Reimposta ricerca
2023 Itzonagen European Ride2023 Itzonagen European Ride
SatelliteModifica percorso

2023 Itzonagen European Ride

agosto - ottobre 2023
Early in 2018 I started making plans for a new European Cycling Adventure, to be conducted in September 2020. However, Covid 19 put a stop to those plans for three years. Now finally "Itzonagen". Leggi altro
  • 69impronte
  • 7paesi
  • 65giorni
  • 706fotografie
  • 0video
  • 35,6kchilometri
  • 33,4kchilometri
Segui Calendario Condividi Lista dei desideri
Data ascendente
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 16

    Bastogne to Sankt Vith

    2 settembre 2023, Belgio ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Any day that starts with a blue sky and fine, cool weather is a promising sign for a group of cyclists. Knowing that our ride today would be easier than the previous day, I decided to firmly put my foot in my mouth and announce that "today will be a good day". And that was true for about the next 5 minutes until the first disaster struck.

    As we were assembling near the garage, getting ready to unload our bikes, someone that I will call Pascale (mainly because that is her name after all), broke the garage door. For some obscure reason she decided to press the emergency stop button, right when the door was neither up or down. The result was pretty predictable - the door got firmly stuck half way.

    What followed over the next 20 minutes was quite amusing, as a range of Ghostriders (all men) thought they could solve the problem by just randomly pressing any buttons they could find. Of course none of them had any effect. The door was still stuck. Members of staff came with tools and screwdrivers. The lock was dismantled. The door was still stuck. Maybe the only ones who can actually unstick the door is the local fire brigade ?

    Faced with this Turvey caused catastrophe, we had no alternative other than to get the bikes out through the 40 cm gap. I had never seen the spectacle of cyclists doing the limbo with their ebikes, but that is what we all saw today.

    Eventually all the bikes were out in the sunshine, and only a moderate amount of additional damage caused to the door in the process. It was time to get going.

    Today we split into two groups. The first was led by Carol (assisted by Pascale) and the second was led by Allan (assisted by myself). Just as we were about to start, David made the unfortunate discovery that his bike would not turn on. Thirty minutes of battery swapping, bike kicking, button pushing and oath uttering got us exactly nowhere. The bike was well and truly dead.

    A call to Erik resulted in a promise that a replacement bike would be sent - all the way from Maastricht. Since it was going to take a long time, all the remaining riders climbed on their bikes and left David forlornly standing in the alleyway, next to the broken door and several garbage bins.

    Of course, the ladies had long since exhausted their patience and left at least an hour earlier. Even pelotonic unity has its limits.

    Apart from the troublesome start, we were soon riding along some of the very best paths we had experienced so far. With its smooth surface and shady canopy of trees overhead, this really was close to cycling heaven.

    We had previously stocked up with lovely baguette sandwiches before leaving Bastogne, and we stopped to enjoy these at about the halfway point through the ride. At around 550 m above sea level, it was also the highest point of the day's ride.

    What followed was an elevation drop of around 200 m, over a distance of about 10 km. Needless to say the riding was easy and gentle.

    The 68 km ride finished with a final gentle climb to Sankt Vith and our lovely hotel for the night. The Hotel Steineweiher was set at the end of a long winding driveway, and was surrounded by acres of manicured lawns and lakes. It was the perfect location to enjoy an afternoon drink in the gardens.

    The ladies group eventually arrived about 90 minutes later, still laughing about all the adventures they had shared during the day. They had also somehow managed to ride an additional 7 km, which probably explained why they were so tired at the end.

    And as for David ? We had almost forgotten about him. Apparently his replacement bike did arrive around noon. He jumped on it and started pedaling like a lunatic (in other words, the way he always rides). Sometime during the afternoon, he flew past the ladies peloton at warp speed, and disappeared out of sight. I don't think he even saw them. When he arrived at Sankt Vith, he announced that he was "very happy" with the new bike.

    Another eventful day.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 17

    A Murderous Climb to Rohren

    3 settembre 2023, Germania ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Today was the time for us to experience the Vennbahn, the long distance bike path that follows the route of the trainline of the same name. This world famous bike path will be the theme of our ride for the next three days. I had also announced to the group that, after our wicked climb out of Bouillon, all the hard work is now behind us. "It will be all downhill from now", I added. How wrong I was.

    It was only when I was looking at the ride details that I discovered that the elevation profile had a little anomaly that I hadn't noticed before. While it was true that most of the second part of the elevation graph was a steady downhill, there was a wicked kick at the end. It looked like the graph turned vertical. Surely it was probably just a glitch in the software. No road could be that steep. To our horror, we later discovered that it not a mistake. It really was a shocker.

