Day 7: Kaisma - Rapla - Tallinn

The first thing I remember reacting to this morning was the quiet noises of Matthew (@ArcticCycler) getting out of his tent, then a short pause followed by a loud "WOW!". I felt, however, that I did not want to get up at 5 in the morning, so I stayed in my sleeping bag and rolled over. A little before 6, the lack of snoring coming from my tent made it apparent to Matt that I was no longer asleep. He soon urged me to get up and take in what I quickly realised was an absolutely stunning morning, complete with a rolling layer of mist on the lake.

In no rush what so ever to leave, we took time to enjoy the view and eat our breakfast. After reaching the main road again we kept the pace slow, allowing our legs an equally gentle start to the day.

Nearly halfway to Tallinn we entered the town of Rapla, where we ended up having an extended lunch by the little stream running through town. We didn't let the fact that we were underneath the droning AC fans behind the mall detract from our enjoyment of this almost luxurious picnic consisting of bread, cheese, yoghurt, strawberries, cherries, juice and other goodies.

After Rapla the road slowly became busier and busier as we started to get closer to Tallinn. Having stuffed our stomachs with way too much food during lunch, our bikes were also moving slowly at this point. Still outside the outer ring road Matt noticed that we were no longer on the recommended route he had pieced together by reading cycling forums. Near the village of Tagadi we cut across to Kiisa where we found ourselves on excellent bike paths which we would follow all the way into the capital. The new route took us through Saku, past the largest brewery in Estonia, and onwards to Tallinn. 

The busy urban traffic of Tallinn was exciting after the hard shoulder of the highways and quiet country lanes I'd mainly been on for the last week. We made our way to old town to pose for the obligatory "I made it!" photos and the 'necessary' twitter, facebook, (foursquare) and Google+ updates. We were both exceedingly giddy at this point, me having completed my tour and Matt proud of the accomplishment of reaching Tallinn from Eindhoven. Mind you, he's on his way to Nordkapp so I recommend you keep following his blog as well.

Seemingly unable to find a suitable café, we headed over to Matt's friend Ranno's place for a quick pit stop before I continued to the Russalka memorial where I waited a few short minutes for Nele, my Couchsurfing host, to show up.

The day in numbers: 111.76 km, 5 h 49 min 24 sec, 19.19 km/h avg, 38.1 km/h max.

Tour total: 700.13 km.

Day 6: Kinksi - Pärnu - Kaisma

The local youth of Kinksi continued their beer and BBQ party into the wee hours, but I still slept well and woke up fairy early. By then I was alone on the külaplats, making my morning routine faster than any previous day. This helped me get an early start and with the weather being cloudy, the cool, oxygen rich air meant I was soon trucking south towards Pärnu at a steady pace.

My only proper stop on my 60 km sprint to Pärnu came in Aruvälja where I enjoyed 2nd breakfast on a bench outside the village grocery store. 10 km later I had to unclip my shoes from the pedals again as roadworks brought traffic to a standstill for a while.

Once in Pärnu I stopped at the main library where I took the opportunity to give the battery of my phone a boost while waiting to hear from Matthew (@ArcticCycler, arctic-cycler.com). I had tweeted him the night before when I noticed he was also heading for Pärnu and would be there around the same time as me. During the hour I spent at the library I almost fell asleep on the chair I was sitting in. Sleeping less than 6h most nights of my tour was starting to take its toll on me.

With my phone battery having enough juice to last the rest of the day, I made my way in the general direction of the beach. I soon received a tweet from Matthew. He was going to Steffani pizza, together with Raimo, an Estonian roadie he'd cycled with since crossing the border from Latvia. Pizzas ordered, Matt and I soon started comparing notes and discussing the road ahead. It immediately became apparent that not only were we both heading to Tallinn, our schedules and planned routes were nearly identical.

Having made the obvious decision to share the road from Pärnu to Tallinn, Matt and I followed Raimo to Hawaii Express, a bike shop where we borrowed a track pump to get our tyres up to nominal pressure. Raimo then proceeded to guide us out of the city to where route 5, which would take us the first 35 km north, started.

For the final camping night of my tour, we endured the 6 km gravel road to Kaisma Suurjärve. After the külaplats in Kinksi, this was the place I had the least advance information about. I had chosen the place purely for its location (100 km south of Tallinn) and even chose to call to confirm there would be fresh water and showers before passing the last shop along the way.

There was a shower as well as fresh water. The shower was adjacent a modern sauna with space for 10-15 people. There was also a well equipped kitchenette, a proper toilet as well as a large lounge complete with leather couches, a stereo and a 50" flat screen TV. The man who came around to hand us the key was also keen to tell us we'd be more than welcome to sleep inside the lodge should it happen to rain that night. The price for all this you ask? 5 euro, for both of us.

Today in numbers: 126.93 km, 6 h 5 min 59 sec, 20.81 km/h avg, 33.2 km/h max.

Tour total: 588.37 km.

Day 5: Kuressaare - Muhu - Kinksi

I got up at a decent hour but somehow my morning routine took a bit longer than necessary, so I was only on the bike a little before 10. Knowing that the ferry from Muhu to the mainland runs every 30-35 minutes and that I'd only have well under 20 km to go once I'd crossed I decided to go for a two stop strategy.

This was also necessitated by the fact that the temperature was close to 25°C and rising already in the morning. Before leaving Kuressaare behind I stopped at the Auriga mall and found a sporting goods shop where I picked up a new pair of cycling gloves. Having also restocked my food supply, I soldiered on to Valjala where a lengthy food and drink stop was on order.

