When It's Over

The odometer on my three week old cycle computer rolled past 1400km as we left the dunes and rolled onto the ferry. We'd ridden the last dozen kilometers especially slowly. Although no one said it, I think we were all keen to savor the last stretch. Where we would normally stop every 25km or so, there seemed to be plenty of reasons to stop in the dunes and to gaze at the Dutch countryside that flanks the North Sea

After four days of special cycle treatment, it was strange to be herded onto the ship like any other vehicle. Tickets and passports were all sorted at drive through booths, then it was onto the ship and up a ramp to another deck, where we hitched our bikes to a rail, and headed up to our cabin for the overnight trip across the North Sea.

The following day found us disembarking at a pace just relaxed enough to watch the hourly train depart as we were handed the tickets. Two hours and two trains later, we were back at Chris's.

Like most people returning from an "active" holiday, I packed up my gear and have spent a day or two recuperating, updating the blog (There are now more pictures in the earlier posts, but most of the spelling and grammatical errors remain), calling home and checking the galleries and museums of the city.

Simon and Chris, however, have a different value set. Chris's long term plan is to cycle the UK coast in its entirety. He's keen. Simon and he figured that they had at least two days of cycling in parts of it the south of England before the three of us part company and return to our mundane lives on different continents.

It has been a challenging, momentous and thoroughly enjoyable journey. Thanks to all who helped make it happen.

The last big push.

From Nijmegen, we had two days solid riding to get to the North Sea.

First stop, after a delightful day of riding along dykes with the wind to our backs, was Aalst. Who would have thought that my PDA would get flogged on the last night of paid accommodation? It did. I was bummed out.


From Aalst to Rotterdam was a different day, and the wind was no longer our friend. It howled accross the flat Dutch coutryside, hitting us head on. The succession of large and small ferries provided a welcome relief from the slog. The last 20km into Rotterdam was vintage Netherlands, with the path following the canals of Nieuwe Waterschap, lined with traditional windmills built in 1720.

A quiet afternoon beverage in central Rotterdam, and we pushed on towards Poeldijk. Before getting there, we were greeted by running out of water, my first puncture of the trip and our host's son, Rob, (in that order), who rode out to meet us and guide us the last couple of kilometers.

115km is too long to ride into the wind on one day , but Ruud, Gerda and Rob, instantly made the ride worthwhile. It turns out that Ruud is a chef by training. Nuf said. They have spoiled us rotten in the last few days. . .and with Den Haag and Delft just up the road, there's been more than enough to fill our last few days and nights. Thanks guys!

Tonight, we're off to the Hook of Holland, where a ferry awaits to take us to England overnight

Into bike heaven....

The journey on from from Cologne was decided for us; all trains to other destinations seemed booked, so we headed to Nijmegen.

The trip to date had been a delight of cycle friendliness, with cycle lanes common in the larger cities, and cars on most trains that can take cycles. The Dutch, however, take it to a whole new level:

• The train from the Dutch border had roll-on-roll-off facility for bikes.
• The train station in Nijmegen has a multi level cycle parking facility. Even minor stations have covered cycle parking and bike lockers.
  
• Every road big enough to warrant a centre line, also seems to also warrant a dedicated cycle lane
• where a cycle lane crosses a road, the bikes get right-of-way (at least we think we do!....)
  

To the south-east of Nijmegen, the countryside is hilly (in the Netherlands!), and we were directed there to find camping. Lucky us.

We chanced on a dairy farm that also offered camping. In between admiring the view, and picking the cherries dripping from their massive tree, we also helped the farmer extract one of his cows that had caught itself in a stall. Simon did the glamourous tractor work, I was directed to handle the ropes - one of which was around the cow's neck. Preminitions of another "bugger" incident, prooved unfounded.

Tourism at the Shallow End

Köln is a lovely city, the best known bits of which I despise. Not that there`s anything particularly odeous about Cologne's cathedral and old town - They would be delightful were it not for the shallow tourism that goes with it. And Köln isn't alone. Not by a long shot. From Paris, to Cairo, to Sydney, if you turn your back on the attraction, and look at the street stalls, you might as well not have left home: the same vendors, selling the same bags, t-shirts, wallets and scarves; all of which were made in the same factory on the other side of the world, by people with no knowlege or interest in the city, its history or its culture. The tourists are seemingly all here to get their picture of the Dom (. . .or the tower, the pyramid or the bridge), to tick a box and say that they have had their authentic experience. They've "done it". Yuck.

