Thankfully stronger legs again today! I continued Eurovelo 4 to Cheb. On the way I passed two special bridges over the Ohre: a wobbly suspension bridge near the campsite at Sabina and a bridge with a wooden enclosure at Dolni Pochlovice.
Bridge at Dolni Pochlovice
There were many kayakers and canoeists on the river. Apparently a favourite sport of the Czechs. They also do multi-day trips and then camp at these simple riverside campsites.
To get to the centre of Cheb to cycle, it was climbing again, but it was worth it. A beautiful market square. I spent my last crowns there in a little restaurant. I wanted to give my last change to a beggar or street musician, but of course now I didn't come across any. The next stop was Waldsassen in Germany. I must have crossed the border on a 'ravel' (former railway line), but did not see a border post anywhere.
Waldsassen is a beautiful basilica town, definitely worth visiting when you are in the area.
Then it continued sharply uphill, with 10 kilometres on a good gravel road through a wooded nature reserve with ponds.
It was a long ride today and in Cheb and Waldsassen I took a long rest. The sun was already low on the horizon when I rode the last kilometres to Camping Schweinmühle deposed.
After two river rinses, I had a lot of joy from the German shower with soap and shampoo. Tomorrow will probably be a cycling rest day to wash my clothes and update my Flickr photo albums.
Steep slope through the fields
Heavy heavy heavy heavy! And komoot then apparently always chooses the toughest of all possible routes: always nice gentle lanes, but steep up and down the whole time. After a stretch of steep climbing, you hope for a flat or gentle descent, but no, when you stop at the top to de-acidify your legs and wipe the sweat from your forehead, you see that 50 metres further on a deep dive starts with another one of those calves' climb. And so on and on. It makes you desperate in the long run.
A few kilometres beyond Kemnath, a pretty town where I strolled around for a while and ate an ice cream, I had had it. Besides, from many gruelling climbs in a row, I get exertion diarrhoea after a while, and that is not pleasant. When I feel such a cramp coming on, I need to be able to put myself down within minutes, which is sometimes difficult.
That's why I switched from Komoot to Apple maps. That has a 'avoid hills' filter and so it does indeed work. I was offered a route south of the busy 22 motorway on a quiet lane that ran parallel to a small river. Of course, it also went well up and down, but at much smaller, more easily cyclable gradients. Now I was also progressing faster, as it was agonisingly slow on the higher route. Why Komoot only offers the hilltop route to touring cyclists is beyond me. However, I indicated that I do not cycle electrically.
So, around 6pm I arrived in Bayreuth, where I will stay in a guesthouse for two nights. A private room, a lovely bed and tomorrow morning I will see a doctor with my aching wrist.
Over the next few days, I will try to get to Mainz cycling (+300 km) and from there follow the Rhine route towards the Netherlands. Then I guess my last cycling days will be a bit flatter again.
It was with flannel legs that I began the brisk climb to get out of Bayreuth to get going. After a rest day, it usually takes a while for my muscles to get back on track. After about ten kilometres this started to improve.
Once again, I switched to Apple maps to avoid the overly violent shortcuts with gradients up to 25%, from komoot avoid.
It hilled briskly again - it's not called here for nothing Franconian Switzerland - but all slopes remained well within my power range.
Thurnau
In the beautiful town Thurnau I took a long lunch break because I knew a long climb awaited me in the second part of the route. I walked to the castle and the little church, visited a ceramic workshop, ate a sandwich and went to the shop to get dinner.
Then back on the bike. The climb was indeed long, over 4 km non-stop, but in my smallest gear I got up it in one pull. At 6 km/hour, no faster than a brisk walking pace.
On the descent, a lovely cooling downpour washed over me (it was 30 degrees again) and the final kilometres, back in dry weather, took me through a wonderful valley with some special rock formations.
Schlosscamping Kleinziegenfeld is quite expensive for a bicycle camper: 21€, but it possesses something priceless: darkness and silence. Only a negligible gentle murmur from the motorway a few kilometres away.
The final section through nature reserve Franconian Switzerland was downright beautiful and mostly downhill, through a sometimes deeply carved valley. At one point, there was a roadblock due to stone chips, but bicycles were fortunately able to get alongside. A little further on, municipal staff were indeed clearing stones. I passed several springs to refresh my lukewarm water.
Then it continued on cycle paths alongside main roads. After 22 km, I was suddenly faced with a steep climb on which I had to go into the red. That effort played into my hands afterwards acidification particles passed on an unexpectedly heavy section Baunach, before I could start descending to the Main valley.
Sail-am-Main
Baunach was heralded as a pretty town with lots of half-timbered houses. I was somewhat overheated and drove there to the Marktplatz To drink something fresh. None of that. There were about five Gaststätten, but all closed. Thursday closing day? Weird.