My second stop of the day was in Orissaare for which I had to make a little detour. I'm glad I did, as the sea breeze in the marina was the only respite from the scorching heat I had all day. Immediately after getting back to the main road towards Kuivastu I found myself on the Väikese väina tamm, the causeway joining the islands of Saaremaa and Muhumaa. Here I also enjoyed a bit of a cooling effect from the wind, but being from the side it also made cycling the narrow causeway a little tougher. Once across it was a further 14 km or so to the harbour in Kuivastu. While I truly enjoyed the flat landscape of the Estonian islands, making cycling very easy, it also robs you of an effortless roll down to the dock which you get on most islands in the Turku archipelago.

The ferries, there are two shuttling between Kuivastu and Virtsu, are quite new and proudly boast "Made in Saaremaa" on the bow and aft, visible as you drive off. The staff in the small café on board, though, were not allowed to fill up my bottles with drinking water. I instead stopped at a bar in Virtsu for an ice tea (not the Long Island variety, mind you) and also to find that the water I already had would be more than enough to last until I'd reach the campsite.

With less than 10 km to go I stopped to check for my turn to Voose from a roadside map. It was then that I discovered a potential campsite even closer to the crossroads where I would turn towards Pärnu in the morning. I quickly decided to head for the tiny village of Kinksi instead.

Less of a campsite and more of a village park or fairground, the Kinksi Külaplats initially seemed only moderately better than camping wild. My first impressions were, however, very deceiving as I was able to get electricity for my phone, fresh water (and a bag of homegrown cucumbers!) from the farm only 150 m up the road. The local boys were also at the külaplats, swimming in the pond, drinking beer and blaring music from their car. This was clearly the local pastime, so I decided to swap my lycras for my swimming trunks and joined in.

The day in numbers: 96.66 km, 5 h 1 min 5 sec, 19.26 km/h, 25.8 km/h max.

Tour total: 461.44 km.

Day 4: Sõru - Kihelkonna - Kuressaare

Today I had to get up on time as the first ferry of the day was at 8.15 and the next one would only be at 12. Thankfully it was only a few hundred metres from the sauna raft to the ferry. After I'd boarded and bought my ticket in the café I walked out on deck where I was soon asked where I was from. The question came from Aadu, a farmer from the village of Viira on Saaremaa who had been on Hiiumaa to visit his girlfriend.

Our chat lasted for the rest of the hour long ferry ride and resulted in me being invited to visit Aadu's farm. This would mean another detour for me but the promise of fresh strawberries and potatoes coupled with the fact that it was still early gave me no option but to accept. Well there I was given a short tour of the farm, including a tractor count. Aadu's mother served me potatoes, salad and a piece of well cooked sheep's ribs. Well fed and with water bottles filled from the well I found my back towards the main road heading west along the north shore of Saaremaa.

Along the way I was offered many choices of shortcuts across the island and my destination for the day, Kuressaare. Although the heat was tough to deal with, diluted grape juice helped me stay the course and continue all the way to Kihelkonna, the westernmost point of my planned route. That is, after I decided that the visit to the farm in the morning meant I could allow myself to skip Lümanda and start heading towards Kuressaare. Once I reached the main town of Saaremaa I let my GPS guide me to Piibelehe B&B and camping where I had to sit in the the shade for a while before being able to muster the strength to take a shower. Once I had the tent up I figured it was time to go into the centre to see if I could find a restaurant. As I activated the GPS again a couple of motorhomers, also heading into town on bikes, reacted to the fact the turn by turn directions blaring from my phone were in Finnish. Being countymen in a foreign land we joined forces and made our way to the fortress and a terrace bar that had come highly recommended. Quite understandably so as the service was great, the prices agreeable and the view of the fortress splendid.

With none of us really wanting to eat fish, we got on our bikes again after only one drink each. It didn't take us very long to stumble upon Vinoteek Prelude where the menfolk went for the wild boar while the lady chose the beef. The wine suggestions won support around the table and the desserts were also really good. Feeling quite pleased with how the evening had turned out, we cycled back to the campsite to call it a night.

The day in numbers: 117.88 km, 6 h 7 min 47 sec, 19.23 km/h avg, 30.8 km/h max.

Tour total: 364.78 km.

Day 3: Haapsalu - Kärdla - Sõru

The early bird gets the worm and the lazy cycle tourist misses the ferry. I took my dear time to get ready in the morning and was only on the bike well after 9.30. With 9 km to the harbour in Rohuküla I figured I might just make it, but that it wouldn't matter if I didn't. As I got closer I started to think I actually would be in time after all. In the end I indeed was, just in time to see the 10.00 ferry round the pier.

The next ferry was scheduled for 11.30, so I bought my ticket and spent the next hour having coffee and charging my battery pack in the terminal. The ferry to Heltermaa took a little over an hour so it was close to 13 before I got truly started on my lap around most of Hiiumaa.

The surface of the road got really bad after only a couple of kilometres from the harbour. I tried to push on but elected to take a smoother detour to Hellamaa even though it would add some distance to my daily total. And man am I glad I did. I found the church ruins in the picture hidden behind some trees in a tiny village called Kuri. As soon as I'd taken the photo I was buzzed by a couple of NATO F-16s at MIL power barely over treetop level.

Detour over I returned to the main road which was a lot better as well from that point and almost all the way to Kärdla. There a perfectly smooth bike path started some 2 km before town and would continue for more than 10 km after. In Kärdla I treated myself to a long lunch stop followed by a visit to the grocery store to pick up some waffles and black currant juice. Back in 2007 I learnt from my touring partner that summer, Sergej, that this is an excellent method for coping with the heat while cycling. I diluted the juice to 2/3 with 1/3 water to avoid it being to sweet to gulp down.

I continued on my way and met a few groups of cyclists going the other direction. Once the bike path ended the road itself was decent, but had some sections which were downright terrible with the road bike. Also, although I was on an island and close to the shore I only saw the Baltic sea in a couple of places. Being surrounded by mostly forest, with any village being off route, I made good on my intention to arrive at my destination no later than 19.00.