"That's not a bad thing", said Chris "They're all concentrated in the one area". Indeed!

Meanwhile, in Köln the locals have a fantastic real life just to the west of the river-front, and its spruikers, beggers and gawkers. The city to the West was heaving with young people, virtually all of whom live in the city, and none of whom are interested in the Dom, or the actors behaving like statues out the front of it. On Saturday night, West Köln was fantastic. The bars were full to overflowing, and everyone was having a great time. . .Until the Dutch lost the football match, after which, the Russian supporters made up for the lack of Dutch enthusiasm. They spilled out onto the streets, set off fireworks, waved flags, sang and set off a cacophony of car horns.

The ride from Bonn that morning was a 30km dawdle, with a lunch break in the middle. The petrochemical plant at the midway point left us in no doubt that we want to give the Ruhr a wide berth.

I had expected Bonn to be a depressed but quaint city, falling into dereliction and remeniscing about the time it was capital of the world`s 4th biggest economy. The combination of a huge university population and a car-free centre that streatches for about a dozen blocks changed perceptions. It was delightful and bustling, without a hint of buskers pretending to be Bonn's most recognised son, Beethoven.

We're not quite sure where we'll go tomorrow. The weather forcast is not good

Options are:

1: Eindhoven by train

2: Hückelhoven by train

3: Nijmegen by train

4: Option 1,2 or 3 by rental car, following a side trip to Northern France to visit a war cemetary in which a relative of simon's lies.

Bloody Communists

"We're a travelling commune" I said to the guy at the youth hostel, as I paid for us all. he had a bit of a chuckle, and clearly found us more interesting than the year 7-9 school groups, which have started using the hostels as if by right.

The collective thing has been pretty convenient for bills where we've all consumed. Sure, Chris and Simon eat more than me, but I drink more coffee. To save the international fee we do the same with cash withdrawals; each taking turns to draw €300, and giving the others 100 each. Most goes into the aforementioned collective fund.

The past 4 days have been spent riding through some of the nicest imaginable countryside. Maniz-Koblenz, was 2 days of easy riding through the Rhine valley, with castles overlooking the river on both sides. We stayed in St Goar, which has deteriorated into a clip joint for the international tourists (albeit a pretty one). The cycling, however, is free.

In Koblenz, the clear, tranquil waters of the Mosel meet the more turbid waters of the Rhine and its bustling barge traffic. We had read about the Mosel ride, so decided to leave most of our gear at the hostel, and train up river. We figured that from Trier, we could ride back down in a couple of days, catching the train if we got stuck for time.

The Mosel is tremendous. There is little boat traffic, and the trains only join the river at some towns. In between, it is a steep sided 100m deep valley, lined on the southern sides with grape vines, for which the region is famous. there are medieval towns every few kilometers, virtually all of which are catering to the German and Dutch cycling tourists, motor homers and Koblenz day-trippers.

After staying the night at Traben-Trabach, we headed down to Cochem for lunch. Chris was feeling a little under the weather, so caught the train back to Koblenz, while Simon and I enjoyed the strengthening afternoon breeze. The other beautifull thing about the Mosel was that it had a strong wind from the South. With the wind at our backs, it was great to get into a 2 bike train, and blast allong at 35-45km/h. By 3:30 we were back in Koblenz. after doing 210km in the last couple of days, we're getting close to the 1000km mark.

Asparagus in Mainz

Heidelberg to Mainz was the first day we cheated and took the train. Not the whole way though. We rode 60km out of Heidelberg and north, through the forests skirting Mannheim. The weather has taken a slight turn for the worse compared to the previous four or five with occasional drizzle and more rain always threatening.

When we broke for a late lunch west of Worms, it was clear that we would either have to stay in Worms, with the impending inclement weather to deal with, or train to Mainz and a dry room.

