Garmin Activity: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2247877870
158km, 9h04, 1803hm
We woke up early and packed up. We started pedaling before 07.00 o clock
We would follow the Donau cycling path first until Deggendorf and then we would see what we would do
Passau - Linz - Wien or Cesky Krumlov - Wien were the two options
The weather wouldn't be the obstacle for us
Bart and Roger are at it again
On an early Sunday morning these trails were even more tranquil
We stopped at this church for our breakfast.
Around 20km bagged in already
If all goes well, today would mean leaving Germany after a week of pedaling
Deggendorf... the entire road there was flat like a pancake and we progressed well
Roger was in the mood for cycling
District Deggendorf
Some clouds in the sky all of the sudden... Rain after all?
It was still very early when we arrived in Deggendorf and we had a second breakfast in a bakery. We took the map and discussed our next move. We decided for the segment through Czech republic and Cesky Krumlov
Bart touches base in Deggendorf city
We decided to go to Czechia but that was another 78 km. Having already cycled 80, that was quite a task. Moreover, there would be a lot of climbing ahead of us. We had to march on if we wanted to do this thing
Route 533 was the very long connection from Deggendorf, away from the Donau, into the Bayrischer Wald, with high elevation, which would lead the way to Czechia. Seeing Prague indicated on these signs filled me with excitement. Freyung was the town we were heading for
The road went up very gently at first. We left the Donau elevation and climbed up to 200+
I disliked the fact that there was no designated bike path. In heavy traffic this was kinda stressy
That road climbed all the way up to a summit of 600+ meters.
Then we descended again. Little did we know how much more climbing we had to do
It went up and down all the time, but more up than down. Thanks Roger for this nice picture
A steep descent followed that connected back to 533, only to go back up again. Sigh...
This area is called the Bavaria forest and it is quite stunning. It reminded me of my previous conquests of Germany and Czechia
These tiny roads were so quite, but the 16% gradients made them very tough
Bart biking in Bavaria
It was very warm and we were climbing extensively. Already more than 100 km done and less than 50 km until Czech Republic. We will make this today!
Tiny, twisty and steep streets here
The climbs started being insane, going up and down all the time with 18%.
We could not keep cycling like this for another 47 km. We needed a better solution
I stopped here because this specific climb was ridiculous with 18%. I needed to use the granny gear on my bike and get out of the saddle. Even then it was a combination of technique and physique to keep steady on the bike. This was a lot of hard work! Roger was behind me and I waited for him at every summit.
Say what you want, but these idyllic roads were a delight to witness
Freyung seemed like the other side of the world for us, we did not make any progress with this constant climbing.
This face shows some signs of fatigue after a full week of hilly cycling on a heavy bike
Picturesque little town
Time elapsed and we slowly advanced. Daylight was slowly fading away already. We were on schedule to arrive in Czechia today but it needed all of our efforts. The dominant feeling was that this has been an absolutely beautiful day.
Roger making his way through this Bavarian madness
7.5 km until the border of Germany and Czechia. We were at 800m here and we climbed all the way to 984. Then we dropped until the border. After a whole day of laboring, these last meters were heavy...
The absolute summit of the day at nearly 1000 meters. We descended and completed Germany
The last km in Germany
Country nr 4: The Czech Republic. In one week time we have done 900km and 4 countries. Today we climbed 1800 meters, a record for this bike.
We cycled to the first town for a descent meal, only to realize that our motel was right at the border. So we had to head back those 3km. It was dark when we arrived and we had no issues falling asleep. We were devastated hehe.
South Bohemia province, district Prachatice.
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