In fact, I was so far ahead of schedule that I could afford myself a final ice cream stop in Emmaste before continuing to the harbour of Sõru. Once there, I called the owner of the Sauna Raft Sea Rock who soon came down to let me in and fired up the stove. Feeling fresh after a few rounds in the sauna followed by dinner, I spotted a young couple also on bikes looking a bit lost. Having plenty of space in my floating home for the night, I asked if they needed a place to stay. Turned out they were also Finnish but were happy to sleep in their tent. They were, however, unable to say no to a go in the sauna. We talked for quite a while afterwards leading to me only going to sleep at 1 am.

The day in numbers: 98.29 km, 4 h 25 min 44 sec, 22.19 km/h avg, 34.3 km/h max.

Tour total: 246.90 km.

Day 2: Keravere (Oonga) - Haapsalu

(Late update due to me falling asleep before I'd written everything I wanted to.)

Today was both a short and a long day. Short because my planned route for the day was only 20 km and long because I got up quite early and am only in my tent now, well past midnight.

I woke up a little before my 8.00 alarm after sleeping like a baby in the loft above the sauna at Tiit and Signe's summer house. After a while there were noises from the main building indicating that the others were awake as well. A delicious breakfast and a few travel anecdotes later I was moving again in time to reach the main road by 10.00.

This meant I had an hour to cover the remaining 18 km to Haapsalu if I wanted to see the victory day parade (Võidupüha paraad - video). The smooth road and the light tailwind made it even easier. As I reached the city centre a friendly policeman pointed me in the right direction towards the old train station. Once there I parked my bike and soon found a free spot along the barrier, just in time to see the President of Estonia, Toomas Ilves, arrive.

After the parade had left the grounds of the old train station, the crowd started to move as well. I followed suit on my bike, being careful not to run over any unsuspecting toes with my trailer. Soon I heard a Finnish man behind me asking if I was looking for a place to spend the night. When I replied that I was already planning to go to Camping Pikseke he was quick to inform me that he's actually the proprietor. As it turned out he originated from Turku but has lived in Estonia for 40 years. He also explained that the crowd was moving in the direction of the castle as the victory day celebrations would continue there. I entered the courtyard of the castle which was so nice I decided to sit down and have lunch. Having dealt with my hunger I went to the campsite to leave the trailer behind and also pitch my tent.

Not quite full after only having eaten what bread and cheese I had left from yesterday, my random cycling around Haapsalu and along the beautiful Promenaad soon led me to Restoran Jahta by the marina where I found some chicken pasta and a beer with my name on it.

After spending another hour or so rolling around town taking in the sights I decided to pick up some breakfast material and head back to the campsite. I soon found myself in the company of three German cycle-tourers with whom I spent the rest of the evening throwing frisbee, playing badminton and discussing languages, cultures, history and politics.

The day in numbers: 37.69 km, 2 h 20 min 54 sec, 16.05 km/h avg, 31.9 km/h max.

Tour total: 148.61 km.

Day 1: Tallinn - Keravere (Oonga)

I call today day 1 as it was the first full day of riding. Then again, it wasn't even that as I got going only at 11. My discussions with my Couchsurfing host Anleena, involving politics, history and cultural stereotypes, went on for slightly longer than I had intended. It also rained a bit when I woke up, so I was in no hurry to leave.

When I eventually did, the sun had come out and the temperature was already around 25°C. It would get even hotter as the day wore on and the rain, forecast for the afternoon, apparently chose a different route. This also meant that I struggled somewhat with the pace and went through a lot of water.

I started by finding my way to route 4 heading south from Tallinn. After 21 km I took the exit for Haapsalu and, after a 30 minute lunch stop, started heading west on route 9. I stayed on the 9 for the next 50 km, with a second food stop in Risti. After Risti the by then narrow hard shoulder disappeared completely, but thankfully I only had a further 9 km to go to Palivere. Here I left the highways behind and continued on regional road no. 160. In Palivere I had a nice chat with a local truck driver who actually works in Naantali. 

The 25 km along the 160 from Palivere to Oonga offered the only truly enjoyable cycling experience of the day. This road, despite its rough surface, was the highlight of my day on the bike. Beautiful, mostly empty countryside and virtually no traffic had me grinning and singing to myself. At times I even forgot about the slight headwind I had to overcome.

I arrived in Keravere an hour too early, but was met by the sister of one of my warmshowers hosts. Soon I came to realise that the summer house I'd been invited to was quite large and we'd be joined not only by Tiit and Signe but also Signe's parents, the previously mentioned sister as well as three youngsters and little Paula.

After a few rounds in the sauna it was time to eat. I had the privilege to join my extended host family for a lovely Midsummer dinner, complete with wine and vodka. Well fed, I've now turned in for the night in the loft above the sauna.

The day in numbers: 95.83 km, 4 h 29 min 28 sec, 21.34 km/h avg, 31.2 km/h max.

Tour total: 110.92 km.

Day 0: Turku - (Helsinki) - Tallinn

 

A new year and a new tour. Time to reboot this blog and see if I can do a better job of keeping it updated from now on. One excuse for failing to do so previously would be the fact that I attempted to blog in both Finnish and English all from my phone, while cycle-touring and doing interviews with radio and newspapers.

This time there's just me, my bike and the open road. Speaking of roads, my planned route looks a little something like this.

So far today I've got out of bed way too early, taken the train from Turku to Helsinki and endured Viking XPRS for 2.5h to get to Tallinn. I've also enjoyed a nice cappuccino in Helsinki and an excellent pizza on the outskirts of Tallinn. With regards to cycling, however, today was rather uneventful as I only logged 15km. Traffic in Tallinn wasn't so bad and I mostly encountered friendly drivers who yielded when I needed space. Tomorrow I will start my tour in earnest as I aim to reach Keravere on the west coast where I've been invited to a sauna equipped summer house. Only 95km of Estonian roads separate me from this, the holiest of Midsummer rituals :)

The day in numbers: 15.09 km, 59 min 6 sec, 15.32 km/h avg, 38.0 km/h max.

