Clueless in an industrial estate - again! 30 August

The rains in Mainz fell mainly in the morning so we had a leasurly breakfast. Didn't eat as much as normal since we hadn't used up yesterdays carbs yet. Eventually got going sometime after 9am, by which time the sun was shining again. Just followed our nose to the Rhein and then followed that upstream. We probably should have crossed the river Rhein one bridge earlier, but never mind.

We came past/through an Opel car factory the size of a small town. In the carpark 99.9% of the cars were Opels (and the puddles were big enough to swallow several cars in one go). Factory staff must get some sort of discount to buy an Opel we reckon. Some cars may have been lease cars as they all had consequetive licence plate numbers and were close to a rental car building. Not long after we had to cross a busy highway using a pedestrian crossing that never turned green. The only possible way to go after this was through a partially built industrial estate, all the roads stopped abruptly, unfinished, and not a cycling sign to be seen. We aimed for a church spire in the distance - hopefully civilisation again. We never got there as it was on the other side of the River Main, and a series of locks to maintain sufficient water for cargo boats. So we cycled along the southern back of the River Main towards Frankfurt.

Coffee shops that sold cake were conspicuous by their absence. Had coffee/tea in one place and bought cake from a nearby bakery. A slow trip for some reason today. Not cycling as hard as usual I guess, plus a lot of the time the surface was compacted sand or gravel and slow going. The rain never quite happened, but a coat was necessary because the weather has turned autumnal, cool even at midday.

On the trip out I fell of my bike, it must have been at about the 12km mark. Guess what. I managed to fall off my bike again 12km from Frankfurt. Was too close behind George and braked too quickly when he stopped. Managed to land in a puddle. Nothing damaged, just my pride (again) and wet shoes and one sleeve. Those panniers are good and waterproof. (Score Astrid 3, George Nil!!!)

We are back at the 5 elements hostel in Frankfurt, three floors higher than last time, but the lifts are back in action so no problem. We have just been to the cycleshop to thank Herr Urllich who sold us the bikes, buy a tool to get the pedals off, and grab some cardboard boxes to help protect the bikes. Fun cycling through Frankfurt hanging onto a box each in light rain and moderate breeze! Tomorrow we start the job of cleaning the bikes so that NZ customs doesn't get too grumpy, and packing them into the bikebags we purchased in NZ. We'll have three nights here before boarding our plane to Dubai.


Regional cake rating

The bakery in the Waddinxveen Passage was the best! We could have stayed there for days to sample all the goodies. The cherry flan in Friesland and the fruit flans provided by Liesbeth in Einhoven and the flans in Limburg also rate highly. Tompoezen (custard slices) for breakfast in Alkmaar were a great way to start the day. We compared standard shop-bought stroopwafles with proper Goudse stroopwafels, and the Goudse were much nicer (more syrup, thicker and tastier). We didn't really get stuck in to the cakes in Belgium, but my waffle with warm cherries and icecream, and George's pancake are worthy of a big tick. Warmed up Maastricht waffles were too chewy to be nice. The doughy cakes in the Ruhr area were not really to our liking (looked nice but hard going). The giant pretzels (Brezels) here in Frankfurt are not worth worrying about - slightly salty doughy stuff, and a hard chew. Next time I'm going to sample all the different types of chocolate!! :-)

Off to Mainz

Boat four passing the Lorelei Castle

Started counting how many boats we passed today. Gave up after the fourth boat. For one, it didn't seem fair on the boats because passing them was easy. The other reason was that we stopped to take a photo and a boat passed us again - so do you count it again (i.e. number 5) when you catch up or not (i.e. was the fourth boat, so stays the fourth boat)? Bingen was a very pretty town with lots of cafes and restaurants along the Rhein. Unfortunately at 9am they are all still setting up and not open for business. So we carried on.

Castle ruin with big hole. Cannon shot?

The cycle track on this side of the Rhein is much better than on the other side. On the true right there wasn't always a cycle track, here there is. The road is also further away from the river bank in most places. Apparently this was the road that the Romans pushed through and which was later altered and widened by the French to allow for greater troop movement. In the narrow gorge part of the Rhein the river can rise several metres and flood the lower-lying houses. Most recent big flood seems to have been about 2005.

