The cycling in this country is amazing!
There are bike paths absolutely everywhere and they are all extremely well marked, to the point were you would have to try pretty hard to get lost. Most junctions are marked with signs indicating the next town in all directions. Then on the main trail there are small signs with a bike and an arrow helping you through towns and cities and tricky corners.
Most of the trails take you far away from the highways and close to the river - which means flat, which is good when you have panniers and pulling a child loaded trailer.
Over all I would highly recommend a cycling vacation to this country no matter what your cycling skill fitness level.
May 26
Basel - Vogelsheim
Dist - 88 km
Avg - 18.6
Mxs - 35.7
Today is what we considered our first real big day of cycling and what a day it was, 88km later we rolled into our duvet covered beds.
The pathway was mostly gravel with a very challenging section of loose rocks that we simply had to power through. Missing a bridge left us with a small cobble stoned river crossing that proved quite slick!
After about 70km we arrive in France where we made our way through a few towns before we could find our accommodations. Not too big of a deal when you are traveling by car, but when your legs power your way it can get a bit weary to say the least.
May 27
Vogelsheim - Colmar
Dist - 41.7km
Avg - 15.3
Mxs - 39
Today was not a day about getting much distance, we wanted to head to the French side of things, taste some local cuisine and of course French wine!!
We cycled from Voglesheim to Colmar to find accommodations, leave behind as much weight as we could and them head off in search of WINE!!
We sampled until they kicked us out, then headed to the next vineyard.
On route we encountered our first blowout/mechanical issue, something all to familiar from our last adventure!
Natalie was keeping pace for our tiny peleton and decided to take on a rock the size of a grapefruit, then not one to be out done I thought I would roll over it as well!
Thankfully no one hit the pavement and only Nat’s tube did not survive. After a quick tube change we were back on the road.
May 28
Colmar - Freiburg
Dist - 62.1 km
Avg - 18.3
Mxs - 37.5
A pretty uneventful day with lots of tempting signs like Biergarden along the way. I am proud to say we only fell victim at the end of the cycling day when it’s your duty as an athlete to refuel your tank with grains, water and hops.
Freiburg - Koln
Train :(
8 hrs
4 transfers
It was a long day on the trains with lots of transfers. Ordinarily this would be a pretty enjoyable experience, but three adults, one four year old, three heavily laden bikes and a trailer make it a whole different ball game.
Let me try to explain how a train transfer works with our motley crew.
You arrive at a station for a transfer with about 6 minutes to get from say track 2 to track 7. These trains are always packed so being the first one off usually means a few well placed elbows. We have three Buick-ish bikes, one excited critter and a trailer and only three working hands. Once we wrestle everything off the trains, Sienna has self trained to scream at us to make sure we have not forgotten anyone or anything including her Strawberry shortcake doll. Then we have to haul this this yard sale of gear down a flight of stairs, down a crowded hallway of Germans who just want to get home and not run over by some crazy Canuck and his trailer. One more flight of stairs to your designated track and you now play a guessing game. As you stand on the platform waiting for the tin beast to come rolling through you need to roll the dice and decide which end of the train will be the one allowing bikes! I would say we get this right about 1% of the time. Now you have to fight the crowds trying to get on the trains so that you can get all your gear on with out leaving anyone-thing behind and let me tell you elderly German women can really throw a hip check if you are trying to park a bike where they plan to sit!
Once we are on the tram Sienna goes through her checklist to make sure all our ducks are in a row.
May 30
Koln
We found such sweet accommodations here and a damp forecast helped convince us to stay in Koln for two nights.
We enjoyed some of the tourist attractions of Koln while using pubs to avoid the occasional rain showers. That evening’s meal was served by a French waiter now living in Germany working in an Italian restaurant. Talk about multicultural!
May 31
Koln - Koblenz
Train :(
We woke to rainy skies and decided rather than test our ponchos we would take the train to Koblenz early and finish the day sightseeing there.
By now we’re seasoned pros at the trains and with no transfers it was an easy day.
June 1
Koblenz-Bacharach
Distance - 50.5 km
Avs - 20.2
Max - 37.9
Today was a great day to be on the bike. A slight tail wind kept us passing other cycling tourist while still enjoying the beauty of the Rhine valley. At 10 am. we stopped at a little shop for tea and some fine German desserts. The shop owner was very helpful, especially after our third order of cake and even took our photo outside his shop. One thing I love about cycling is that it builds a ferocious appetite and makes already great food even better!
Sienna was quite pleased when we climbed another hill to a castle in search of a princess. No fair maidens where found but it sure stirred her imagination and left her singing songs of princesses to be discovered.