Tour total: 15.09 km

Good Will on Wheels

This year I've already cycled far more than I did last summer. This blog has, however, remained dormant even though I've been clocking up the kilometers. Another thing that's different from last year is that I'm also counting the total distance I've cycled in miles in addition to kilometers. The reason for that is that I'm part of 1000 miles 2 work, raising money to pay for heart operations for kids in Vietnam with congenital heart defects (CHD). I was 'recruited' for this campaign by Val Monk who started it all about a year ago and has since just bout completed her 1000 miles. Read more about Val on her blog.

At the moment I'm up to about 652 miles (1050 km) but will soon be putting my participation on hold for a week as I'm about to set out on another charity project of my own. Starting on Saturday July 7th my aim is to cycle from Turku to Nurmes, a journey of about 620 km if the measurements on online maps are anything to go by. With mE I'll be dragging my trusted BOB Yak trailer and in it I will be hauling the usual cycle-tour gear: tent, sleeping bag, camping cooker, food, tools and clothes. I'll stay at campsites where available, use CouchSurfing or Warmshowers.org in the larger towns and the odd B&B.

As in 2010 I'll be touring to raise awareness about CHD and to hopefully also inspire at least a few to donate to the Finnish Association for Heart Children and Adults. The association works to improve the lives of those who are living with congenital heart defects as well as their family members. In addition the association also supports research and education in matters related to CHD.

During the tour I'll be blogging mainly in Finnish in my tour specific blog with more frequent updates in English over on twitter. There might still be the odd blog post from the road here as well, but I'm not promising any daily digests as I've failed to deliver on that promise previously.

Here's a rough route plan for the Turku to Nurmes tour:

Bike route 1382138 - powered by Bikemap 

Yesterday I also took the trailer out for a spin as I went on a short ride to Raisio where the heart association organized an event called Good Will on Wheels. This event called for an all together different type of biker than I've usually written about on this blog as some 15 Harley Davidon riders gathered to take CHD kids for a short cruise. Unfortunately the weather was somewhat less than ideal with a cold, light drizzle keeping turnout at a minimum. Still, the kids who's parents didn't shy away from a little light rain seemed to enjoy the chance to ride on a large motorcycle.

Tour preparation

I'm in the midst of finalizing my preparation for my bike tour next week. On Monday morning I will set out to complete a project that's been several months in the making. The SOVA-tour will be a five day adventure from Turku to Punkaharju, during which I will blog and tweet from the road. The main body of this reporting will be in Finnish, and posted in my tour specific blog. Not to neglect this, my main cycling blog, too much, I'm hoping to post a couple of brief reports here as well. At the very least I will take the time to compile a post-tour write-up when I'm home again.

Embedded below are the planned daily stages, courtesy of bikemap.net. Based on Google Maps, bikemap.net and it's sister sites for other sports offer a great mapping and route planning tool. I've always enjoyed pouring over maps and dreaming away wanting to visit different places. With digital maps combined with efficient routing tools, it's very easy to see how far 100 km or so a day actually gets you.

Before I get to the maps, I would like to take the time to thank a few companies and businesses for helping me make this tour a reality. Things started to fall apart on Tuesday morning when I noticed that my BOB Yak trailer had been stolen from its place in the common bike shelter in my building. Distraught I called the sole Finnish importer, Kareisen pyöräkorjaamo, to check if they had any in storage. There weren't any available, and the prospect of getting any more this week were uncertain to say the least. None the less, I would be contacted as soon as any showed up, with the promise to overnight a trailer to Turku should any arrive on time. On Thursday I received a phone call saying no new trailers had yet been delivered, but that there actually was a bike shop in Turku that also carried the trailers. I rushed over to Next Bike and true enough, they had a BOB Yak in the shelf, straight out of the box. Since I had already made my police report and filed a claim with my insurance company, I elected to buy the new trailer there and then. By now it was almost lunch time, and after lunch I got a text message saying my new trailer had been assembled and was ready to be picked up.

I've since taken the trailer out for a shakedown, and had my bike given some professional TLC at Visan polkupyörähuolto. Dropping just about everything he was doing, Visa swapped my brake pads and a gear shift cable, opened and reassembled the bottom bracket and retuned the gears. With my bike feeling as good as new within hours after dropping it off, I was more than happy to pay the reasonable fee instead of making a mess of my self and only getting half the job done.

Day 1: Turku - Tammela.

Bike route 392738 - powered by Bikemap

Day 2: Tammela - Asikkalan kk.

Bike route 392748 - powered by Bikemap

Day 3: Asikkalan kk - Mäntyharju.

Bike route 392754 - powered by Bikemap

Day 4: Mäntyharju - Ryhälä.

Bike route 392761 - powered by Bikemap

Day 5: Ryhälä - Punkaharju.

Bike route 392772 - powered by Bikemap

You've got a friend in me

A week ago I was out on my bike again. But not just on any ride, oh no. This time I was on a mission. I had decided to go to a charity concert held in benefit of the Finnish Association for Heart Children and Adults. The "Ilman ystävää et jää" (~You won't be without a friend) concert was in Helsinki on Sunday, so what better way to get there from Turku than to hook up my Yak trailer to my road bike and start pedalling?

I started out on Saturday morning, just after 9.30. As agreed on a cycling forum, a fellow Turku roadie met me on the street corner and together we set out towards Piikkiö. Janne would tag along all the way to Halikko where, after a cup of coffee, he'd turn back to (I believe) go to someone's graduation party.