    At least the first part of the ride was delightful. We discovered that the Vennbahn blessed us with tremendous riding. The combination of gentle gradients and smooth sealed surface was delightful. No wonder this part of the ride is so popular.

    It was about this time that I was reminded of a discovery that we had made on our last ride in Belgium, back in 2016. It seems that every Belgian rider thinks they are a reincarnation of Eddy Merckx. Eddy was the legendary Belgian rider that won the Tour de France five times, along with just about every other classic bike race. One year on the Tour he even won the yellow, green and polka dot jerseys. How greedy is that ?

    The smooth surface of the Vennbahn now encourages every Belgian rider to climb on their plastic fantastic racing bikes, and then try to break the sound barrier on two wheels. It matters not a jot to them that the path is shared by a wide range of other riders, roller bladers, walkers and joggers. It is a single minded obsession that dictates that everyone else has to just clear out of their way. Obviously nothing has changed in the last 7 years. These racing maniacs are still a hazard that has to be endured.

    While enjoying the long downhill to Monschau, we were so mesmerized by the glorious riding, that we missed the recommended turnoff. When we realised our mistake, we had to ride back a short distance to find the track.

    A glance down the track was enough to deter some of our riders. It looked like a rough, rock strewn cow track (probably because that is what it was). Fortunately it only went for a few metres before leading us to a much quieter trail, meandering alongside the Rur River. It certainly was great to have some peace and quiet, and be away from the racing cyclists.

    This alternate path took us all the way to the town of Monschau, but none of us were prepared for the spectacle that greeted us on our arrival. The entire town was overun by literally thousands of tourists. They crammed every street, every little eatery, every corner of the place. It looked like the scene outside the MCG on Grand Final Day.

    The streets were so packed that we had to dismount and try to walk our way through the hordes of people. We had all looked forward to seeing this pretty town, but the dense throng had really taken away all the pleasure. No one wanted to stay there any longer than was necessary.

    Somehow we did manage to find a few empty seats at a cafe opposite the church, where we feasted on coffee and waffles. We waited for the second group to arrive, but discovered that they had been hugely delayed by a puncture. (It is worth noting that this was the only puncture that was suffered by anyone in the entire ride).

    We still had 8 km to complete before we could really relax at our hotel. The first few km were ominously downhill, before we finally crossed the river and began the brutal climb. The road immediately tilted up (and up and up). Riders clicked down to their lowest gears, and then went searching for even lower ones. The power switches were clicking to find the highest power settings. Even with TURBO, SPEED BOOST, WARP FACTOR 10 or whatever, the motor was painfully inadequate to compensate for the awful gradient. My lungs started burning, my chest started heaving, I even felt like my entrails were about to tie themselves in knots. There is no way of gilding the lilly, it was just hard work. And it went on and on.

    The climb turned out to be just as hard as the wall we had faced on the exit from Bouillon. Just when I thought that my eyes were about to go dim, the road finally relented and started to level out. The final few hundred metres to the hotel enabled me to regain a little composure. I was just glad that it was over.

    Later that afternoon I discovered that, for two of our riders, the climb had really proven too much. No, they hadn't actually died in the attempt, but they had found a place to secure their bikes and then catch a taxi to the top. Necessity is the mother of invention.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 18

    Absolute Chaos Reigns

    4 settembre 2023, Germania ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After the lung busting, leg snapping, gut wrenching climb from Monschau to Rohren the previous afternoon, I thought that all the physical challenges of the trip were well and truly behind us. It turned out that I was well and truly wrong.

    "The remaining two days will be a real doddle", I reassured the stricken faces of the broken riders. It had taken all our determination and fortitude to climb the ridiculous 16% gradient to the top of the mountain where our hotel was located. Of course, since I am of more generous proportions than the rest of the group, I could take some solace from the fact that I had probably worked 20% harder than anyone else. Sometimes gravity really can be a %$#@.

    After dinner my heart rate slowly dropped back to around 200 bpm as I staggered up the stairs and collapsed into a dreamless sleep (aka near death experience).

    This morning dawned bright and clear, just like the previous few days. Although we have experienced a few diverse challenges, the weather certainly had not been one of them.

    We loaded the bikes out of the storage shed and prepared for the dangerous ride back down the mountain (actually vertical cliff face) to Monschau. For the first few seconds everything was OK, then Greg uttered a few German oaths and announced that his bike was dead. I pretended I could not hear him. It was even harder to ignore when Paul also joined the chorus "My bike is busted too", he moaned. This was starting to sound like the three bears, all complaining about their porridge.