Not only did we get a dry room, we got one each! Bärbel's ace place is only matched by her. We plied her with dinner out and an ice cream or two. She's shown us the delights of the old town, with it's churches, markets and institutions dedicated to its most famous son - Guttenberg.

Bärbel is also showing me how to cook the local white asparagus, which is in season at the moment. I can't wait!

Oh for a Room

The ride from Speyer to Heidelberg isn't really on the Rhine Route, but it's a great, short side trip, and mostly through the forest. There were some cherry trees beside the fields en-route, and we harvested plenty. They were ripe and ready for eating.

We got our first real hills since Basel today, and had a nice view back over the countryside that we had covered in the past few stages. In the distance we could see the spires of Speyer.

If there is a city in heaven, Heidelburg might be it. Pretty as a picture, and packed to the gills with young people - tourists, university students, and yanks (nice ones!) on posting- all having fun.

Chris struck up a conversation with a local woman called Sabine, who had ridden through NZ back in the day, and was drawn to our bikes. She worked for the city, so put us straight on some of the interesting historical and planning aspects of the town, while we enjoyed lunch at the Marktplatz. Sabine also gave us the lowdown on where the young peeps go to hang out (and watch the football, when it is on). So the evening's entertainment was sorted - at the Marstallhoff.

We pitched camp by the river (mistake one) and headed into town to enjoy some of the atmosphere of the Germany - Croatia Euro 2008 football game at the aforementioned Marstallfoff. Then the heavens opened. Back at the camp, we found that the site was right by a busy road (mistake two) and a rail line (mistake three).

If the weather stays nasty overnight, we might take the train to Mainz, where a friend's mum, Bärbel, has offered us a room. Oh! - for a dry room tonight. . .

Day 7. Everything Hurts

Yesterday was always going to be a big ride. We had heard that Speyer was a nice town, so decided to make a longish ride from south or Sölingen in one day. Looking at the map it looked like 100kms - easy since we had done 82kms two days earlier without issue. A combination of strange signage and sub optimal navigation, however, added 20km+ to the day. We covered 133km in 11 hours. Ouch! The trip so far is at 444km since Basel, and over 500, if you include the London riding.

Speyer is all it is cracked up to be. The old town is car-free, and has all the charm you would expect of cobbled streets and outdoor cafes. The big new attraction is a museum with all the things boys could want in a museum. OK, so it doesn't have an exhibition of beautiful women through the ages, but it does feature a 747 jumbo jet in all its glory, which is enough to get most blokes through the front door.

The last few hours asside, the ride into Speyer was great, with some fantastic stretches through forests and along the tops of dykes, dappled in the summer sunshine.

We had been expecting bad weather for much of the route, but it has been ideal this past few days. When we started in Basel, 15mm or rain was forecast overnight. Thankfully, the front had passed by the time we arrived, so it was just wet streets and occasional showers.

When we left the following day, Simon "The Machine" taught "Latent Leg Muscles" Chris how to draft. Ever since, the boring bits through fields of wheat and corn have been a test of endurance for me, as we get into a train of bikes, and push the tubs 10km/hr faster than our 18-25 solo speeds.

Yesterday's mammoth effort asside, we've mostly been covering 80km/day:
Basel-Breisach
Breisach-Colmar-Briesach
Briesach-Kehl/Strasbourg
Kehl-Sölingen
Sölingen-Speyer

Nothing too calamitous has broken, but we have had some worrying moments

Moment 1: Chris's 10 pound tent (it seemed like a bargain at the time) takes to acting like a bathtub in the rain. The fix: we bought a big fly in Colmar, to cover it.

Moment 2: Chris' rear spokes begin to break. The fix: replaced one en route, and another at a bikeshop in Strasburg, where he also picked up a new tyre and pedals. A very helpful Fenchmen trued the wheel and all looks good now with more weight forward as well. Very cheap too - 35 euros for labour, new tire and new pedals for Simons bike.

Moment 3: Martin's pannier rack cracked a weld when traversing some of the rougher canal-side paths. The fix: is there nothing that cable ties can't do!?

The standout people moment to date would probably be the winemaker in Briesach, who bought Simon and me dessert - strawberries and icecream, and then proceeded to pay for the drinks that Chris, Simon and I had consumed also. I think he either admired our pluck at attempting such an arduous ride, or felt sorry for my German speaking skills. Schreklich!

