Another damp, foggy start and another great day of riding. There was fog on the lake too. The lake in front of the campground is the flooded caldera from an extinct volcano.
It was a day of two halves (thankyou Roy and HG) – I got the defence in order and the attack followed, …
The first 30kms were up and down some steep little hills through some classic farmland, meadows, and forest. It was really nice but strenuous, which is something I hate in the first part of any day, for reasons unknown. (To elaborate – this morning, 10% inclines felt really really hard, but yesterday afternoon, I was riding up 15% hills with far less difficulty). I have no idea. Maybe I take a long time to warmup…
The first part ended with an absolutely fantastic descent on dirt roads through a forest. It was really steep and so much fun. I wish I knew the road already though. 2nd time down there would have been even more fun.
And then, I immediately arrived in Cochem, a beautiful town on the Mosel, but just crawling with tourists who really didn’t need the meals they were consuming in the overflowing cafes and restaurants. I had a quick bite and left. Cycling here is flat and easy with a path on either side of the river. I crossed a couple of bridges just to add to the variety.
Most cyclists were old Germans on e-bikes. Good on them for being out there but there was hardly a smile between the lot of them. It’s beautiful countryside though. The weather was great and the villages were very nice – lots of reasons to smile. I bumped into an English family of four, who were cycletouring with their kids. They’re the second English family of bike tourers that I’ve met. I think it’s awesome.