    Trying to sound both wise and interested, I asked "Have you tried turning it off and on again ?". Apparently they had. At this point there was both good and bad news. After a few aborted restarts, Paul's bike finally woke up and was ready to ride. Greg's bike on the other hand, was dead in the water.

    Since it was too difficult to arrange for another replacement bike, it was evident if there was going to be a solution, we would have to find it ourselves. The first step was to strip off the battery and pannier and stuff them onto another bike. Greg was then exhorted to dig deep and ride without a battery.

    Riding a 26kg ebike without power is no mean feat, but fortunately the first 3 km were all downhill. That was the easy bit. Then came the climb back alongside the Rur River to Monschau (not so easy). By the time Greg reached the town he was understandably exhausted.

    When we arrived at the town the previous day, we were staggered to find thousands of tourists of every shape, age and size, all jostling each other in the narrow streets. It was our first encounter with such an awful throng, and it took away all the attraction of the town. I had hoped that, on a Monday morning, it would be much quieter. That was true for a time, but we could soon see the crowds starting to build up.

    After a rest stop and a coffee or two, it was time to resume the ride. I had been in touch with Erik and he was trying hard to conjure a solution to our problem. We still had a significant hill to climb, before we reached the easier gradient of the Vennbahn. I looked around for a volunteer to ride Greg's bike, pointed to David and thanked him for offering to help. He did not look happy, but reluctantly climbed onboard, at the same time as looking daggers at me.

    And so we headed off, and up. Somehow, my masterpiece of planning and clever delegation worked miraculously, and we reached the familar bike path. "It will be easy now", I stated, "It is all downhill from here". Actually that was not quite true. The path continued to climb upwards for several more km, before finally peaking and starting to trend downhill. I dared to believe that we had passed the worst, however it was at about this point that a pelotonic disintegration of epic proportions took place.

    Although Michael had been appointed leader for the day, for some reason every rider seemed intent on doing what was right in their own eyes, and ignore the advice of their maps and GPS units. Within a short time, we had riders stretched far and wide all along the trail. Somewhat ironically, Greg (the only rider without a motor) raced off the front and was not seen again for the next 20 km. Others missed turns, some missed entire towns, Paul lost his wife, David seemed to disappear into a new Bermuda Triangle and rode the same section of the trail multiple times, the rest of the peloton just seemed old and confused (probably because that is what they are).

    Michael sure chose a rotten day to take on the mantle of leadership. Even with his regal imprimatur, he had no chance of controlling such a chaotic rabble.

    While all this was going on, Erik had been busy working the phones and had somehow arranged for the bike company to send a driver with a replacement bike for Greg. We know this because the bike man nearly managed to drive right through our peloton as we emerged into a small village. We recognised the name on the side of the van, and tried to get the riders in front to stop.

    What happened next was a comical chase with cyclists being followed by a bike van that was vainly trying to supply the replacement bike. After a few minutes of yelling and shouting the front riders did finally stop. But where on earth was Greg ? Nobody knew.

    I tried to explain to the driver that the broken bike was actually moving along faster than all the working bikes and was further down the trail. No wonder he looked confused. The confusion was compounded when I tried to ring Greg, only to hear his phone ringing in someone else's pannier. Oh that's right, we did lighten the bike by removing Greg's pannier !

    After another hour of even worse confusion, we somehow arrived at the town of Kornelimunster. By some miracle of mathematics, most of the peloton also arrived there at about the same time. We learned that the driver had found Greg and already swapped the bike. The age of miracles was obviously not over.

    All we were missing was David and Catriona. They were many kilometres ahead of us (or so we thought). The rest of us were hungry and found a delightful cafe for a very late lunch. The proprietor was very kind to us, but asked that "next time we came, could we please book ahead ?". I will certainly keep that in mind.

    It was then that the final surprise of the day took place. Midway through our lunches, David and Catriona staggered in through the door of the cafe. They were not miles ahead after all. They were actually behind us. I still have no idea how that happened, but it was that sort of day.

    The remaining 11 km to Aachen went by without further drama, apart from Michael nearly being run over by a speeding van when he rode over a small road crossing. In hindsight, the van probably missed him by a good 10 cm, so it wasn't that close.