Before we ever got to Halikko, though, I had a few problems with the trailer. I had waited to take it out of storage until the night before, only to notice that it was missing a pin. Without it, the trailer would not stay on the bike, especially not in a bump or sharp turn. I went through every box and drawer in my flat in order to find an alternative, ending up with a sturdy piece of string as my best option. I was, after all, not going to cancel this mini tour on count of a missing cotter pin. The string held up fairly well, too. I had to retie it once about halfway to Halikko, where I eventually found a hardware store that carried a pin that fit the bill.

As the day wore on, the heat became more of an issue. With air temperatures of around 27°C, I went through a lot of water, and on the inclines the road surface temperature of about 50°C made it self known. It was almost like pedalling uphill in a sauna. Luckily the old saying of what goes up, must come down is still in effect. Cruising downhill at 50+ km/h sure cools you down even on a hot day.

A little before 19 I arrived at my destination for the day, Vihti. The last 20 km were really hilly, but the scenery made it worthwhile. Once in Vihti I made my way to my CouchSurfing host for the night. E and her daughters where waiting for me in the yard, and we soon went over to the neighbours and sat in the garden. After I'd had a shower a while later, I was treated to delicious pies (veggie and rhubarb) and ice cream. E and I sat up talking til around midnight, when it was more than time for me to turn in for the night.

On Sunday morning I headed out again a little after 10, as I was in no real hurry to get to Helsinki. Again, I had to tackle quite a few hills after leaving Vihti. Fortunately I know well enough how to climb with the trailer, slow and steady. Still, with the heat setting in around noon, it was still pretty tough this early in the season. All in all the landscape north west of Helsinki is a lot more rolling than I'm used to here near Turku. Guess I can only blame the ice age..

After reaching Helsinki I went to a friend's place to cool down, take a shower and chat for a while. H also agreed to drive my trailer and bag to the train station after the concert was over, making my life in central Helsinki a lot easier. With the unloaded bike feeling almost unbelievably light, I rode into town and found a kebab with my name on it. An hour before the concert was about to start, I went to the Savoy theatre, the venue of the evening, and convinced the doorman to allow me to take my bike inside the cloak room. The people from the heart association were thrilled that I had come by bike, and supposedly there's now going to be a story about me in the association's magazine. The concert was great, with several nationally, and some internationally, recognised artists donating their time for the charity.

Once the concert was over I met up with H outside the train station, thanked him for his help and caught the last train back to Turku. Mission accomplished.

...

Saturday: 130km
Sunday: 55km

Day 12 - Rostock revisited

This morning I woke up just in time to realise that my alarm was about to go off. It was 5.55 and time to get up. I woke up Sergej and found out that he had had second thoughts about Rostock and Denmark. France seemed more like the way he wanted to go. He dozed off again and I went about packing up my damp tent and sleeping bag.

Having shook hands with S a final time I headed off alone towards Trier and the train to Rostock. On the way I was treated to a splendid morning view of the southwestern end of the German Mosel valley.

In Trier the DB ticket office was still closed, but a helpful older gentleman at the infodesk printed out a schedule of my journey. He also made sure I got a "starter ticket", which I would show in Koblenz when I changed trains and bought a full ticket for the entire trip. The lady who sold me my final ticket made a small mistake, though. Without asking, she for some reason assumed I had a BahnCard and gave me a 25% discount. This was spotted by the staff on the train and I was promptly informed I had to either pay the missing amount or get off in Köln. Turned out I wasn't carrying quite enough cash and it took some haggling before I was sold a cheap enough ticket to make it all the way to Rostock.

My experience of travelling by train through Germany luckily wasn't only a negative one. Next to me on the IC was Felix, a graphic designer from Aachen. F and I had a nice conversation which made at least half of my 9h+ on the trains seem a lot shorter.

Once I'd made it to Rostock I called Paloma, my host for my first night in Germany. She had been out surfing and wouldn't be back in town until late in the evening. I then cruised around in central Rostock, explored some of the parts I missed last time around. I also got some cash and a bite to eat. Remembering the prices of food on the ferry, I found a Lidl and stocked up on bread, bananas and granola bars. While rolling through the streets of R-town I heard live music coming from Neuer Markt. Turning the corner I found myself in the middle of a pride festival, complete with drag queens and guys in denim micro-shorts. Why does this always happen when I'm wearing my lycras?! Last summer I stumbled upon Stockholm pride while out on a training ride..

I wasted my last hour before I had to wheel myself to the harbour in the park in front of the main building of the university. A cone of ice cream made for a perfect treat before saying goodbye to this town and this country.

That's it, my adventure on the roads of central Europe is over. I have now boarded Superfast IX, and should be back in Finland around 5.30 on monday morning. It's been absolutely amazing and as long as I have any say in the matter my touring days are far from over. The experiences I've had on this trip have made such an impression on me, and left me yearning for more.

...

Today: 40,87 km, 2h11m04s, 18,71 kmh avg, 42,3 kmh max.
Tour total: 1047,11 km.

Day 11 - Grevenmacher

Don't let the headline fool you into thinking we didn't go anywhere on this day. We did, we went to France for lunch!

Having settled in on our first night in Grevenmacher, we took a look at the map. I still had one more day left, and the French border seemed so incredibly close. We decided that, if the weather in the morning would appear to be at least somewhat decent, to leave our tents, trailers and packs behind to go for a legstretcher into yet another country.

Setting out around 10, with all our valuables stuffed into jersey pockets and Sergej's small yet spacious backpack, we soon realised we were in for some rain after all. After 16 km it started and quickly turned into a downpour, complete with lightning so close you barely saw the flash before a deafening boom crackled through the sky. Having first sought shelter at a bus stop, we got cold since we were already soaking wet. Instead we continued for a kilometer or so until we found a cafe where we could get something warm to drink. Having each had a cup of both coffee and tea, we waited until the rain stopped, squeezed the water out of our gloves and hit the road again as the clouds scattered to give us sunshine once again. Above Schengen, where Luxembourg, Germany and France meet, the sky was as blue as could be. In the roundabout, which is actually in Germany, we said "We're hungry, let's go to France!"