Sometime soon after Bingen the signage was non-existant and we just picked a likely direction. This eventually led to the town of Ingelheim, where we followed some equally lost German cyclists until we eventually found the Rhein again. Then it was easy to Mainz - just follow the signs. We got here about 1pm, and only 60km since we started. It really doesn't feel like a full days cycling, but not much point going on Frankfurt is only about 40km on and we have accomodation booked for the 31st and September 1 - so that gives us two days to get there.

Salvadore Dali crucifix in Dom Treasuary


Dom tower with amazing scaffolding


Fantastic statue/fountain - wasn't working unfortunately




Just some notes for that Nice Mr John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, about cycleways.



Having now cycled over 1500km in three countries we'd like to contribute to the debate. Yep we think cycleways in New Zealand are a great idea, but there are some things to keep in mind.

Track surface - best surfaces are smooth tarseal or concrete, as you get the most speed for effort and least bum numbness. Broken seal (e.g. tree roots), cracked or uneven concrete and smooth paving stones induce a certain degree of bum numbness, and the lumps slow you down. Uneven paving can be very uncomforable and cobble stones shake your fillings loose, induce saddle sores, and are not recommended. A hard packed sandy or gravel surface is very tiring and slow going. Loose sand and gravel are just about impossible on a bike, so please avoid. Mud is also hard going, with the added option of the bike sliding out from beneath you. It at all possible, have nice easy gradients to prevent that burning thigh syndrome.

Traffic management - we felt safest where the cycleway was well away from road traffic, such as separated by a berm of at least 2 metres. Armco barriers also provide a certain amount of reassurance. A painted line on the road, to separate cyclists from motorists, especially on busy roads, is downright scary and requires that the other road users are sympathetic towards cyclists - which is unlikely to happen in NZ. The worst of all options is having to cycle on the road without any bike facilities at all. In Nederland everybody cycles and the road rules state that if a cyclist is hit it is the fault of the motorist regardless (guilty until proven innocent). Will be hard to instil this sort of sympathy in the New Zealand psychy so will need to tackle it by making sure that the cycle way has under or over passes for busy roads, or specific signage or traffic lights to give priority to bicycles. In Nederland they have traffic light pressure pads that pick up on cyclists and can change the lights on approach. It does take quite a bit of energy to get a bicycle back up to speed again - so provision for continuous cycling is preferred.

Signage - make the signs bigger rather than smaller - we've missed quite a few on this trip, especially in Germany and Belgium. A4 should be the smallest size, and preferably bigger. Green on white is sometimes hard to spot, red on white is much better. Put the signs at cyclist eye height and on every turn and all junctions. Distance to next place is very useful, and include the next major town in that general direction. Allow advertising by industries that support the cycleway such as bike friendly hostels and hotels, cafes and restaurants and bicycle repair shops.


Routing - It is particularly nice following landscape features such as a river. Tracks through the forest were also nice provided the track surface was of a high standard. Interpretative signage is a nice touch but has to be big enough to capture the eye of a cyclist in the Zone. You're past small interpretation signs before they've registered. Once a few cycleways have been developed ensure that the GPS track can be downloaded for free to help cyclist plan their route. Oh, and make sure there are plenty of coffee shops selling cake along the way! Maybe even include these as downloadable GPS points:-) Adopting the European outdoor cafe style would allow anxious cyclists to keep a watchful eye on their bikes, plus it is fun to drink coffee while sitting in the sun (or shade) outside.

Hazards - In NZ the storm water drain covers have slots that run parallel to the road. They are great for getting your bicycle tyres stuck in them. Here the slots are either at right angles to the road or 45 degrees, so even if you are forced into the gutter you can just cycle over the top of them. Make sure the tracks are kept clear of overhanging vegetation, especially nettles (visitors probably won't appreciate ongaonga stinging for a week or more) and things like blackberry. Puddles can be a hazard if they are deep and have hidden ruts. They are mostly just messy and get your shoes wet.