    Our home for tonight is the opulent Mercure Hotel in Aachen. Sometimes we all need a little luxury. Tomorrow we finish this part of the ride, as we complete our circuit back into Maastricht.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 19

    Back to Maastricht

    5 settembre 2023, Olanda ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    The final riding day of any extended overseas ride is always a mixture of exhilaration and a little sadness. While everyone is understandably glad that they are close to achieving the goal that they have come so far to do, it is a bit disappointing that the first part of our long awaited adventure is about to end.

    Although there were no mountain stages to conquer, and the final stage was only a relatively short one, today a completely new challenge would confront the peloton. With an expected top temperature of around 30C, this would easily be the hottest day we had experienced since the start of the ride.

    After checking out of the Mercure Hotel, we divided into three groups. Since the pink ladies were already having so much fun, and were proving to be masters of both navigation and laughing every km of the way, I thought it would be wise to leave that group unchanged. The two co- captains were Pascale and Maggie.

    The second group was to be led by Michael and Ken. Although it was probably the largest of the three groups, I had to admit that I was a little worried about whether they would survive the navigational challenge of finding the way out of Aachen. On several times already on this ride, Ken had somehow misread his GPS to be leading his followers in entirely the wrong direction. Early in the ride, he had even navigated himself to the wrong side of the mighty Meuse River. This time he would be assisted by Michael, complete with his Inspector Gadget headset, mobile phone, auxiliary power supply and satellite dish. Surely nothing could go wrong (and somewhat to my relief) nothing did go wrong.

    The final group of David, Greg, Mary, Yvonne and myself made up the rear. After meandering our way through the busy, peak hour streets of Aachen, we were finally out in the country again. Aachen is an ancient city that dates back to Roman times. It also played a significant role in the time of Charlemagne in the 10th century. Modern Aachen is a city of some 250,000 people and appeared to be quite prosperous. It is also a spa city, and therefore could be named as Bad Aachen. The authorities decided to overlook this naming honour, as it would mean that their city would no longer be the top of the alphabetical list of cities.

    About an hour after the start, we found a delightful little cafe to stop for morning tea. It was already getting hot, and the cold drink was most welcome. The warm cherry pie was also welcome.
    0
    We had decided that Gulpen would be a convenient place to stop for lunch, before the final push to Maastricht. We stopped at the first shop we saw, and purchased sandwiches to eat by the side of the busy road. While we ate, a succession of noisy trucks, buses, motorbikes and cars kept us entertained. It was only when we resumed the ride, that we discovered that there would have been much nicer locations for our lunch a little further into the town. Oh well.

    Although everyone thinks that Holland is completely flat, we discovered that is not quite true. It does have a succession of small hills, and we successfully managed to ride up and down every one of them. If we stopped in the sun, we soon discovered just how hot it had become. Fortunately, there were also some delightfully shady locations which also provided some respite. They also provided quite welcome opportunities to relieve the pressure in our ageing bladders.

    The final checkpoint was on the outskirts of Maastricht. I thought it would be apt if we could all ride the final couple of km to the hotel as a single group. And that is exactly what we did. It certainly made a colourful and impressive sight, as our line of 19 Ghostriders rolled through the outskirts of Maastricht. It really would have been worthy of a crowd of thousands to welcome our entry back into the town we had ridden out of two weeks earlier, but the crowds apparently had found something better to do.

    After arriving back at the hotel, we all shared handshakes and hugs to celebrate the achievement. It had been a challenge, but on every occasion that we had been put to the test, we had prevailed. We had summited the hills, ridden the long km, navigated through busy city streets, bounced over cobblestones, endured those early head winds, brushed against the stinging nettles, battled recalcitrant ebikes with bent keys, ridden through cobwebs, and swallowed numerous flies. We had even survived the daily challenge of conquering the breakfast buffet. We had also laughed so hard we cried, we had supported each other when it was most needed, and in the end , we had all finished together.

    Now we have a few bike free days, before we start it all again in Koblenz.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 20

    Hot Times in Maastricht

    6 settembre 2023, Olanda ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Once again it is amazing how a few hours of wandering the streets can make a place quickly feel familiar. When we had first arrived in Maastricht about 2 weeks ago, we had no idea of what to expect. Now it is really starting to feel like a city I could happily spend more time in.

    The streets are clean, the shops are welcoming, there is a comfortable mixture of ancient and modern buildings and the public transport system works very well. Actually, it works extremely well, because today the ticketing system was broken. That made every trip free ! What more could anyone ask for ?

