A few vibrant Sunflowers in amongst a host of those past their best is a clear sign that the summer is ending. Although I do not feel the risk that I felt on the open roads of the UK, but today bad German driving was on display especially on the L559 into Jühnde where a… Continue Reading
Latest in: Road – almost all asphalt
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A short train ride took us to Witzenhausen the smallest university town in Germany (it has been a seat of learning about agriculture since the 19th century) and is a major place for cherries. A notable resident was Johann Jacob Schweppe, (1740-1821), known for the famous Schweppes brand. It is also the birthplace of the… Continue Reading
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A ride with hills to give Tom and Naomi a few ups and downs in contrast to their normal Netherlands terrain over a *Freddie Frinton route which has become one of my favourites. I first met Tom in London over thirty years ago when he was cycle touring and today, we rode with him and… Continue Reading
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This route has become a ´Freddie Frinton*´ one for me, it would seem to be my go-to when I just want to do a road ride on a known course. From the saddle I noted that Sunflowers are out and on route I saw a rare thing – a hedge lined road. (*Freddie Frinton being… Continue Reading
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I rode this day over known benign roads to get ´back on the horse´, to eat cake and to make things good in my head, body, and soul. Several days earlier at over 30kph on a farm track my front wheel had hit a rut hidden by long grass which had been carved by a… Continue Reading
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We crossed the valley and were able to make out our house on the other side. This is a small pleasure upon which a life is built. We spotted a small group of sunflowers in a field, the first of the season although I did not picture them. The ride included Jühnde Castle and then… Continue Reading
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On the longest day of the year I set out across the Leine Valley to Jühnde Castle and then back across the valley to venture into Thuringia at the State Line with Niedersachsen where once stood the Iron Curtain. Returning to my home state I climbed up to the Gleichen Castle, not to the top… Continue Reading
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We were expecting heavy rain with thunder and lightning, so with a mind to a future drought I connected two water butts to the house drainpipes. With two nicely filled butts and no rain forecast for the evening I ventured out, but it did rain and I spent 44 plus kilometres getting gloriously wet. I… Continue Reading
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I haven´t been on a road ride for some time. Canned Heat are not one of my favourite 60/70s bands (I am more of a Buffalo Springfield person) and I have no idea why their song ´On the Road Again ‘ switched on in my head. I was humming it throughout and I could also… Continue Reading
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Quiet roads, very few cars – no motor car hassles (one annoying BMW driver) and lots of people including children enjoying the fine weather. I must be in another country, wait, I am! My UK feed is full of stuff about cyclists being slagged off for riding and there seems to be so much scolding… Continue Reading
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A road cycle ride south of Göttingen took us through an area that had born witness to the ravages of one of Europe’s most savage wars. In spring like weather, we pedalled out to Jühnde on what we thought would be tarmac only, but we took a shortcut and therefore rode a big chunk of… Continue Reading
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The public roads and landscape along the Leine Valley near Gö remind me of Picardy and Northern France. Any further resemblance is lost because the villages look different (although familiar) and rather than cobbled (Roubaix) farm roads they are gravel. Also the hills along the Leine Valley are natural whilst in Northern France they can… Continue Reading
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We criss-crossed both the railway and the motorway a number of times on this road ride out to Friedland after pushing into a tough wind. There we had a great view of the Friedland Monument atop the hill set against a sulky sky.. The Ride Garmin Connect: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4257197833 Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/2869046244 Cycle Fahrrad Goettingen home page
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With weather forecasts saying that we were in for another summers day I wanted to do something a little bit bolder just in case we plunge into the darkness of winter next. I elected to ride to the Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund near Bad Sooden-Allendorf on the Hessian-Thuringian border. This would take me past iconic places that… Continue Reading
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´Ready Steady Go´ was the first British pop music TV show in Britain (I was just a few years too young to view it in the 60’s) and this day we went for a ready and steady pedal. Our route out of Goettingen mixed gravel and tarmac (mostly), such was our steady approach that we… Continue Reading
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We took a steady road spin out to the Hanstein Castle this day and we rode out of Goettingen along the A38 cycle path (the place to catch so many local riders) past Friedland, across the old East German border and then onto rolling country roads to Rimbach. The cobbled climb up to the castle… Continue Reading
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The day after I had proclaimed on Miriam Schattner‘s (a Hamburg crosser and gravelist) FB timeline that “I am addicted to gravel”, I went for a road ride instead. In mitigation I would say that I want to build up some endurance and I thought a road ride would do the job especially as it’s… Continue Reading
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The first house in Kirchgandern out from Goettingen and once situated in the DDR has this great garden gate and a wonderful sculpture denoting the distance to Hanoi and Moscow to name two places. We wondered if the occupant had ridden to them? Just before Kirchgandern and the old DDR border is a sort of… Continue Reading
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I note that it has been raining a lot and it is pretty cold in Britain. Tales of punctures and soakings are plentiful on my social media timeline. Meanwhile here we welcome rain as everything is dry and somewhat wonderfully when it does rain and although it can be really, really hard stair-rod style, it… Continue Reading
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It was intended to be a rest day at the training camp, but the sun was shining, the birds were tweeting and we wanted to wear our best white road shoes. So we did and I enjoyed a 62kmh plus descent although otherwise it was more about enjoying being alive and enjoying the views, plus… Continue Reading