If we were to mark the countries out of ten, we'd score them as follows:

Holland - 10. The absolute best country in the world to cycle and cycle tour. An example to follow. Lots of cycleways, well sign posted, and priority for cyclists. Plus being mostly flat and having heaps of coffee shops selling cake is a bonus too.

Germany - 7. Good effort, especially along the Rhein. Signage can be improved to keep riders on track. Additional cycleways are warranted to other interesting places such as the Nurburgring, and more coffee shops that open early in the morning.

Belgium - 5. Tries, especially around cities but touring in the countryside is downright dangerous. A lack of places to have a mid morning coffee in the countryside too.

New Zealand - 1. Not recommended anywhere except maybe the rail-trails on mountain bikes. Touring on State Highways is practically suicidal. And as for coffee shops, likely to die of thirst and hunger before you get to the next one.

Completing the circuit 28 August

When we woke up this morning we were surrounded by cloud, but it was dry, so a huge improvement over yesterdays weather. It was very cool though, and I debated whether or not to put another jumper on. Hill wise started off well with a good long downhill run. However there were the inevitable up hill bits one of which included at least 5 hair pin bends (although it felt like many more), even the fast cars slowed down for those.

Horse meat sausages anyone?
We went through Mayen because route 258 turned into a motorway around about then. A very nice town with a nearly complete fortification wall around the old town centre. It also features a church with a interestingly twisted spire. A bit like the spire in Upukongaro it looks crooked because of the twists, but it is actually straight. We had coffee and tea there, even though it was only about 10am and officially too early to stop. It was nice sitting in the sun and trying to warm up again. George also managed to score a presentation pack for an Audi A1, a pretty little car, about the size of an Toyota Echo. We abandoned most of the stuff except for the drink bottle and the pottle of mini-smarties.











We got to the big statue in Koblenz around lunchtime. That closes the circle, as we stood in that exact same spot just over three weeks ago. This time I accepted the challenge and climbed to the top of the statue. What a difference! Three weeks ago I didn't think I could make it to the top after a bare hour of cycling and today I sprint to the top after a 60km bike ride.
George seen from the top of the statue - below third flag from the right

I'm the pick spot below the left hoof






Cycle-through money machine

From Koblenz we are once again following the Rhein, this time upstream and on the true left bank. Very easy cycling on nice flat paths. Later in the afternoon we got rather drenched by a heavy passing shower. Accomodation in St Goar was hard to come by. We must have asked at a dozen different hotels, before we found a room. It is a quaint place, sort of a cross between a youth hostel and a hotel. It has wiggly floors and door jambs that are too low for George. We're on the third floor, so that is six flights of stairs, with a brilliant view over the river and the ferry that plies between this and the opposite shore. Great place to watch boats and the bustle down in the street. This turned out to be the cheapest place we stayed at on this trip (other than staying with friends and family) and was within 12 hours of the most expensive hotel. The cheaper one had more character. Total distance covered about 92 km.
The cream building is our hotel

View from our room

Today we managed to pass three upstream boats (as in cycle faster than they were motoring). We couldn't catch the downstream boats on the way down as the combination of current and motor was just too fast. We also saw a herd of about 100 roller bladers closer to Koblenz, that would be hard going. Since Koblenz we are once again surrounded by other people on touring bikes. Mind you they all seem to dissapear at the first rain drop - you find them huddling under bushes and bridges as we cycle past. Only about 85km to get to Frankfurt and two days to do it in. We'`ll have to slow down or take a bit of a detour.
The type of slug that needs to be regularly avoided

Tourist 'train' that goes around St Goar

Nurburgring 27 August

After breakfast (which included options such as chocolate pudding and quark, as well as all the baked and fried eggs, sausages, bacon etc you might want) we snuk in to the pit racing area, just boldly walked through security. Hung out at the track (saw one car do a 360 spin) and checked all the tents with fancy racing cars in them. There was a nesecity to dodge heavy downpours by ducking in to other tents or private catering tents. The rain was so heavy that the gutters were not coping and the entire area was occasionally awash with water. One of the catering tents collapsed completely. About 9:30 we started debating whether to stay and watch the Top Gear Stunts show, and hence another night, or get on our bikes.