After a few gulps of pale water, then onwards, along a track with a lot of climbing in full sun...
At Stettfeld I finally found an eiscafe that was open. There I returned to my senses somewhat.
I was already next to the Main. The last 15 km were wonderfully flat with a nice tailwind on top. When I arrived at the beautiful and quiet campsite next to the Main of Naturfreunde Hassfurt arrived, all the fatigue had paddled out of my legs.
At 7pm it was still 25°C. After such a sweaty day, I preferred a dip in the Main - swimming briskly against the current without really moving forward - to a shower. And after that, all fatigue was really gone from my body!
The wind had turned 180 degrees overnight, I now had it right from the front. But it seemed less powerful to me than yesterday and the first 25 km were flat as a billiard sheet between a railway and the Main. Actually, it gave a pleasant air chill as it was another hot day.
A few kilometres before Schweinfurt I passed a firmly equipped 'Raststätte' for cyclists. From Schweinfurt the route started to climb, so I decided to have lunch here. I had leftovers from last night. So I didn't have to start climbing with a full stomach and languid resting legs.
Raststätte for cyclists
A few kilometres before Schweinfurt I passed a firmly equipped 'Raststätte' for cyclists. From Schweinfurt, the route started to rise, so I decided to have lunch here. I still had leftovers from last night. So I didn't have to start climbing with a full stomach and languid resting legs.
That may have been providential, but actually unnecessary. The gradient of the first few kilometres was so minimal that you hardly felt it.
The middle part of the climb again went through a wide green valley. Only one inconvenience: there was no grummel shade and after half an hour of gentle uphill cycling without wind chill I felt overheated. A tree in a meadow 50 m from the cycle path brought some cooling. It was very quiet in that place, I again stayed there longer than planned.
After that valley, the roadway still allowed me to make a harder effort on a steep section. Then it was downhill in a big way, including a bit dangerously steep on a rough forest path that I did on foot. No desire to slide under when braking and fall on my wrist again.
The campsite - from a chain - was almost three times more expensive than the blissful Nature Friends campsite in Hassfurt. Its proximity to the Kissalis Therme Bad (800 metres uphill through a park) will be in between for something.
September 7: While I'm here, I decided to take a rest day and once again go through it from all sides beneficial warm water with high mineral content get a massage. There are more baths and facilities here than in Karlovy Vary and for a lower entrance fee: bubble baths and different jet streams, underwater streams, two different steam baths, a cold bath (18 degrees)... I couldn't last long in the steam baths, far too oppressive. The cold bath afterwards was very refreshing after all the hot water, but unfortunately too small for real swimming.
Relaxed from head to toe again! Wondering if I'll be back with flannel cycling legs tomorrow....
Hooray! I had no flannel legs today after yesterday's spa splurge! And what a lovely route! Except for a difficult start to get out of Bad Kissingen to get there - a steep climb up a stony gravel road followed by a too-steep 'hiking descent' due to skid danger - the onward route proceeded through the wide valley of the Franconian Saale river, over asphalt interspersed with fine gravel roads. A wonderfully beautiful route, as the photos attest.
Because the route was much flatter than expected in this region - well after some local 'komoot corrections' because it again sometimes unnecessarily chased me up the hill - I arrived earlier than expected in Hammelburg to, where I normally wanted to eat something because the shops here are closed on Sundays. Therefore, I changed my scenario. In Gemünden there were also restaurants and so instead of lunch it would be an evening dinner.
Unfortunately, it started to drip when I arrived at the welcoming Camping site of the Canoe and Ski Club Gemünden arrived, but no worries. My neighbour Erwin came and slammed a big umbrella into the ground next to my tent so that my tent porch stayed dry. What hospitality here! How different even that can be from campsite to campsite....
The rain persisted and for the first time this trip I had to walk through the wetness to the town. Fortunately only half a kilometre, which was rewarded with a delicious crispy vegetable dish in Asia Haus restaurant.
Drizzling weather today. Last night it kept pouring until three o'clock last night. This morning it was dry and I just about managed to pack the tent dry, but when I got on my bike it started to drizzle heavily. Fifteen kilometres away, in Lohr am Main, a pretty town with many half-timbered houses, I took shelter with a hot coffee. What a difference in temperature from the past few days!
Hösbach-Bahnhof
From there, a long climb over some 10 km on the B26. Physically, it was well within my reach, I had nowhere to go in the red, but mentally there was no end to it. It was not a bike-friendly lane: alongside fast cars and also many low-flying trucks that, like me, wanted to cut off the big diversions the Main makes. They did not like slowing down uphill and sometimes skimmed dangerously close alongside.
