a trip around germany
Last week I looked up some guys I learned to know via Instagram. Some guys I never really met in person. But I really like to take these online friendships offline as much as I can. Sharing rides with them. Let them show me around in their area. Something I already often do on a national level. But this time I felt like crossing borders and spent a few days in Germany.
And it was so great! Hanging around with these happy people. Meeting up. Riding bikes. Having these various chats with various people. Exploring areas which are unknown to me. And just enjoying the moment. Enjoying everything that can be done although this pandemic. But there was really nothing to worry about! It was fantastic! So let me share my experiences in some words and pics.
hesse
I just booked a hotel somewhere around Wiesbaden, packed my stuff and took the car there. So around Wiesbaden was where I woke up that morning to meet up with three local guys. Duc (@whosduc), Etienne (@ridewithetienne) , and Laurin (@velolaurin).
Actually, I first met Duc at a local bakery. Just to have a pre-ride coffee and kinda like a desert on breakfast. Whatever I had, it was a very tasty way to fuel up. Duc and I met Etienne and Laurin on the outskirts of Wiesbaden. A 5-minute convo in German was what followed. As much as I understand the language, my guess is it was about the route options to show me around in their area. Patiently waiting for the outcome was a good thing to do, because eventually, it turned out that they had come up with a scenic one in this area called Taunus.
It appears to be amazing! I had no clue you can find these quality roads in Germany. Pretty quite, well-paved, and lovely winding up and down. Climbing over here is really nice and totally my cup of tea. Longer ones, like in the Belgium Ardennes. But not as steep. I really dig that. Hard to pick the ultimate highlight of the day. Could be the climb towards Presberg. Could be the view on the river Rhein while descending towards Rüdesheim. Could be the stop for ice cream and espresso. Could be whatever crossed our path today. But hey, why would I even compare things. I think happiness is just about enjoying it all. As much as you can. I really did! No question!
I'm very grateful I decided to come down to this part of the Hesse state!
Baden-Württemberg
As a kid I already had a thing for topography. In the 5th grade of primary school, a huge map of Holland hung in front of the class. Within a week I was able to reproduce the map with my eyes closed. About two years later my parents got me a globe for my birthday...
I truly believe that the passions you felt as a kid, will stay with you forever. As a part of your identity. These days I find myself digging into metadata mentioned in Instagram posts. I really like it when people add a location to their posts. It's something I click on regularly. Just to see it on the map. Same on Markus' (tinydotsonmytimeline) posts. He does such a great job showing on Instagram from where he rides. And so many times I checked the map to see where it was. So it made sense my second ride had to be with this guy. Just to see this Baden-Württemberg area for myself. Plus, it was the perfect argument to meet the guy in person. I mean, we had a lot of chats for about 2 years. I was 100% sure he would be a great guy.
I met Markus at his cozy spot in a small village northwest of Heilbronn. He offered me coffee, and we had great conversations for an hour before we got on the bike. Markus had prepared a 130 km loop. Somewhere along our way David (davidkratz) joined us. He's from the area too. Markus also met him via Instagram. So, with the three of us we continued uphill to enjoy a fantastic view on the city of Heidelberg from the Köningstuh. A fast descend was all we needed to treat ourselves with great coffee in Heidelberg. Another two quiet and winding climbs made us long for even more coffee and cake. Eventually we split up with David where Markus and I had still 30 km to roll. Based on a salad and pasta diner we made it back to Markus' place.
Very happy I came down to ride around in this area as well!
bavaria
This is what life is all about if you ask me. Making plans, based on what you're dreaming of... and then tweak 'em when conditions change. I mean, the initial idea I had was heading to Austria and doing two stops in Germany on my way there. But as the weather predictions for the Alps were really poor for the upcoming day, I felt much more comfortable adjusting plans. However, in my initial plan, I would have visited my friend Ben (ben_poehl) around Nürnberg on my way back home. But Ben and I agreed I would come his way right away. Sticking around for a few days and ride whenever the weather is okay.
Fürth day 1
So, I from around Heilbronn I got to Nürnberg right away. Checked in a new hotel once again, dropped some of my stuff in my room, and then left to meet Ben's brand new place, around Nürnberg (Fürth), where he just moved in. From there we took it for a ride and ventured that it would stay dry for a while even though the sky was getting dark. And because clouds started to look more and more unfriendly, we had quite a bit of a pace. Nevertheless I really enjoyed riding around in this area as well. Bit more flat. More short and steep hills. But again, quiet roads which I didn’t expect to find a lot in Germany to be honest. It really amazed me somehow.
Although it seemed we left 10 minutes late, as the last few kilometers were wet ones, the first ride around here was a nice one again.
Fürth day 2
Weather predictions weren't very good once again, but as it said the morning would be dry Ben and I decided to go for an easy spin. East this time. Easy pace, snapping some shots, and having a coffee at kaffeesurium was what was all about.
Quality ride again! Again, perfect tarmac and quiet roads. Plus great cake and coffee in Fürth. This is why I ride…
Bayerische Wald
Ben came up with this idea for our last ride together. And it turned out to be so good! Although we weren't really prepared for wet conditions, this ride turned out to be epic!
Actually, I had no clue what to expect about this area called Bayerischer Wald, as Ben brought up the idea to go down there for our last ride together. We took the car from Nürnberg to the Czech border and hopped on our bikes for a nice 135 km loop. The loop we did served three climbs over 1.000 meters and no single flat stretch.
Great views to enjoy. Incredible right from the start. This border-cross area between Germany and Czech Republic appears to be covered by lots of natural forests and it's all so green! Which made sense as on the first top we faced rain and wet roads. So the first descent was getting us soaking wet and it was quite a tricky one back from the top in Czech Republic back into Germany. It took a while before we found some dry roads again. The second big climb and its descent were all wet too. The final 30 km were way better as the sun came through and the light was incredible for our last views of the day.
Finally, I really squeezed out all I had left on the last climb to Arber. Turned out to be the nicest climb of the day.
Finishing my trip trough Germany was even better than I could have imagined. And this last day was the most stunning way to wrap it up.
Big thanks for all the guys I’ve had the chance to ride with. So great to be showed around by locals.
Next up? Tuscany!