We checked and there were still tickets for the Top Gear show so we decided to stay. The heavy down pours were also not encouraging for cycling. Unfortunately the hotel price was even steeper than yesterday because it is a race weekend. So we carried out hanging out around the track, finding some sneaky back routes in and out of the huge stadium, and trying to avoid security people that might want to encourage us to move along (we figured out later that it was free entry today, tomorrow you have to pay). This was fun, in between dodging more heavy showers. I had to use the hair dryer to dry my trainers (yuch, warm smelly feet odour). We had hoped that the Nissan people that were setting up a display would be providing us with more freebies, but they probably won't crank up until tomorrow, once we're gone.

The Top Gear show itself was a dissapointment. Only 50min long, none of the three Top Gear hosts were there, and the entire thing conducted in German. The stadium was only about a quarter full and the acts were on the whole not that exciting. The more interesting included four motor cyclists whizzing around in a cage, Suzuki soccer game (Germany 3 - Holland 2), the Carmogedan was quite fun. There were another 2 sets of stunt driving and one slow parade of super cars. Ah well, may be next time. On to Koblenz tomorrow, just hope that the weather is much much much better than today, otherwise it will be a miserable day.

Nurburgring 26 August

The ratio of down to up hill improved significantly today we had one steep down hill section of 6km and a more shallow section of 15km. In between there were, naturally, some uphill bits. I managed some of them, but walked other bits. It was really nice cycling along the river (a broad stream by NZ concepts) that runs from Blankenheim along route 258. The dissadvantage was the lack of cycle paths and the fact that people drive really quickly along this road because this is the road to the Nurburgring racetrack.
If you zoom in you can see me grinding my way up on the left side of the road. Note all the big trucks etc..


The villages that we stopped in along the way are really pretty, with lots of tudor style houses. We stopped a bit more frequently today to load up with fuel and water for the uphill bits. In one village it was market day and they had a dutch cheese van selling cheese from the Gouda and Stolwijk region (amongst others). In the next village we stopped for pizza, very nice pizza. On top of a particularly gnarly hill it was icecream.

A small part of the 45m by 11m screenWe are now in the most expensive hotel of our trip, right beside the Nurburgring. The Nurburgering is a huge complex complete with indoor/outdoor roller-coaster, indoor adventure/challenge course, and shops with all the toys you might want (e.g. expensive cars, car parts in case you damage them, signage printing shop in case you've damaged the body work etc.) The TV screen advertising events is 45m wide by 11m tall, which makes it the biggest screen in Europe, and the fourth biggest in the world. We asked the man that was programming it, and it can be difficult to get all the sections of the screen in sync at times.

My new red jacket - George has one tooBoy did we pick the right day to get here. Shell V-Power is hosting a party for several hundred people. Top Gear already put on a show for them today and there are more public Top Gear shows over the next three days. We managed to snaffle a Shell jacket each, five Magnum icecreams, bottles of water, a power drink (saving that for a hill tomorrow) and a Nurburgring programme from earlier this year. All this was after we'd had a Subway sandwich each, so we were then desparately avoiding the girls handing out the icecreams - couldn't face any more! Once we were wearing our pretty red jackets the security guards no longer tossed us out of the interesting places. If we really try we might even be able to get into the giant tent set up behind the hotel - but I can't really face more food at the moment.



Tomorrow we carry on along route 258 to Koblenz. Then we'll see when and where we'll catch a train back to Frankfurt or whether we cycle the whole way.

Well actually we are now staying an extra night and going to the racing today, and the Top Gear show tonight. Good thing too because it is heavy rain with occasional thunderstorms today and in NL there have been floods due to heavy rain, including the area that we cycled through.

Lost in the woods 25 August

Happy birthday Bro.

We left Maastricht at about the normal time after our night in the Central B & B. Nice big room, with lots of powerpoints and phone jacks. It probably used to be an office, but it has been nicely done up as a bedroom. Shared bathroom with another bedroom and an interior courtyard to sit or store bikes. Breakfast was delived trays and put in a little alcove under the stairs - apparently this is the French style of delivering continental breakfast.

