  Back on your bike, plantation after plantation awaits you with long straight dirt roads that allow you to go fast.

• Klosterlund museum

  Welcome inside!

  Right on the shores of Bølling Lake, you almost ride straight through Klosterlund Museum, which presents machines from the past as well as archeological findings.

• Kompedal Plantation

  Boulevard-gravel for miles

  If there was a gravel god, he or she could be the creator of Kompedal Plantation. This place offers miles of long, straight gravel roads lined by high trees and beautiful nature.

  Enjoy the ride and let the kilometers pass by.

• Jens Langkniv

  Riding past an old grave

  Jens Langkniv was a Danish Robin Hood figure in the 1600s, who allegedly was armed with a knife attached to a long line, so he could throw it and quickly pull it back again.

  In Ulvedal Plantation you ride straight past what is said to be his grave.

• Stendal Plantation

  Feed station 5

  In the middle of Stendal Plantation, there more gravel roads as well as a feed station waiting for you.

  Have fun on the nice gravel roads in the plantation before arriving at another great feed station.

  This feed station is unique, because it's located in the middle of the woods.

  Here, it's also possible to properly fuel up your energy stores, which is recommended, although the finish is getting closer.

• Dollerup Hills

  The last challenge

  Dollerup Hills throws the last serious challenge at you before the finish.

  Get ready to feel the legs burn on the last hills of the day. Luckily, the views are beautiful at the lake of Hald, so look up and remind yourself that Viborg is just around the corner.

  The landscape is dramatic - created by Arctic ice and meltwater during the last ice age.

• Viborg Plantation

  The last gravel roads before the finish

  More long and straight gravel roads waiting for you. The finish is just around the corner.

• 175 km: Finish in Viborg

  The finish

  Congratulations - you made it!

  The adventure ends for all road, mountain bike and gravel riders on the Parade Square in Viborg.

  There are partying everywhere in Viborg, with the city hosting its annual celebration Snapsting.

  It gives you every opportunity to pay tribute to your magnificent achievement.

• Parade riding through Viborg

  Enjoy it

  The last few kilometers are all about soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying your accomplishment.

  You have completed The Viking Gran Fondo, and now it's time to be celebrated.

  You are going to ride the red carpet through the center of one of Denmark's oldest and most charming cities, Viborg.

  Slow down and give yourself a pat on the back.

• Celebration on the Parade Square

  The celebration

  Now it's time to unclip and celebrate your achievement.

  This is where participants from all routes finish and meet. You can enjoy a well deserved meal and a cold drink while taking it all in.

  All of Viborg is in party-mode this weekend as the city hosts its annual celebration Snapsting.

  That gives you every opportunity to hang around, enjoy the music and atmosphere and celebrate what has hopefully been a great day in the saddle.