After a while, it thankfully stopped raining. As I passed through the village Rechtenbach drove, I thought I would be about at the top, but later I saw on the trail that this was only in the halfway point. After every turn, I thought the descent would start, each time it kept rising further.
When I was finally allowed down, my legs and feet (bare in sandals) cooled quickly and I decided to put on my rain trousers and trainers after all. Not against the rain but against the wind chill. During the descent, I was able to leave the B26 and after that I had no more trouble with trucks.
After a rapid descent, past the village came Rothenbuch the second climb of the day was coming. That one was shorter, but did rub against my strength limit. Halfway up, I had to stop for a moment to de-acidify.
Meanwhile, dark grey clouds began to pile up again. Thunderstorms were predicted for tonight. On the descent, I decided that if I could find a guesthouse for 50€ on the 20 km left to the next campsite, I would bite.
Fortunately, that was the case. In Gasthaus De Specht I could go for that amount including breakfast.
And after an hour, a solid thunderstorm with heavy rain did indeed erupt. How lucky that I was under roof and could let my clammy sleeping bag from the previous rainy night dry. The weather here has also made the change from summer to autumn weather.
Not many photos because of the wetness and busy road.
Today I crossed the 2,000-km threshold. I was driving south of Frankfurt towards the Rhine. I thought I would have to go through a lot of industrial areas, but it was not that bad. About 40 km I rode through vast forests. The wind came from the west, my cycling direction, but in the forests I didn't feel much of that.
After a rest stop at a bistro with a nice big peacock and duck aviary, I ended up back in the open fields and immediately felt that the wind had now picked up briskly. I avanced much slower than hoped this last part of the route. In the end, I still arrived before 6 pm in Niederwaldsee campsite. A well-equipped and 'tent-friendly' campsite by a lake, just a pity about the motorway right next to it and Frankfurt Airport planes flying over every few minutes. But good earplugs always bring solace at night.
The forecast for rain for part of the night and all of the morning came true. Not just rain, there was a stormy wind. The advantage of that strong air movement was that I had no condensation on the inside of the tent. She was only wet from the rain, but since the tent meadow had several party tents with benches underneath, I could let everything dry there and have breakfast.
Rain in Niederwaldsee campsite
A little after 11 o'clock, the worst was over and I left in some drizzle. The wind had also calmed down.
After about 15 kilometres I reached a Rhine tributary, with shortly afterwards a crossing of the Rhine over a bridge with a narrow cycle path right next to the motorway. As long as you are moving, you do not feel it, but when you stop for a moment, e.g. to let an oncoming car pass, it is frightening how the bridge starts to 'dance' every time a heavy truck thunders past. May more bridges not collapse under the weight of such heavy rascals....
When I was in Mainz sitting on a bench eating my lunch and watching those flat Rhine cruise boats pass by, the desire to board and sail to Cologne overcame me for a moment. But from this afternoon the weather would improve again and a flat cycling route awaited me from here on. Wouldn't it be silly to spend a lot of money on a boat and pass up a nice, easy cycling route?
On the part Mainz-Kempfen I didn't see much of the Rhine, however. It was behind a dyke. I felt more like riding through the Dutch polders: up a dike, down a dike.
The campsite in Kempf was right next to the river, though, with a handsome view of a marina and the town across the river. And a beautiful sunset on top!
I cycled fewer kilometres than planned: left very late and after noon the wind played tricks on me again.
Today I did manage to give it a kilometre hit. The weather was okay and the route was much more picturesque than yesterday. The cycle path now ran right next to the Rhine, with nice views of the villages and vineyards on the other side.
The wind was not too bad: one Rhine bend I had it slightly against, the next I had it side-rear. In Boppard I had to take a walk as there was an artisan market going on there. A quick stroll, a welcome change after the ever-rotating leg movement.
Beyond Boppard, dark clouds began to pile up. Just when I thought the rain would burst, I passed a campsite where I could take shelter on the terrace. The rain didn't last long, so quickly moved on. At the second shower 5km before Koblenz I was just at a Biergarten. Then it started raining really heavily. That wasn't too bad again, because the Imbiss also had fries on the menu. At the campsite yesterday I drank something with Julia, a Canadian cyclist about my age who was eating schnitzel with fries. Suddenly I got an incredible craving to eat fries too. That craving was satisfied today while the rain was pouring down. Plate of chips on, rain shower over and back on the bike for a few kilometres until the Knaus Camping Park On the Rhine in Koblenz.
Once there, I had just about half an hour to set up my tent and let my sleeping bag and mat air a bit before another rain shower erupted, this time for many hours at a stretch.
Wet mess this morning, after a rainy night in the tent. The inner tent had stayed reasonably dry, so I separated it from the outer tent and packed them separately. The wet outer tent went into the pannier in a plastic bag.
