Via the vineyard

The temptation was waiting at kilometer 90, just behind the village of Nierstein near the town of Mainz. Once again I was on a diversion (this time, for a change, exemplary signposted) and had driven for a while through vineyards. In the villages I had seen a lot of people sitting comfortably in “Strausses”  drinking new wine and eating onion tart. The sun was shining and I thought: If I would not try to ride as many kilometers as possible for “School up! River down!”, I would now for sure take the time to set in. I remained hard and continued cycling with my folding bike. Behind Nierstein, below the “Red Slope” – named after its clay sandstone ground and known for its excellent Riesling wines – about 30 people blocked the bike path.

Wrong direction

Serving of wine in Mainz

As I wriggled through, I realized the reason for the blockade: winemakers served their wine for free. “Do you also want to drink a glass?”, one of them asked me. I had to think of Abdel-Kader Zaaf. The Algerian professional cyclist had drunken wine during a stage of the Tour de France in 1950, had laid down under a tree to cure his hangover and, after waking up, had driven in the wrong direction. So I declined the friendly offer. Later in Mainz, I passed another serving of wine, but this time the temptation was not so great. After all, I had driven at that point 111 kilometers and wanted to go on for another one or two hours.

One week on the road

This rain front passed me

Nine and a half hours after the departure in Altrip near Ludwigshafen, I stopped exhausted in Bingen am Rhein. The look at the odometer compensated me for the hardship: today 149 kilometers. I would never have done the last sixty kilometers if I had succumbed to the temptation behind Nierstein. Then I would probably have laid down as Abdel-Kader Zaaf once did – and like him would have later driven back. For a week I am now en route along the Rhine for “School up! River down!”. The result: a total of 868 kilometers, so far no noticeable breakdown (the chain jumped off twice, but that does not count), and I also remained without any falls. I wouldn’t mind if things continued like this. Tomorrow in the direction of my hometown Cologne.

Departure in morning fog

I will sleep well, no matter how loud it is. “I have to warn you,” said the hotel staff at the front desk. “We have three wedding parties today, and music might be played until 6 a.m.” The hotel in the village of Altrip, located on the so-called “Blue Lagoon” about 15 kilometers from the gates of Ludwigshafen, specializes in the align of weddings. On the other hand, it also offers a special discount for bike tourists. Exemplary! And so I stood around 6 p.m. in my bike pants in the hotel lobby, a few meters away from me one of the three brides – and many guests who were dressed up. “Don’t worry,” I answered to the receptionist. “I’m all run down, I’ll sleep like a stone.”

Dead end

Idyll near the Murg estuary

Another 130 kilometers are in my bones. This morning, Ralf Dujmovits brought me and my folding bike back to the spot on the Rhine near Söllingen, where I had finished yesterday’s stage of “School up! River down!” By noon, I had – now almost obligatory – once more lost my way. I followed a bike path sign, which obviously did not belong to the official Rhine bike tour – and suddenly I stood in front of the Murg, a tributary of the Rhine, without a bridge at that point. So I had to drive almost two kilometers inland to get back on the right track.

When father and son get lost

Shared path

In Karlsruhe I had arranged to meet my son Jan, who is temporarily working in the town of Stuttgart and wanted to accompany me for a while. We found ourselves, but then not the right way. We followed a bicycle sign, which led us to a pebbly path right on the Rhine, which was almost impossible to drive with a loaded bike. Not enough, we landed in an industrial area from which there was only one way out: back. We lost three quarters of an hour. After this misfortune we decided to switch to the other side of the Rhine which Jan had already rode by bike. A wise decision. Here we could roll comfortably. Asphalted and well signposted paths. No wind and only a short rain shower, the end of which we could wait for.

Achilles says hello

At the gates of Speyer

In the late afternoon our paths separated in Speyer. Jan drove back to Stuttgart by train, while I decided to continue cycling a bit further to the north at a moderate speed. After nine hours on the saddle, I decided to finish today’s stage. I could hardly have driven much further. Climbing stairs does not work so well, my Achilles tendons are stressed by the constant pedaling. My calves anyway. But otherwise I’m fine. Tomorrow morning, the next stage along the Rhine towards the town of Mainz is waiting for me. After a deep sleep, no matter how loud the three wedding companies may be. Let them celebrate!