It was quite a climb to get out of Maastricht. Near the top there is a huge cemetary that commemorates all the American soldiers that were killed during WWII. The number of crosses is staggering, and there is also a commemarative wall with more names where the grave locations are not known. Very sobering sight.



The route today was very hilly and my ambition was to grind my way up hills without getting off the bike. This also included a hike up the point where three countries meet (Nederland, Germany and Belgium). We knew it was going to be a climb as it is the highest point in NL at 322.5m above sea level. I don't know how George managed to cycle all the way up, but I ended up walking bits when I got too tired. We made up for it with apricot flan and drinks at the top in a restaurant with a nice view. After a quick look at the various monuments Thingy (the GPS) told us that there was another route off the hill direction Monschau. So we did as Thingy said......



It turned in to a moderately steep downhill mountain bike track through the forest on the hill, followed by forest maintenance tracks to harvest and collect firewood. Glad that we had strudy bikes, that it was downhill and not too wet. Thingy then sent us on a right royal chase in and out of forest tracks and up some amazingly steep narrow little roads. One was so steep that George had to get off and walk - and he never gets off! Eventually we got to a bigger road (it had a give way sign - so must be a big road) and ignored Thingy for a while.
This is the larger bicycle track below the down hill mountain bike bit

Not sure how many times we crossed the border today on our winding route. Even climbing up to the three country point you were crossing from NL into the other countries, and we must have crossed between Germany and Belgium at least half a dozen times after that. Really hard to pick which country you are in. The registration plates on cars weren't helpful, as they included all three countries and some French ones too.

We are now definitely in Germany, in a place called Konzen on the way to Monschau. My legs and enthusiams ran out about 2 hills ago - on a really long and relatively steep one. I'd think to myself, just around that bend the road will start dropping again. But no, still more up hill. In the end I was setting small targets, you can reach that tree, and then that tree, etc. That worked for a while, but the ratio of up to down seems particularly unfairly distributed and I just ran out of steam. So we stopped at the next hotel. Not much here really, couple of pubs, a church, a statue of a cow (partially cut away so you can see the four stomachs inside) and a fast food joint. We'd forgotten about German portion sizes an ordered the most expensive thing on the menu at the fast food place. I managed about half of my assorted grilled meats, chips and salad. George managed to finish his large plate of steak, mushrooms, and chips, but only half the salad. Salad is served swimming in dressing.

Ah well some more sleep and probably a few more hills tomorrow. Good practice for cycling from home to work when we get back.

Brussels to Maastricht 24 August

Left Brussel this morning around 9am and arrived in Maastricht around 3pm, about 80km cycling today. To start with we thought that several days rest had turned us into super-cyclists. Eventually we figured out that a brisk tail wind was making life much easier. I even managed some streches in the third top gear today, love that tail wind.


The country side is rolling hills and valleys with villages just about touching along the road. Sorry didn't take any photos of the landscape. There are houses that look a bit like an armadillo with one side of the house covered in scales; the scales come in various sizes shapes and colours. Not sure why, might be just waterproofing a blank wall. We weren't entirely sure where the Belgium-Nederland border was, but it became very obvious. The cycle path went from a half metre section of painted road verge to a cycle only path well away the main road - you've now crossed the border.


Looks like it if full on University party time here. Must be the start of the university year. Maastricht is a very large town, and must have been very prosperous looking at all the church spires and the number and variety of shops. The Maas River flows through the middle so it probably always has been a wealthy river town.
One of the things I haven't chatted about yet is the decoration of houses for the birth of a child and anniversaries. Today I finally took a photo of a stork crashed through a window to celebrate the birth of a little girl (seen a few earlier, but didn't stop). Near the same town, one house was decorated with gold lamee fabric and golden 50 signs - figured that was a 50th wedding anniversary. Further along another house had paper 60 signs (like the 60 speedlimit sign) and red and white balloons - probably the 60th birthday for somebody.