Today we continued alongside the Rhine, sections alternating between beautiful and less beautiful. Between Koblenz and San Sebastian it was Rhine trail interrupted and cyclists had to ride along the roadway.
Along the Rhine
After pedalling against a strong headwind for a good hour, the sun broke through. Sun and wind, the ideal formula for drying my tent canvas over a bench seat. Tonight I sleep in Bonn in a hostel, I'd rather not have that wet stuff packed for two days. At 15 minutes, the sun and wind had done their work and I was able to move on.
Beyond Andernach for a long time, it was constant 'partner swapping' with the main track and the railway. I even drove a section right under the roadway.
After Remagen it started dripping and rumbling in the sky. This time I was less lucky with shelters. When the drizzle turned to splash I was sitting next to a dyke and in 2 minutes my trousers were side wet. Putting on rain trousers over this does not make much sense. Better let them wind-dry as soon as the rain stops.
This also worked out as the last half hour before Bonn stayed dry.
Hostel45 is a neat hostel, I was in a dormitory for four women (less snoring than in a mixed dormitory, haha). Big downside, though: when the reception cum café closes at 8pm, there is no community space anywhere to sit for a bit. Either you sit in your room, or else you have to go to the café. That's not so nice after a long day of cycling.
By 9:30 I was on my bike, without the time-consuming hassle of a wet tent. That's the advantage of sleeping under roof for a night.
Another 10 km beside the Rhine and then back inland. After three days of Rhine cycling, I like that. A bit more variety in the route.
It was not so nice though: a lot on bumpy cycle paths next to roads and through agglomerations, and a strong headwind all the time - I seem to have a patent on that when cycling home.
To get out of the Rhine valley it went up false flat for a very long time. Combined with the wind, this made my progress slow.
Beyond Eisdorf, where I took a break, the route became more rural, with long straight paths through immense fields: potatoes, maize, pumpkins... and, of course, the wind that had free rein here.
The last five kilometres I was lucky: the track made a 90-degree turn to swing around a ridge and suddenly I had the wind on the right. What a difference: my legs now only had to follow in a big gear, without really having to exert force. That did well so at the end of a long stretch.
At Jülich I passed a citadel from the 17th century. Impressive building.
Citadel Jülich
Camping Brückenkopf was fat OK, for only 8€ incl. electricity. It was another campsite with no reception. The people in charge do a round in the evening and morning to receive the camp money.
It was a cold and damp night in Jülich. As usual, I woke up at 7 am, but it was still so foggy outside that I turned over in my pocket again and fell back asleep until a little after 8 am. By then the sun was starting to come through and the outside temperature was a bit more pleasant.
In the end, I left far too late to get to Zutendaal cycling. The headwind was also back. I never passed an official border with the Netherlands, but I could see from the Dutch junction signs that I had arrived at our northern neighbours.
In the Maas Valley I decided to spend the night at one of the numerous Dutch farm campsites. A good choice: as usual in NL, a very neat campsite with everything a bike camper needs, for only 12€.
Few photos today. Didn't encounter much beauty along the way.
The day started fine today: the announced rain from 8am onwards stayed out and as I got ready to leave, my Dutch 'tent neighbours' offered Cor and Corinne offering me a fresh cup of real coffee. These are always such fine moments that I really enjoy. In Germany that never happened to me, in the Czech Republic it did: a festive dinner with lots of wine with my Italian camper neighbours in Prague.
Fine ride today, except for 15 km next to major lanes (N72, Beringersteenweg and Tessenderlosteenweg). The wind did not bother, I was able to pedal on average two gears heavier than yesterday and thus went much faster than past days.
Just past the Belgian border (marked only by signs 'Flanders' ) I passed a amphibian tank which had fallen into the swirling Meuse River during an accident in 1945 - killing two of the four crew members - and was recovered and restored in 1977. The vehicle had drifted to the Dutch side of the border and was secretly towed back to Belgium.
Easy but not beautiful last ride. I could have shifted the proposed Komoot route - subject to detours - to nicer trails, but the nose was pointing home. Just pedal and enjoy the movement, and leave the passing cars for what they are.
In Herselt, I got a call from Jos Hofmans. He wanted to ride his scooter against me and treat me to a light lunch. That worked out a good hour later in Berlaar. Cosy up on a terrace.
With Jos Hofmans in Berlaar
Then another 20 km via Lier and the beautiful cycle path Lier-Antwerp.
Back home, after 52 rides, 2,506 km and 15,350 altimeters #cyclingforshatsa.
Many thanks to all donors!
Donations are still open until some time after a newsletter I have yet to send out now.
I cycled for the Tibetan Shatsa Organisation library in Ladakh.
All donations large and small are welcome on account number BE63 8918 7405 7108 of Reach Out asbl ('Shatsa' in the Communication).
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