The first town, barely 3 km south of the border, is Sierck. We immediately started to look for a restaurant, only to find that the first one we saw had already stopped serving lunch. Still very hungry, and wet from the rain earlier, we followed the main road to the next place where we could sample the local cuisine. What looked quite simple from the outside turned out to be a luxurious restaurant, with a waiter wearing a suit and tie opening the door when we climbed the steps. Bonjours were exchanged and we were led to a table set for four. Two sets of plates and cutlery silently disappeared and we were handed menus in heavy binders, followed by a polite inquiry if we cared for an aperitive. The prices in the menu were somewhat out of our league, so when the Perrier was served S asked if we could have only salad and bread. We then got the most carefully presented salad either of us had seen, and a basket of bread that was quickly exchanged for a new one as soon as it emptied. I also chose to sample a glass of a local wine, which I found to be so good that when we rolled out of town again, I bought a whole bottle at a wine store halfway to the border.

Being computer geeks, at the roundabout we didn't immediately cross the bridge back into Luxembourg, choosing instead to make a very short stop at the city limits of a town called Perl. In Schengen (Lux) we stopped to fix a puncture I most likely had while still in Germany. With a new tube and a patch to cover a cut in my rear tyre, we raced down the Mosel with the wind helping us stay well above 30 kmh most of the way.

On reaching Grevenmacher we sought out a supermarket and bought some food. Our friendly neighbours in a camping trailer let us charge S's camera and my phone while we had dinner. As I had to get up early in the morning to reach Trier in time to catch a train to Rostock, we quieted down a bit sooner than the night before.

I'm now already on the train, the end of my adventure drawing near. I will, however, always remember this chilly morning, with the misty Mosel valley slowly waking up to a new day as I rode into the rising sun.

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Today: 80,38 km, 3h4m59s, 26,07 kmh avg, 58,1 kmh max. Tour total: 1006,25 km.

Day 10 - Grevenmacher

"He's going the distance! He's going for speed!" (CAKE - The Distance). Today has been an amazing day. We did, however, get some rain as soon as we started riding. After about 7 km it got so bad that we stopped at a bus shelter for almost two hours. Our judgement that it was only a quick summer rain turned out to be correct, though, and soon we had sunshine through scattering clouds.

We had to climb some hills today as well, but they were only a few and far from anywhere near as steep as the ones in Belgium. And after that it was easy sailing along the Our and the Sauer. We spent most of today's saddle time cruising at or above 30 kmh, following the rivers downstream.

Someone in Luxembourg has at some point in history been very clever. At least from what I have seen yesterday and today, they seem to have captured some of the most beautiful and arable land in the region and managed to keep it for themselves.

Having had lunch in a stonewalled bus shelter in Bittel, just south of Vianden, we climbed the second hill of the day on the road up to Fouhren. From there it was more downhill cruising to the next major town on our border hugging route, Echternach, which was really nice. I withdrew some cash since I was almost out and then we took the time to have cappuchino at a café on the market square. A few postcards also found their way to a mailbox. The buildings around the square were mostly old and very beautiful. Tourist pics snapped with a compact can not even begin to convey the atmosphere of this place.

Upon reaching Wasserbillig where the Sauer flows into the Mosel, we bought some food and started looking at the map to figure out where we needed to go to find a place to spend the night. The only markings for campsites were on the German side, so we searched for a bridge nearby but couldn't find one. Luckily there was a ferry (if you've been in Turku, think Föri with a capacity for 4-6 cars) and then we were in Germany again. Unfortunately we took a wrong turn and headed away from the campsites we were trying to reach. Instead we found a bridge across the Mosel, back into Luxembourg, about 6 km south of were we crossed with the ferry. So yes, we hopped over the border, again, and are now spending a night within Luxembourg, yet only across a river from Germany. We even took photos of a German vineyard, while standing in another country, waiting for our dinner too cook.

We have a few options to choose from tomorrow, but either way it will be my last day of riding on this tour. On saturday morning I have to be in Trier if I'm to make it to Rostock in time fore the ferry back to Finland and the end of this adventure.

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Today: 91,67 km, 3h46m22s, 24,30 kmh avg, 59,9 kmh max.
Tour total: 925,64 km.

Day 9 - Vallée de l'Our

We're not in.. No, I used that one in my last post. Yesterday we crossed yet another border, this time into Luxembourg. Last night we staid at a campsite on Luxenbourg's eastern border, right on the river Our.

Yesterday morning was really chilly, and we hadn't really paid any attention to where we put our tents. This meant that even when the sky cleared and the sun came out, the tents were still wet from the mist. We were also late getting up, and with breakfast and packing taking their fair amount of time we got on the road at about 10.40.

Our first stop was the Spa/Francorchamps circuit, which meant we had to mostly climb for almost 6 km, some parts of which were rated at 8%. Before reaching the track we also got to fly down almost 3 km of a similarly rated descent, with me breaking my all time speed record on a bike (66,6 kmh). All this of course with the loaded BOB trailers in tow. The manufacturer has put a warning sticker on the trailer saying not to exceed 40 kmh. Oh well..

Going back towards Malmédy had us climbing the same hill from the other direction and then cruising into town at speeds around 50 kmh. Once there our first task was to find a bike shop and after asking around some we did. The mech was on lunch break and since it was already well after 12, we chose to also have lunch in a small park across the street while my bike was in the shop. With food in our stomachs and a shiny new spoke in my rear wheel, we went south, direction Luxembourg.