    After a somewhat late breakfast, we caught the (free) bus into the city. Maggie seemed keen to visit the cathedral that has now been made into a huge bookstore and the modern art gallery. I was quite happy to visit a cake shop and enjoy a cake, coffee and sausage roll. Well it certainly looked like a sausage roll. It even tasted something like a sausage roll. The only problem was that it was served half cold, and there was no tomato sauce. I think it also cost me the equivalent of about 12 Australian dollars. Just as well the bus trip was free.

    By midday the heat really was starting to build up. The city was baking under a cloudless sky, while Maggie and I were both quickly wilting. I lost all interest in further exploration and developed an overwhelming urge to return to the cool sanctuary of our hotel room.

    Since we now knew the layout of the city very well indeed, we walked (staggered) back to the bus depot. In the process we passed several other members of our team, also out baking in the midday heat.

    By some act of misfortune, we managed to miss the first bus to the hotel. This was probably because none of the normal bus numbers were working. Every bus seemed to have been renumbered as number 999. It was more than a little confusing.

    We did manage to solve the riddle, using our combined three words of Dutch, and by performing a charade of the old and lost travellers. It must have worked, because we did eventually find ourselves flying towards the hotel at warp speed. We really didn't care - we just wanted to get out of the heat.

    We still have one extremely important task to complete before we leave Maastricht. We have a mountain of dirty laundry, scattered throughout our room. Suspecting that, if it is going to be cleaned, it will be up to me, we will have to venture back out into the evil sunshine to seek the services of a local laundromat.

    Tomorrow morning we will be loading the group and all our luggage into a bus for the transfer to Koblenz (Germany). That is where our bike ride along the Moselle will begin. It is also where we will meet the other 8 members of the team. With our group then swollen to 27 riders, we will certainly make a splash when we begin riding. (Actually, considering we will be riding alongside a big river, perhaps "splash" is not the most appropriate description. Maybe "impact" would have been better).    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 21

    This Apple Juice Tastes Funny

    7 settembre 2023, Germania ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Following our enjoyable time in Maastricht, the time had come for our travelling circus to move to its next performance. When faced with the problem of getting 19 Ghostriders and a veritable mountain of luggage from Maastricht in the Netherlands to Koblenz in Germany, I examined several options.

    The obvious choice would have been to travel by train. That sounds simple, however it would have required all of us to travel to Maastricht Station (with all our luggage), then negotiate a sequence of three trains (with all our luggage) and finally to get from Koblenz Station to our respective hotels (with all our luggage). That was not an option that had any appeal at all.

    About 9 months ago, I started researching the possibility of chartering a bus for the journey. I contacted several companies for quotes and waited for their replies. While most of them were ridiculously expensive, there was one company (called A1 Service) that provided a realistic quote at about 50 Euro per person.

    I started a dialogue with the company, but they were somewhat difficult to contact at times. When they asked for a substantial deposit in advance, I started to get a little nervous. I had no idea who I was really dealing with, and could not help but fear that I was kissing goodbye to a stack of Euros.

    Of all the arrangements for this trip, the one that gave me the most concern was this bus transfer. What would I do if the promised bus did not turn up ? In the final email from A1 Service, they promised that the bus would be at the Hotel Valk at 9 am. I arranged for the group to be checked out and waiting with their luggage at 8.30 am. I started looking for the bus.

    The clock marched on to 8.45 am. No bus. 8.55 am. No bus. I tried to look confident, but I had butterflies in my stomach. The group started to look at me. I walked out into the street and looked either way. No bus. 9.00 am came and went. Still no bus. The team were starting to look mutinous.

    "What are we going to do?", some of the more cynical members asked.

    "Pass me your phone", I said to Maggie.

    I dialed the number, half expecting to get the dreaded "That number is no longer connected" message (or whatever that is in Dutch). You could imagine my relief when the driver answered, and explained that he had been delayed 45 minutes by an accident on the highway. He promised that he was only 5 minutes away. And he was.

    When he arrived he was at the wheel of a very large, and very modern bus. Everything would be OK after all. My reputation was intact, and I even started to breathe again. About 10 minutes later, we were loaded onto the bus and underway.

    The drive to Koblenz should have only taken about 2 hours, and it probably would have if there had not been a huge traffic jam on the German side of the border. At first we thought there must have been a big accident, but apparently the road was blocked while they cleaned and polished the line markings. I think that was the story anyway. Germans are sticklers for order and cleanliness after all.

    We also learned that the Germans have very strict codes for how long drivers can drive without a break. The traffic jam had delayed us so much that the driver had to stop the bus and wait for 45 minutes, before we could resume the journey.

