Uffenheim to Leutershausen

July 25, 2012

I slept soundly, not always the case. Often I felt I had spent the night in a fight with my pillow. Typical in German hotels is an over-dimensioned soft pillow that wraps itself around your head as if it wanted to suffocate you. I know this is all very subjective, each to his own pillow, but I prefer flat, firm ones. This time I used a bag of clothes to rest my head which was a good solution. The hotel breakfast was of the finest and this was one of the more moderately priced hotels of the trip, 52 € with breakfast.

It was again very hot and we had rolling countryside and a few hills until we reached Burgbernheim. Then came the steepest climb of our trip, actually of the past two years.

We knew we still had to cross those hills ahead.

At the onset of the climb, the sign read 15%, but that was the average grade, I'm sure parts were even more. I couldn't believe it, it kept getting steeper and steeper and no end in sight. I shifted down to the lowest gear, probably not the solution since my input determines the amount of support I get from the motor. Even at level four, the highest, I wasn't getting enough support to continue pedalling and had to get off and push! I had to push my e-bike and that thing is heavy. I pushed 20 steps and rested. Pushed 20 steps and rested. And the sweat poured off. I was ahead of Janos and waited at the top. When he caught up, he said the same happened to him. And now his battery was 3/4 empty after only 25 km into the day.

At the top - I blurred the picture so you can't see how kaputt I looked.

I didn't take any pictures on the hill. It was all trees and road and a photo never shows how steep it is. We were now at the watershed between the Rhein and Danube.

Janos is demonstrating the watershed - one bottle to the Rhein, one to the Danube.

Map illustrating our location and the course of the European watershed

No great descent followed this climb, we remained at about the same altitude for the rest of the day. We cycled past the source of the Altmühl and had some not too interesting roads, no towns and no places to shop or eat, until we reached Leutershausen.

In Leutershausen there wasn't much open, either, but we were able to pick up something at a bakery. We were hot and tired and I had a sunburn on my thighs which had now seen the first sun of the trip. I don't know which one of us suggested that we make it a short day and stay in Leutershausen, but we agreed instantly. We found a pleasant little hotel at the end of the main street and spent a restful and cool afternoon and evening, mostly in our room.

Today's ride: 38 km (24 miles)
Total: 985 km (612 miles)

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