We are getting lots of looks at our fully loaded bikes, and seeing fewer others doing the same than expected. Lots of oldies are always interested in our plans and I have to do most of the talking with my stilted but mostly serviceable German. Simon and Chris are thanking me for this contribution as it also means I get volunteered to do all the checking in at campsites and hostels. If only they knew the communicative value of mime.

The weather has improved and we now are slathering on sunscreen and have nice sleeve tan marks.

Time to Ride

Chris's jetlag remedy is not to sleep during the day. For most people, this would mean catching up with your friends and a day punctuated with more coffee than usual.

In our case, it meant repacking my gear into panniers, fitting the racks to my new bike and heading off for a tour from Brixton to Shoreditch.

No rest for the wicked, once we had dropped the panniers at Ben's unit there. Chris had Simon and me cycling, now through the wind and rain, down to Bricks lane for some Bangladeshi fare.

Well, we did plan for a cycling holiday!

R Minus 3 Days. Time to Fly

The die is almost cast.  It's time for Simon to get on a plane in Sydney and me another in Bangkok. 

A day and a bit in London will give us the opportunity to ready all of the equipment. Aside from my pannier conundrum, it's a chance for us to go through our collective kit to make sure we don't have too much unnecessary duplication.

To the airport. . .

Value of Bike = 650

A 15 year old, fully rigid MTB is worth 650 dollars.  That's what the bike-friendly folk at Qatar Airways were wanting to charge to get my jalopy to the UK. And no, they don't service it or deliver door-to-door. I could have spent a third of that price and send it international express courier (which is door-to-door), but. . .it's a 15 year old bike!  

Suck it up Martin, and vote with your wallet when next flying to Europe. 

I was hoping to hold out on an upgrade until I got  back from Bangkok in a couple of years, but what's not to like about perpetuating your poverty with a two-wheeled purchase?

Wary of the cost of shipping the bad boy back, I figure that a folding bike will earn it's premium price back in one flight. 

The problem with a folding bike is that I can't see one of the usual suspects ( above right) getting me and my gear across Western Europe. Add to that the unique parts, and attendant difficulty in servicing, and they don't look so great.

Then I stumbled on an ebay listing for a "normal" MTB which also folds. 

All the running gear is standard stuff, so there's no concern with what to do if gear breaks. 

The funny thing is that it's also worth 650. . .pounds.  

The auction got away from me, but the UK importer was changing over their 07 demonstrators, and gave me a deal on a similar model for 450. An upgrade to road tyres, and I think I have a bike.

OK, so it's not as light as it could be, not my favorite colour, and not as keenly priced as they are in the US, but it's a good solid bike that, I'm assured, will be delivered to Chris's house on Monday. 

Fitting panniers is a challenge to be solved another day.

What are the Chances?

With the 3 of us heading to start the journey in a a seemingly obscure, cycle friendly city in Switzerland, we never expected accommodation to be a problem. Not until we learned that the Euro 2008 football tournament starts in Basel that weekend. What are the chances!? 

None of us are into football, though I remember that Chris used to play it in primary school, broke a leg for the privilege in year 8. All the same, we had to go through the extra hoops of providing everything short of DNA to the campground management to pass on to the Swiss authorities. 

we're so not into the football scene, that we're looking to bail on Basel ASAP,  which is a shame, because its probably a nice place when not overrun with lager louts. At least they're going to be predominantly Swiss and Czech louts. I can think of worse.

Sleeping it off

So where do you rest up when cycle touring?

The plan for this trip is to camp when it is convenient, but to we're looking to stay in more substantial digs - B&Bs, pensions and so on - if the weather is bad, kindly locals take us in, or we're feeling desperate for a real bed. 

We've also heard good things about Hostels en-route, so have all joined up, to keep that option there.

Keeping it flexible also means that we'll be able to say on top of mundane stuff like clothes washing, but still keep the budget down where we can.

The downside is that we're carrying a lot more gear - We're each over 6 feet tall, and will each have a hike tent to keep each of us sane and content with just our own B.O..

Best Laid Plans. . .

