9 June, 2015

The decor might have been lacking in taste, but the beds were like sleeping in clouds and the breakfast was enormous.  So, two happy cyclists set off this morning.  It’s dark and cold and windy, but not wet (yet).

The first big town we arrive at, Sigmaringen, noted for the imposing palace looming above, overlooking the Danube.  The ride is a mixture of flat runs interspersed with hilly sections.

We have been a bit slow to adjust our routine since we reached Germany.  We had nicely attuned ourselves in France to croissants and coffee after the first few kilometres.  Here, however, there are no cafés or bars open until 11am at the earliest and, like in France, shops can be hard to come by unless you are in a bigger town.

Once again the great variety in the landscape takes the mind off the physical challenge.  I sometimes think that the people who write the route guides haven’t actually cycled the route because the whole of this first part is described as being flat.  Granted we are not cycling in mountains, but neither is it flat.  There are sections where the path goes very sharply and steeply uphill, only for a few hundred metres but at killer gradients.  Today we faced a hill with a 20% gradient with a string of cycle tourists pushing their bikes – us included.

In a thickly wooded area we come across a spring which gives us an unexpected opportunity to give the bikes a quick clean.  We’re just hoping the rain holds off so they don’t get caked in mud again.   It threatens all day and by early evening it just starts to spit with rain, so we call it a day and check into another traditional guesthouse – dark wood paneling, carved wooden furniture and absolutely no chance of WiFi.  I think we can declare rural Germany a technology-free zone.

PS. I feel I can also declare the saddle officially broken-in;  I have ridden on it for three days in a row without the gel cover.  The maker claims it takes 500 kilometres to break-in, mine took over 2000 kilometres.