    I think we finally arrived in Koblenz about 1.30 pm, and found Sue Rainsford standing outside the hotel, waving to us. It was a lovely welcome to see a friendly, familiar face so far away from home.

    After checking into the hotel and having a rest, Maggie and I went for walk around the city. Koblenz is an old city, situated in an idyllic location at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Our initial impressions were very favourable.

    Not wanting to have another restaurant meal, we decided to get some provisions from the supermarket and have a picnic in our hotel room. Shopping in a foreign supermarket can be a challenging exercise, but fortunately most items have informative pictures on the outside.

    I found some bottles of apple juice and thought they would be a nice way to quench my thirst. We also added grapes, oranges and yoghurt, before heading back to our room for a little feast.

    Since the heat was still around 30C, I could not wait to enjoy the apple juice, and poured myself a large glass. It smelt and tasted awful. Perhaps it is an acquired taste, I wondered. I took another sip. It tasted even worse. I felt like I was sucking the toxic sweat from a pair of old cycling socks.

    Just what was this foul muck that I had purchased ? I searched on Google for the solution and discovered that I had just purchased two large bottles of apple cider vinegar. I had been drinking almost pure acetic acid! No wonder it did not quench my thirst. So, down the sink with that toxic swill. I suspect that my throat is still seared from the unfortunate experience.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 22

    We're Having a Heat Wave

    8 settembre 2023, Germania ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    When we arrived at the Trierer Hof Hotel yesterday, I asked the owner if they had experienced a hot summer this year. "It started off pretty warm", he replied, "but the past couple of months have been cold and wet".

    In that case it must have been just bad luck that saw us arrive smack in the middle of a series of hot and very humid days. In fact the temperature has risen to over 30C for the past few days, and the sequence is set to continue for at least another four days.

    This has come as something of a shock for our team who have just arrived from the Australian winter. The combination of high temperatures, hot sun and enervating humidity really takes its toll. I am just so grateful that our hotel features functioning air conditioning. This is something of an oddity in this part of the world.

    Today the group decided to ride the cable car to the fort on the other side of the Rhine. For those who are afraid of heights, this was something of a challenge, but the views down to the city from the lofty location made the trip worthwhile.

    Maggie and I spent the rest of the day alternating between exploring the old city and retreating to the coolness of the hotel room. At this point of time it is worth making mention of the very big elephant on the room. While I adore the history, culture and scenery of Europe, there is one aspect of European living that literally gets stuck in my throat. That aspect is the cloud of smoke that follows wherever you go.

    While Australia and many other countries have made huge progress in reducing the incidence of smoking, in Europe it is a filthy accepted part of life. Whether you are walking down the street, enjoying a view or eating at an outdoor restaurant, it is impossible to escape being enveloped in a stinking cloud of noxious tobacco smoke.

    From the young to the old alike, they are all equally addicted to a lifestyle revolving around nicotine. Parents think nothing of blowing clouds of poisonous smoke right into the faces of their children. Even when they are not smoking, the stink has penetrated into their clothes, hair, curtains and carpets. You just can't escape that awful smell. At times I really feel like yelling at people to wake up to how stupid their behaviour is.

    I am not sure what the statistics are concerning smoking in the big cities, but from my own anecdotal experience, I would say that it is at least 40%. The rest of the population choose to use vapes instead.

    This afternoon an exciting event took place - our boat arrived at the docks. Although we cannot board until tomorrow, it was fun to have a close up look at the vessel that will be our home for the next seven nights. In the morning we will be checking out of the hotel, and at 3 pm we will be boarding the MS Olympia. The next leg of our adventure will start.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 23

    We are Going Sailing

    9 settembre 2023, Germania ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    In the short space of time we had been in Koblenz, we had learnt our way around the city centre, and also learned to appreciate the attraction of living in a modest sized city of 115.000 inhabitants. It would have been nice to spend some more time there, however the biggest challenge we faced was the uncomfortably hot weather.

    Each day, by the middle of the afternoon, it was a challenge to be outside in the sun. Even though it was not so hot by Australian standards, it was apparently a little unusual to experience such hot weather in Germany this late in the season. At least we did not have to worry about getting wet.

    We did not have an ambitious schedule for the day, as we all knew that we would be boarding our boat at 3 pm. Hearing that some of the others had discovered a bike shop of biblical proportions, not far from our hotel, that seemed like a pretty good place to have a look around.

    The shop certainly was impressive, both in its dimensions, and in the quality and number of its bikes and accessories. It is worth noting that although there was a huge range of ebikes, touring bikes and mountain bikes, I could not even find a single light weight road bike ! Maybe this says a lot about the difference between cycling in Europe and Australia.