The plan for a bike seemed so perfect: Ben would be in Australia for a month, so I could use his bike while he was away.  A thieving miscreant in London had other ideas. Ben's now bikeless, and I have 10 days to find one.

My options are three: borrow, buy or bring.

Ben's still a bit tender from the break-in, and had planned to spend his meagre savings living it up in Australia.  he's not really ready to buy another bike soon, so borrowing seems out.

The bring option would see me tackling the river on a 15 year old MTB.  It wouldn't be as fast or comfortable as it might, but could be made better with a pair of road tyres. The bike was decent in its day, so is pretty light, and the components are reliable. Lugging a bike box through airports and the london underground isn't optimal, but it's quite doable, particularly given that Simon will be at the Hethrow end to help out.  If Ben wants a budget bike on his return, this one might even fit the bill.

Buying in London is also an option. Always looking for something different, I've considered a couple of folding bikes. Regardless of what I buy, I'l give Ben the option to buy at a discount at the other end.

I've got about 2 days to decide.

The Trailer is dead, long live the trailer

The dates sealed it. Simon booked his flights for a June ride, which is when Ben will be in Australia, leaving his unit in London for me to sleep in at each end of the trip and his bike free for me to use.

The price? Leave him some panniers.

My boss is an established part of the Canberra cycling fraternity, and had put some feelers out for touring gear for me. As luck would have it, a fastidious gear freak he knows is looking to downsize some of his kit. He's done some great treks in Asia and Europe and clearly knows his stuff when it comes to cycling gear.

He brought in some half decent sized rear panniers, along with some nifty front panniers and a nice little Cannondale handlebar bag. I was concerned that the capacity was a little small, but was assured that a little packing discipline will make the ride more enjoyable. $200 Deal done. I'll post the works to Ben during the week, and leave half of it when I head back after the ride.

Carting the gear: Panniers or a trailer?

Conventional cycle tourists carry their gear slung over the bike in panniers. The practice is simple; it works; it's relatively quick to load and unload.

Chris is planning to go with orthodoxy. For gear that doesn't fit in his panniers (like his tent) he'll strap it to the top bar of his bike. I think that Simon will probably do the same

I'm not convinced that putting all that weight hight on the back of a borrowed bike will be good for the bike, or for stability. I've also got a bit of a reputation for favouring the unconventional, so with a reputation to uphold, have been casting around the web for other options. I've seen plenty of people who rate trailers, so was thinking of giving one a try. The consensus seems to be that bob trailers are the best for touring, even if a little more expensive than their competition.


The advantage of a trailer is that it has a lower centre of gravity and less wind resistance than panniers. The disadvantage is that there's more rolling resistance and the length makes it trickier to manouver in tight places like trains. Whatever I do, I don't want lumber myself with both panniers and a trailer, and have to endure the worst aspects of both.

I guess if there's a mix in the group we can do some trading - I could carry Simon and Chriso's tents and other bulky gear, and I could offload some of my small but heavy kit (First aid kit, torch, charger etc) to them.

Dates

OK chaps - lets start talking dates. My only criteria is June.

I am very flexible with work so it makes sense for you guys to fine tune the actual dates.

We will need a day in London and a day travelling.

Chris

Big Picture

The current plan is to start and finish the Rhine river ride in London. How Logical!

With Simon coming from Australia, and me from Thailand, It probably makes sense to catch up with Chris in London. It gives us a pre-ride base from which to check our gear and leave behind the unnecessary stuff.

Our current thinking is that the easiest way for 3 guys and their bikes to get from London to Basel is via Eurostar from London to Paris and then another (yet to be researched) train(s) to Basel.

From there, the ride starts, following the Rhine down along the French-German border and then through Germany to Holland (~850kms). From there, we'll leave the Rhine south of Utrecht and head up to Amsterdam (~100kms). We'll then head from Amsterdam to Hook of Holland (~100kms) to take a ferry back to Mother England and then train back to London.

The Idea

"Listen - Simon and I are planning a cycle trip down the Rhine in June and then some time in Holland." said Chris. "We are starting in Basel and hope to hit Holland with two weeks at about 75-80kms a day on average."

The seed of the idea had been planted.

Should the ride actually happen, this blog is for friends and family to follow our preparations and travels.