A final note on Belgium: Sergej told me even before we left Bonn that the Belgian roads would be bad. And believe me, a lot of them were. If the Belgians bother to put up a sign saying "route dégradée", boy do they mean it. And the distance mentioned on the sign often only tells you how far away the next one is.

After we had shook hands at the border the hills got less steep and the landscape offered a wider view of our surroundings. We stopped near Marnach to buy some food and then rolled down into the Our valley. Following the river, with Germany on the other side, we didn't have to go far to find this campsite. Now that we've enjoyed a nice breakfast with tea, bread, eggs and apricots, we're just about ready to hit the road again. Do we have time to pop into France? There's only one way to find out.

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Today: 83,12 km, 4h17m30s, 19,37 kmh avg, 66,6 kmh max.
Tour total: 833,95 km.

Day 8 - Spa/Francorchamps

This entry should have been posted last night, but I managed to fall asleep before I had the chance to finish it. Yesterday I woke up a bit before 6.30 to a cool but dry and sunny morning. It did rain a little during the night, but not too heavily. Sleeping in the tent was nice, perhaps not as nice as a comfy couch or bed even, but still nice. The place we stayed at was actually a private, members only, caravan parking ground for the local tennis, rowing and sailing club. But they allowed us to put up our tents for one night and also let us use the toilets and showers. And it didn't even cost one cent!

Setting out a little after 9, we headed southwest in the direction of the Belgian border and the road to Malmédy. Going into the Eifel national park meant, what at least for me was, a lot of climbing. Thankfully it was a lot cooler than the previous days, with the temperature staying below 30 degrees. The steepest hill we encountered had an incline of 15% over almost 2 km. We ended up walking up most of that one, as it was way too much for me. The other ones, 7-9% over similar distances were hard but I managed to ride up them, taking brakes when I felt too exhausted to continue. The stunning scenery we've enjoyed throughout the day, together with the euphoria of flying down serpentine roads at speeds up to 60 kmh, made up for climbing all those hills.

Stopping in Monschau was a great idea. The old town has been beautifully restored to lure any and all tourists passing through this picturesque valley.

I don't think we're in Kansas.. erm, I mean Germany, anymore. Actually I know we're not, cause we're in Belgium! Somewhere between Francorchamps and Stavelot, 10 or so kilometers from the Spa/Francorchamps Formula 1 circuit. We didn't go to the track last night, but chose instead to look for, and find, a nice campsite. 8€ each bought us the right to pitch our tents right next to a stream and also to have a shower.

Soon after crossing the border, I noticed my rear wheel was untrue again. We stopped to have a look only to realise I had snapped yet another spoke. I adjusted the tension in the nearest ones so that I could continue, but we will have to get to a bike shop soon to get it fixed. Perhaps picking up a few extra spokes wouldn't be such a bad idea..

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Today: 101,79 km, 5h42m57s, 17,81 kmh avg, 60,6 kmh max.
Tour total: 750,82 km.

Day 7 - Zülpich

Got up this morning, packed, had a nice breakfast with E and got on my bike a few minutes before 10. I then rode into central Köln along the Rhine and after a few wrong turns found Sergej waiting in front of the Dom. We said our hellos and I told S that I was having some problems with a creaky bottom bracket and/or cranks. We then set out to find a bike shop to have it looked at. Two hours and four bike shops later I was told that the BB probably is fine, but the right crank is a bit loose and since it's only pressed on it will eventually have to be replaced. Before we even got out of Köln, S had a rear puncture and my front inner tube ruptured.

Plans change, some more often than others. In Bonn, after yet another visit to a bike shop, this time to replace S's rear tyre that had become uneven, we took another look at the maps. After some deliberation, heavily influenced by S's tales of the scenery we could enjoy if we got off the Rhine, I exclaimed: "Let's go to Belgium!"

So now we're camping in Zülpich, which is, going like we did via Bonn, about halfway between Köln and Malmédy. From there we'll head south along the border between Luxembourg and Germany, with me probably catching a train from Trier to Rostock on friday or saturday.

I knew in advance that I would learn a lot from touring together with S. But already this, the freedom of making up the route as you go along, is amazing. I'm starting to actually wish I wouldn't have to go back to work next monday.

The weather today was hot, with temperatures between 33 and 37 degrees C. I went through a lot of water, but managed surprisingly well considering the heat. We might get some rain tonight though, as there's now a heavy cloud cover and the wind is picking up, rattling our tents. I just hope it won't be too wet tomorrow.

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Today: 83,29 km, 4h24m50s, 18,87 kmh avg, 50,3 kmh max.
Tour total: 649,03 km.

Day 6 - Köln

Another hot day, but I did follow through and rode my bike to Hamm. Only from there, after 80 km in the sweltering heat with a couple of steep hills, did I give in and caught a train the rest of the way. Traveling with regional trains inside the German Bundesländer is, to me, surprisingly cheap. I paid 17,50€ to get myself, my bike and the trailer to Köln. The bike compartment was, however, an experience it its own right. Apparantly, for the obvious reason being the low cost involved, taking the train to start your bike tour in a nice location is quite popular. There were 9 bikes on the train before I got in, and more came on on the way. It was an open compartment, with most of the bikes piled up along one side, some people standing up in the middle and some sitting on fold-up chairs on the other side. But luckily it was smiles all round and everyone helped each other with getting the bikes out of the train at the right station.

Leaving Bielefeld I rode through the center of town and had a look around, and then tried to get to the shorter route west towards Gütersloh. I failed miserably, though, instead getting lost in suburbia and then in the immediate countryside. In the end I didn't gain anything, but rather lost some time before finding the B61 west again. Before Gütersloh it was pretty nice, with a bunch of roadies out on sunday rides. West of G-town the road turned into a straight line, except near Beckum where there were as many hills as there were bends.

