5. 07/07/2017: Nuremberg, a safe haven after a hellish night

Garmin activity: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2247877741

108km, 5h36, 700hm

I woke up with the feeling of glad to be alive! That was one crazy night full of terror. It was still raining and we were mentally prepared to get soaked. We packed our bags and hit the bikes

The skies looked as if they would offer us more. So I put on my rain gear. 

Strangely enough it became very warm and I really needed to take off my clothes again. Cycling in this t shirt would be fine

Today's plan was to come as close to or even pass Nuremberg. We booked a tiny motel. No more thunder nights in the fields. Roger and I, we are done with that shit

As the weather improved we were able to digest yesterday's horror. It became a cycling trip again

A tiny creek called Aisch

If I can survive a thunderstorm, nothing will stop me from reaching Bishkek in the end of October.

Cycling infrastructure in Germany

The good part about that weather change was that the temperature dropped. From scorching hot to bearable and even pleasant

5th day of cycling in Europe for Roger. 

No lack of hills today, I was sweating and working out

The first five days we were on schedule, no major delays

I explained Roger some German, unter means under and ober means over. So unter means going downhill from here

It turned out to be a lovely weather day, score!

To make things even better, we had cycling trails for the next 35km, all the way to Nure;berg. Excellent stuff!

We stopped at a store to buy supplies and then

we met this pack of funny yougnsters. These 11 year olds knew a lot about the female body hehe

The small towns right before Nuremberg

Roger in Germany

Some sandy roads as well

These roads were relaxing and gave us some wonderful views

Nurnberg city

The route we were taking is similar to the A3 Autobahn I have driven so many times. Regensburg will be tomorrow's stop and Prag is already indicated on the signs as wel. This trip is progressing

In the absence of a decent pump, I found it wise to have our tires pumped up in a bike shop

We had a dinner very close to the motel we rented. We made use of this opportunity to wash some clothes and charge devices. 5 days on the road and well over 600 km done.

4. 06/07/2017: Riedenheim, a scary thunder and lightning night to remember forever

Garmin Activity: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2247877683

112km, 6h10, 1478km

We woke up extremely early around 5:22 and headed out

While packing my stuff, I realized my bike pump was broken. We were now without a way of fixing a flat

The camp site was beautiful though

The day began with brutal climbs. We climbed 1500 meters in total, quite a lot

Feeling it right from the start

Roger approaching

This hilly section took us to a town called Michelstadt

Impeccable road conditions in Germany. Best not to get used to them too much

After some 25 km of pedaling it was time for a good breakfast. We stopped at this 300 year old bakery. Very delicious stuff

Traditional German houses

Clear blue skies in the middle of the summer

Worms, a name I know well from history. Michelstadt along 47 was our goal

We stopped for drinks at this supermarket and I had a flat tire all of the sudden. Luckily there was a gas station across the street where we could pump the tire. This could have been a lot worse...

Another long climb to 500m and down again. We cycled to Amorsbach and Wurzburg

It was very warm, around 35 degrees before noon. Sizzling hot even

Bundesland Baden-Wurtenberg

The next steep climb up. We were getting a serious workout

Man this is hot and hilly. And both my bike and myself are way too heavy!

Roger is exploring Germany by bike! And for me it is the 5th time cycling across Germany

During the day we took a 3 hour break near a public pool. It was 37 degrees and I took a nap. It was way too hot to be cycling. We only continued at 16:00

The city of Tauberbischofsheim

We were a bit behind schedule for the day because of that very long break. Today we would be aiming at just 100 km.

4th day of the ride in central Germany

In the afternoon the clear blue skies disappeared and clouds began to shape. Little did we know it would be THAT BAD. We continued as far as we could in daylight

We were still cycling at 20:00 and we made plans for finding a camp spot already.

The map left us little choice: we would spend the night at Riedenheim, a small place south of Wurzburg. During the last few kilometers of today's ride, it began raining softly

It was the beginning of a thunderstorm but we had no clue. We visited the town center of Riedenheim for a small restaurant or motel but nothing was there. So we continued even further....

Right outside of the town center, there was a big road with fields on both sides. Roger and I decided to camp on the left side behind the trees. By the time we were in the tents and everything was set up, it began raining hard. It was good to be inside the tent that kept us dry.

We fell asleep but at 23:30 we were suddenly shocked by a loud thunderstorm right above us. Those were some scary moments but after 40 minutes it passed. We managed to fall asleep again.

But at 2.48 we woke up again, this time by an extremely loud bang of a lightning that struck not far from us. Everything was white and my heart was beating like crazy. At that moment I was sure I was gonna die. So happy I made it out of there alive.

We had already decided that we would find a place to sleep the next day.