Parzęczew – a small town near Łódź. This is where the longest pumptrack in the world is located. Great fun for children, but also a great place to practice biking techniques.
A pumptrack is a track made up of rollers and berms on which a bicycle can be ridden without pedalling, but only using a “pumping” motion. It can be built of the ground itself or paved with a hard surface, usually asphalt. Such is also suitable for skateboarding or in-line skating.
More and more pumptracks have been built in recent years. There are several in Wrocław, where I live, and they can also be found in many smaller towns. However, all the pumptracks I have been to so far are very small compared to what Parzęczew offers.
The pumptrack in Parzęczew was opened in September 2023 and according to information on the website www.pumptrack.parzeczew.pl, it is over 1,225 m long.
During my first few rides on this pumptrack, I had trouble finding which way the line even ran. I would ride into a berm and after a while I would notice that I was going against the flow or I would start going in circles on a small section of the pumptrack. There are painted arrows in some places, but there are far too few. With only a few people on the whole pumptrack, riding against the flow is not a problem, but I suspect it can be more busy in the summer.
Only after some time did I notice that there were two lines – a shorter one in the middle marked with blue arrows and a longer one around it, marked with red arrows. In addition, there is a short loop with gentle berms for beginners.
As you can see in the recording, my GPS in the camera counted about 860 m long. I don’t know how the builders calculated that it was over 1200 m, but it looks like it’s still the longest pumptrack in the world. On the internet you can find information that the longest is in Torrevieja in Spain, but from what I found, for example on torrevieja.es, it’s only 540 m long.
The pumptrack in Parzęczew is a really good investment. I had fun riding it, even though my skills didn’t allow me to use the jumps. And there are at least a few places where you can jump. You just need more speed and a better take-off technique.
There is a parking lot, benches under a shelter and a toilet at the pumptrack, so there is no shortage of what is needed for a long workout. Right next to it is a pond, which makes the place more beautiful and where, apparently, you can fish in the season.
Quite far from Wrocław, but I highly recommend it to residents of Łódź and other nearby towns.
Thank you :)
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