I have been riding my Mountain bike here for a month (can’t believe it has been that long!), and I am happy to report….. It is great and getting better.
The first day or 2 were interesting, trying to find my way through the forest out back of where I live. The forest is thick and there is no flat terrain - you go up or down, and even riding across always still seems to be up or down. The forest is a maze of fire roads and tracks which they all twist and turn. So after my first couple of rides I said “That’s it” and ordered the German maps for my Garmin Dakota.
Once the maps arrived, everything seemed to open up. I was then able to link up all sorts of different ways and found walking routes as well as Nordic Walking tracks.
Oh I have to say…. Nordic walking is funny to watch! It is Wise Walking with Sticks! There are wonderful notice boards telling you how to do it with pictures and, of course as with everything here, you can also go to classes and learn how to do it in a group! Then they have set up Nordic walking tracks because you couldn’t just use the normal tracks! No you have to have special signs to follow!!! Germany is so great for that.
Back to riding…. I have ridden here in fine weather, rain, and snow and I have to say at this point the Maxxis Mimo tyres Rock! They have done everything so well! Riding is snow is interestin to say the leasdt. Snow has more grip then I thought it would and so is really hard to bike though. This is the only place I have ever gone down hill in my little chain ring!
On Sunday I went for a ride with the Miltenberg Cycling Club. It was their Christmas ride and was a lot of fun. I am sure if I had known German I would have felt very welcome and a lot of people really tried to talk to me. It was nice. We headed to an area I hadn’t found yet and it was wicked! Some nice single track, great climbs, nice descents….. and then I heard that if you know where to look you can find even better single track. And the Mountain bikers from the club go every weekend and do a decent ride, normally over a 1000 metres of climbing per ride. Now that sounds like fun!
Of course I have also been out riding my little road bike…. And it is cold! Oh, so very Cold. On Saturday I was riding in -4. I have everything covered and only after about 20 mins did I start to warm up. I had a lot of clothing and it was so very slow….. In the cold air it makes you really work. Plus I was riding on the bike path to the next town and it is 10km. At about 8.5km the path went from being cleared of snow to being completely covered…. I thought “what the hell”…… There was a sign saying no bikes past here….. There is no way to get back to the road and to turn around means you have to ride 4km to get to the road….. So I rode where I was not meant to. For about 800m on snow with road tyres…… Fun….. Plus I should say it was icy snow, which has a little more grip then pure ice, a little…… Finally got to the road, it was at this point I realised why the path clearing had stopped….. The State changed, so instead of clearing the path for another 1.5km they stop and turn around, I will take a photo when I am brave enough to go back.
I have to say in summer the Road Cycling is amazing in this area but in the winter (or at least this winter. I have been told this is meant to be the 100 year winter) it is too cold. Mountain biking here is amazing and once I get a little more insider knowledge I am sure I will not want to stop!
Cam