Getting off the train here in Köln and seeing the Dom with my own eyes was great. Riding north to find my CS host for the night was easy, with a couple of friendly locals pointing me to the right street as I got closer. Eva lives in a house owned by a college fraternity, so it's a big place shared by a bunch of students. After I had showered and washed most of my cycling clothes, we got in the car together with one of the guys who live here and went to a lake just north of town. Eva and G went swimming as I tried to get some sun on the whiter parts of my torso. On the way back we picked up a beer each, and at the house E and G whipped together a delicious dinner. A couple of other friends stopped by while we were eating, so the conversation around the table was lively.

Tomorrow I'm meeting Sergej in front of the Dom at around 10 in the morning. From there we'll head up the Rhein to Koblenz, and then on Tuesday to Bad Kreuznach.

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Today: 85,13 km, 4h22m18s, 19,47 kmh avg, 38,3 kmh max.
Tour total: 565,73 km.

Day 5 - Bielefeld

Today was hot, very hot. I'm glad I got up fairly early and made at least some headway before the heat really set in and slowed things down. HC was generous enough not only to give me breakfast and a few pointers as to the route, but also followed me for about a kilometer or so and made sure I got off in the right direction. After that, navigating through Hannover was a breeze, and with the sun out I took the time to do the tourist thing and snapped a few shots of the sights. Without the risk of rain hanging over me, my camera remained in my jersey pocket for the rest of the day.

Out of Hannover, I took the B65 via Bad Nenndorf, Stadthagen and Bückeburg. There I noticed that even though my average speed was lower than yesterday, I was making good time having set off a bit earlier in the morning. Then I saw a sign that showed the way to a helicopter museum. Still feeling like I had the time to look around, I went. I took a bunch of photos, but I'm not sure if any of them are any good. The lighting in the exhibition rooms wasn't anything near optimal for my little compact.

Riding in the southern outskirts of Minden, I found a bike path leading in the direction of Porta Westfalica. While following it, I stopped underneath a bridge to get in the shade for a while. Already there was an old couple also on bikes, with panniers. We said our hellos and had a nice little chat for about 10 minutes. These short moments, when lives connect in ways like this are really what makes travelling worth while. Best wishes all 'round, I continued my journey towards the pass ahead. With hills on both sides, the river Weser in the middle and a huge monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I high above, the northern gate of Westfahlen made an impressive sight. It'll probably take a while for me to digest. As will a lot of other things I've seen today. I would love to do another tour through these parts again some time, but at an even slower pace, to allow for more of the tourist bit. In Herford, for instance, with about 20 km to go today, I stopped in the middle of town and ate some of my remaining food. The center of town is made up of a network of pedestrian streets, with shops, cafés, biergartens and beautiful little (and not so little) churches making up the scenery.

East of Bielefeld I stopped at a bus stop to get my bearings. I knew the name of the part of town where my host lives, and found a road that took me around the center. Stopping at a gas station to get help with finding the right street, I made it all the way to B's front door. B is the host I phoned last night from Hannover, after browsing through the ADFC Dachgeber list. It's officially for members only, but there's a statement in their charter that says the same hospitality should also be shown to foreign bike tourers. Having been welcomed here with the use of a much needed shower, food and a wonderful conversation about cycling and other things that makes life interesting, I'm just about to hit the sack.

Tomorrow, depending a little bit on how I feel in the morning, I will most likely ride to Hamm and from there then take the train into Köln. Doing so lets me take a direct train connection and also, in my view, earns me the right to say I rode as far as I could without getting into the mountains of the Sauerland or the big cities of the Ruhr.

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Today: 120,15 km, 6h40m10s, 18,01 kmh avg, 50,5 kmh max.
Tour total: 480,53 km.

Day 4 - Hannover

Frank, my host in Uelzen, proved to be more welcoming than I could ever had hoped for. After I had had a shower, pizza was soon ready. Later, after I had finished posting my blog and writing a few e-mails, we went for a walk and he showed me the famous train station, with its magnificent Hundertwasser decorations. This morning Frank served up a wonderful breakfast. He also offered me valuable tips and information about the road that laid ahead.

Today I had only a little bit of rain as I left Uelzen. I also managed to take another detour, blindly following signs that promised a bike route to the B4. Not being the shortest option by a long shot, it did get me there, but I lost a little time in the process. Luckily the sky got brighter fast and after an hour I had to shed my windstopper jacket as I got too hot. There was still a fairly compact cloud cover, but the temperature was rising steadily. The sun also eventually came out and put a smile on my face.

In Celle I stopped to get something to eat. I figured I could afford myself a treat, and with a couple of Polish buskers in medieval kit watching over my bike, I found a wienerschnitzel with my name on it. Well fed I navigated out of town and headed for Hannover.

There was a bike path along the B3, which continued even as the road became an autobahn. Before entering Hannover, I was led onto a quiet country lane, which offered a scenic route into the city. Navigating through the suburbs, I suffered another flat but got going in a matter of minutes. Bewildered by the many roads leading towards the center of the city, I was aided by an older gentleman on a beautiful 30 year old Peugeot bike. He led me all the way to Kleefeld where I was pointed to the right street by a group of girls.

I found my host here in Hannover, Hans-Christian, through the Warm Showers list. It's an excellent service touring cyclists can offer to others while at home, and use to find a place to stay when on the road. HC has provided me with a couch, and given me something perhaps even more valuable. In Germany there's a printed list of cyclists willing to host tourers. With all the changes to my schedule, CouchSurfing might not be up to the task. Now, after making a quick phone call, I have a host in Bielefeld for tomorrow.

I have chosen to rest on Sunday, taking the train to Köln to make up for lost time. One of the lessons I've taken to heart from the Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook is that touring is about traveling, not necessarily riding every single kilometer of the way.

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Today: 109,30 km, 5h44m54s, 19,01 kmh avg, 47,3 kmh max.
Tour total: 360,36 km.