Saturday, 17 June 2023
Alex writes: Breakfast in France, lunch in Germany, and supper in Switzerland. Today's ride was a busy one.
The first 40 km of the route were flat and, muttering something about coffee, Glyn again got on the front and we made swift progress to the German border. Thereafter things got rather lumpier as we entered the High Black Forest, and when we reached Kandern (56 km) we were ready for some sustenance.
Black Forest Gateau, as it turns out, is excellent climbing fuel and I enjoyed this morning's big climb over the Scheideck Pass (541m): smooth road surfaces, dappled Forest cover, and even grading made the time almost fly by. At the summit, four Rhinemaidens cheered us on. Then, more cycling on cycle paths. The quality of these in Germany was superb as they were wide, with top-quality surfaces and often total motor traffic segregation. At one point we emerged onto a plateau where a single church stood against the sky. A couple were in wedding outfits rehearsing for their big day and in the valley steerhorns sounded. It was all rather Wagnerian.
We completed our mini tour of the Black Forest with a long descent down to the Rhine.
Lunch was taken in Bad Sackingen, then it was just a matter of walking across the Holzbrücke Bad Säckingen to reach Switzerland.
The day was following the same weather pattern we've had every day, with the heat rising substantially in the afternoon, touching 38°C. I was regularly dousing myself in water and at a handy water trough, Glyn and I once again took the opportunity to demonstrate the versatility of the Shimano SD66 cleated sandal, surely the king of cycling footwear.
As we approached the hotel to end the day it was possible to glimpse the distant snow-capped Alps waiting for us tomorrow. We opted for a spicy Mexican supper in preparation for the challenge...
Word of the day: Monzo
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