    The bike shop even had a test track, where prospective bike buyers could take bikes for a test ride. Now, I haven't seen that in Australia.

    Maggie experienced something of an epiphany at that moment, when she saw a lovely green Cube ebike, and experienced love at first sight. Although she loves her Gazelle bike back in Australia, in Europe I think she could be tempted to be unfaithful. I remembered back to the old days (over 50 years ago) when she used to gaze at me with that look in her eyes.

    After enjoying a nice coffee and a cool rest in the cafe in the magnificent new library building, we wandered back to the hotel to wait for the rest of the group. While some had decided that 400 metres downhill was definitely too far to walk, there were several of us who were made of stronger stuff.

    At about 2.30pm we gathered our luggage and set off on the 10 minute walk down to the docks where the MS Olympia was moored. This boat will be our home for the next week as we make our way along the Moselle River to Saarburg.

    While David and I found our way to the boat, when we turned around the women had gone missing in action. We could have gone back looking for them, but it was hot outside, and the boat WAS air conditioned. It did not take us long to decide that they would probably eventually make it (they usually do). David and Iq settled down in airconditioned comfort.

    The MS Olympia is certainly larger and more luxurious than any other vessel we have used on our previous bike and barge adventures. Not only does it accommodate 96 passengers and 21 crew members, all the cabins feature full air-conditioning, TVs and fridges. You can even fit in the bathroom in reasonable comfort. It was almost a genuine "pyjama boat".

    While the comfort was very welcome, it was a little difficult to share our boat with so many other people, many of whom were chain smokers. Although they are not allowed to smoke indoors, they waste no time lighting up as soon as they take the first step out the door. Maybe I will bring my own gas mask on the next voyage.

    After a welcome and introductions of the various crew members, we were subjected to an almost interminable briefing session, which would have been a great cure for anyone's insomnia. It seemed to go on for hours.

    Then we moved downstairs to the impressive dining room. The service and food was excellent, but it was amazing just how much noise 96 passengers can make when they have had too much to drink and have too much to say. In fact the noise level was so high that I struggled to hear anything that was being discussed at our table.

    It had been a long day, and we were all very keen to finish the final course and retreat to the quiet of the upper desk. Too late, the smokers had already polluted the air up there with clouds of noxious smoke. Perhaps the best place to be is sleeping in our own cabin after all.

    Tomorrow we get on the bikes for the first time. The weather forecast ? Another day with a temperature in the low 30s.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 24

    Cochem and Eltz Castle

    10 settembre 2023, Germania ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Six years ago I was riding with a group of Ghostriders on our French Feasts ride. The first part of that adventure was a prologue ride in the form of a week long bike and barge trip along the Rhine from Mainz to Basel. The lady who provided our daily bike briefings was a German lady with a thick accent. I have long forgotten her name, but I never forgot her advice to me.

    One day we were talking about the Rhine ride and she confided in me that her regular guiding route was along the Moselle River from Koblenz to Saarburg. She went on to say that the Rhine was "OK", but that "I really must come back and ride the Moselle".

    Her advice stuck in my mind, and I soon began planning a ride that would include the recommended section of the Moselle. Of course, at that time, I had no idea that a small pandemic called Covid would halt all tourism for three years. It was not until 2023 that I would finally be able to see if the guide's advice was accurate.

    Today was to be our first day of sailing, and also our first chance to sample our bikes. Before we could get on the bikes, we had a couple of hours of cruising up the Moselle to the village of Alken. This also gave us the first chance to experience passing through one of the many locks on the river.

    Although we were all looking forward to getting back on a bike, we were not looking forward to another hot day and burning sun. The weather forecast promises another two days of these sort of conditions before some welcome moderation is expected.

    We were all wondering how almost 100 bikes would be unloaded, and it did not take us to find out. A sloping ramp was rigged between the boat and the wharf, and the bikes were each rolled down at some speed (only moderated by a rope looped on the seat). It mostly worked well, until they came to unload Allan's bike. That is when it went pear shaped. The catcher missed the bike, the bike crashed heavily onto the concrete, damaging the mudguard. This time, Allan could not blame Michael, but we could all see that he was not amused.

    As for the bikes, they were excellent. In fact they all looked virtually brand new. Apart from Allan's bike, they were a pleasure to ride. The bright red ebikes certainly were easy to spot, as were the bright yellow and pink shirts of our riders.

