A page featuring galleries and links for cycle tours undertaken during July 2023.

I ride regularly, and I do not necessarily post a web page for each tour I do.

I do post to Facebook, Garmin Connect, Strava and occasionally to Komoot and Instagram.

Monthly Tours

Dry at last in Gö – July 30 2023

Cats and Dogs plus a few buckets have fallen from the sky in the last week and today was no exception. But finally, as the evening beckoned the damp dullness changed to a brighter light and even the sun shone.

We took a chance and rode; we were rewarded with a warm late afternoon ride and no gravel was touched. We had decided to stick to asphalt roads/Feldweg and Betonweg (concrete farm roads) avoiding wet muddy trails laced with deep puddles because we didn´t want to have to clean our bikes one more time when we got home.

On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9551851544

Gö Gravel Following Josh´s Nose Social Ride – July 27 2023

We had intended to ride into the forest but because of heavy rain and storm damage we followed Josh´s nose instead. Staying in the Leine Valley, we rode a mix of gravel and a little bit more asphalt Feldweg to keep us a little cleaner. It rained but no one complained, and we rewarded ourselves with hot choccy drinks at the P-Café at ride end.

On a day when one more German rider took a stage of the Tour de France Femme, it was cool that five women rode on the Gö Gravel Social Ride.

Danke to Andrea, Sandra, Julia, Isa, Lydia, Sebastian und Josh for the fun!

Gö Gravel: https://veloklubhaus.com/2023/07/21/go-strade-bianche-rides-communique/

On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9533585801

Gö Feldweg Omloop 54km – July 26 2023

With a moody sky overhead giving the impression it would at any moment unleash its worst upon me I rode a variation of the Gö Feldweg 54km Omloop.

I chose this tour to try out Schwalbe Pro One tyres (Danke Josh), with the bonus of fancy Aerothan inner tubes, which I had fitted to my ´Omloop´ bike.

The bigger reason was I wanted to ride this route was for the fantastic asphalt descent to Benniehausen in the Gartetal (valley). Once I had climbed over the Gleichen Hills it is a thrilling section and leads to some cool broken Betonweg and gravel. I had my fingers crossed that the tyres would handle it.

In fact, although cold at first the sun came out and I was overdressed. As for the tyres, if I was riding the Paris Roubaix cobbles tomorrow, I would use the Pro Ones.

53km including 7 gravel and 4 cobbled sectors.

On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9524895115

Omloop 54km: https://veloklubhaus.com/go-fledweg-omloop-56km/
Omloop Info: https://veloklubhaus.com/2023/05/13/the-go-feldweg-omloop/

Tickling our Legs on the Gö Gravel Social Ride – July 20 2023

We celebrated July and Craig´s great picture of the white roads of Göttingen by riding the Gö Gravel Strade Bianche 40km.

Heavy rain in the hours and days before the ride did mean puddles and long grass bordered the trails, and this tickled our legs.

Thanks to Josh, Andrea, Sandra, Chris, Peter, Julia, Ingo, and Sebastian for their company.

At ride end at the P-Café it was a real pleasure to meet 5-month-old Anna who must be the cutest baby that ever existed.

All were rewarded with a Brevet Karte in fact two.

On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9490128346

White is Lightness in Gö – July 18 2023

I wanted to ride wearing my favourite white road shoes and socks, these I have not worn for over a year.

I recall a road race team principle telling a neo-pro rider with great earnestness that the black shoes/socks he was wearing would slow him down because of the greater weight, other riders confirmed this. The poor boy was aghast at his sartorial mistake, before they put him out of his misery.

My ´Omloop´ bike (CX machine) has road pedals fitted and I took my beloved shoes out onto a small amount of the Gö gravel, this is OK in a dry summer, but a huge NO in the winter because it would break my heart to see the brilliant white become brown. I have nightmare memories of ruining a brand-new pair of white shoes/socks when the heavens unleashed hell upon us on an edition of the Paris Roubaix Cyclo Sportive. A mad mix of mud, grit, and coal dust, the later from the Arenberg Forest pave which runs above a now abandoned coal mine, subsumed the sparkle of newness.

I rode a variation of the 40km Gö Gravel Feldweg Omloop at a comfortable tempo. Plus, I get another stamp on my Gö Gravel Brevet Karte.

It was also fun to stop and talk with Sandra who was out for a ride.

People were happily swimming in the Wendebachstausee when I passed, but I was wearing my super cool white socks and shoes (and gloves) so there was no need to take a swim in the warmth of a summer’s evening.

On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9476764672

Delight in Gö – July 16 2023

I love Turkish Delight, thankfully available in Göttingen, and I LOVE Fry´s Turkish Delight which are not. Luckily for me, Gary and Bill bought a box from London.

On this ride we rode up some hills enjoyed the gravel trails, a long smooth as silk asphalt descent and we stopped to appreciate the flowers. Two huge fields of Sunflowers were very apt because when we got home, we turned on the Tour de France, I ate a Fry´s Turkish Delight and opened a very cold Radler.

It all added up to a delight of a ride!

On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9462768138

Bill in Gö – July 14 2023

Long time friend, Herne Hill Velodrome and London cycling stalwart Bill Wright paid us a visit.

Naturally we went for a ride visiting three German states and crossed the defunct Iron Curtain on our travels.

On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9449874529

Bathing in a Cool Forest in Gö – July 11 2023

I have been told that spending time in a forest soaking up the vibes is good for body and mind. Forest bathing is a thing and is especially popular in Japan it would seem (shinrin-yoku).

With the sun beating down hard and the temperature rising to above 30c we opted to be in the cooler forest. Doing so is one of life’s great pleasures and some sections were still damp because of recent rain fall. We chose quality over quantity including riding single track and trimming our speed on down hills just to extend the moment of enjoyment.

We rode upon the Göttinger Wald, The Hainberg Forest and Kerstlingeröder Feld the latter being an abandoned panzer base.

On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9430240610

Sans Frontières in Gö – July 8 2023

In the past you would have required the correct paperwork to cross the humblest frontier. We had our Gravel Visa´s and no one dared to hinder Craig and I on our way.

Highlights – By hugging the Dreilanderstein you can be in three German states at one time and at Kirchgandern we rode a stretch of Kolonnenweg, the old military road that ran the length of the Iron Curtain in Germany.

Mehr (GPS): https://veloklubhaus.com/2023/07/08/go-gravel-radfart-sans-frontieres-july-8-2023/

Strawberry Fields Forever in Gö – July 3 2023

I am getting back into the rhythm of life after illness, and it took three days to recover from my previous ride.

We went shopping for strawberries fresh from the field and the air at this time of year on the gravel trails is strong with the aroma of the strawberry crop.

At Niedernesja there was an interesting historical information board part of the villages one thousand years.

The Beatles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtUH9z_Oey8

On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9380326482