    With so many riders all gathered around at the start, it was a little chaotic to get everyone organized. The obligatory group photo at the start turned into a monumental battle to get 27 Ghostriders all facing in the same direction at the same time. It would have been much easier to get 27 chickens dance Swan Lake. I also forgot to unfurl the Australian flag that I had carried all the way from Australia with me, just for this occasion.

    With the heat already building, everyone was keen to get going without delay. Since it would be impossible to try to ride in a group of 27 (it is hard enough to manage about 10 at one time), we broke up into a number of small groups and headed off towards Cochem.

    There was an optional side trip to the spectacular Eltz Castle. Unfortunately, to get there, you have to first ride up a hill, and then walk for about 45 minutes up a steep, rocky path. If the weather had been cooler, I think that more of our group would have given it a go. As it turned out, only 6 out of 27 had the will power and/or stamina to make it to the castle.

    And so, it was myself and 5 women who battled the extreme heat and steep climb. And was it worth it ? It most certainly was, although by the time I got there, I was almost ready to stage a medical emergency of my own. All I wanted was a place to sit and get a cold drink. I discovered that they had very cleverly placed the cafe past the entrance gate. That meant it cost each of 14 Euro, just for the privilege of buying a drink.

    After our blood had stopped boiling, we spent some time wandering around the place. It really was the stuff of storybooks, perched high on the mountain, with a whimsical assortment of turrets, towers and tunnels. It would have been nice to spend more time there, but we had a schedule to keep.

    This amazing structure is approximately 850 years old and has been owned by the same family for 34 generations. That really is a staggering statistic.

    Fortunately, the downhill walk was a lot easier than the uphill walk. Just as fortunate was the fact that our bikes had not been stolen. They were still exactly where we had left them. We climbed aboard and resumed our ride to Cochem.

    Even though the path was flat, the scorching sun and high temperature did make the difficulty factor higher than it should have been. We were glad to reach the boat, just in time for the complimentary coffee and cake at 4.30 pm.

    I would also be worth mentioning something of the village of Cochem itself. The town is nestled in the Moselle Valey, and dominated by the fairytale shape of Cochem Castle on the nearby hill. It really is one of the prettiest towns you could ever imagine. I guess that is why it is overrun by thousands of tourists every day. This really is pyjama boat country.

    (Note the Internet on the boat is far too slow to upload any images, so that will have to wait till when we are back in a normal hotel)    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The World on Two Wheels2023 Itzonagen European Ride
    Giorno 25

    Cochem to Zell

    11 settembre 2023, Germania ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    We all knew we would be in for a hot day of riding. In fact it would be the hottest day so far. One of the advantages of these bike and boat trips is that there is no pressure or expectation on anyone to ride if they don't want to. There is always the option of spending a relaxing day on board the boat instead. And that is exactly what Maggie and I did.

    After yesterday's hot ride and after being one of the few to make the hard climb to Eltz Castle, we just were not enthused enough to climb back on the bikes in the hot sun.

    This left us with the morning free to explore Cochem, before the boat was due to depart. As it turned out, we got back about an hour early, which was just as well because the boat was already getting ready to leave. I don't know what would have happened if we had been back any later.

    The city of Cochem is dominated by the towering Cochem Castle. This can either be reached via a tough walk, or an easy bus ride. Maggie and I had decided that we would take the bus, however we discovered that the first bus was not until 10.30 am, which would leave us very little time to explore the castle anyway. Oh well, you can't see everything.

    At 11.30 am we were off and sailing. It was a real tonic to be able to sit and watch the scenery pass by. In fact it was just like being a passenger on one of those infamous "pyjama boats". On such boats you really don't have to do anything apart from slip into your pyjamas on the first day, and then just look out the window of your cabin.

    To make us a little more comfortable the steward had folded up our beds and converted them into two seats. This also made the cabin considerably more spacious.

    The recurring feature of this part of the Moselle is the steep hills on both sides of the river. Most of these steep slopes have been covered with vineyards for hundreds of years. We wondered how tough it would be tending the vines on such unforgiving ground. It was little wonder than many of these vineyards had developed little motorised carts to cope with the gradient. I wondered what would happen if they ever suffered a brake failure.

    We enjoyed a light lunch on board with a small number of fellow passengers who had also made the wise decision to avoid the heat.

    Each day at around 4 pm the riders are welcomed back on board the boat with a hot tea or coffee and a slice of cake. Of course, this time we were the first in the queue.

    Tomorrow is also predicted to be another hot day, although the predicted top temperature of 29C is a little milder than today's scorching 33C.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione