Perhaps you recall my most recent adventure, a ride across Minnesota in a Quest XS velomobile.  If you don't, you should catch up here It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon... - CycleBlaze (there are now videos for each day, too.)  It was hot, sweaty, the trails were in terrible shape, and I was silly enough to try camping.  That was my first tour with a velomobile and also the first real camping tour.  What did I learn from that tour?  First, I don't hate camping, but I really hate the weight of camping gear and the time it takes to pack it all up.  Second, if you're going to camp, make sure you check your 15 year old air mattress for leaks before embarking on a tour.  Third, if you're riding in the heat, choose a velomobile with good airflow.  Fourth, never try to ride a velomobile through the cycle hating city of St Cloud, MN. 

Taking those aforementioned lessons in mind and factoring in the fact that I have put less than 200 miles on a recumbent or any other bike since acquiring a velomobile, I decided what better way to see my favorite parts of Europe than by velomobile.  Taking into account the weight of camping gear, it's back to those quaint little guesthouses with their nice german breakfasts, cozy duvets, bathrooms, and power outlets.  I will be packing quite light, having perfected that art on previous trips with my trusty recumbent.  To address the airflow issue, I have upgraded to the latest and greatest velomobile (more about that in another post).  It was a good thing I did, too, because the velombile featured in my fall tour was hit by a car end of March.  The driver blew through a stop sign at 30mph, never having bothered to notice that he was crossing a street with traffic, smashing into the front of my Quest (and no, his view of me wasn't blocked by the snowbank.  He just wasn't looking period as he never slowed to a speed that would have given him a clear view in either direction of the road.)  I survived the crash with a case of whiplash and some bumps and bruises.  The Quest was a total loss.  Had I been riding my recumbent, I'm quite certain I would not be preparing for a cycle tour in Bavaria.  I'm not sure at that speed if I'd be preparing for anything ever again.

I've chosen to revisit some of my favorite areas.  I'll start in Munich at the airport and cut cross-country to Wasserburg am Inn, down along the north side of the Chiemsee, and then along the Bodensee-Koenigsee Radweg to Bad Reichenhall.  From there I'll follow the Tauern Radweg down to Zell am See and then continue along the Tauern Radweg to Salzburg where I'll cut down to Berchtesgaden for a couple days of hiking.  Then I follow roughly the same route back to the Munich airport where I will assist another velomobile rider in attempting to get a velomobile onto a flight as checked luggage (in theory the airline claims this is not allowed, but people have managed to get it through with Condor in the past. We do have a backup plan if Condor refuses to check the velomobile.)  From Munich it's down the Isar to the Starnbergersee and Ammersee, over to Immenstadt, and then sort of along the Iller Radweg to Ulm where I'll pick up the Donau Radweg as far as Ingolstadt and then cut back to the airport.  I won't always be following an official Radweg.  Velomobiles don't like gravel and sometimes busy bike paths are ill-advised.  That means I'm sticking to quiet roads as much as possible and only using bike paths and gravel when it would mean I could avoid busy roads.  I'm also trying to avoid riding through cities.  In fact, the less people I encounter the better.  Being the center of photographic journalism does get old after several hours a day of it.

Why a velomobile though?  Well, I won't get wet from rain, I don't have to mess with packing up panniers and digging through them to find stuff, it's waaaayyyyyyy faster than any recumbent, it's substantially more visible thanks to the large size and bright lights, and, God forbid, should I get hit again by a car, I'm far less likely to be seriously injured.  But mostly, it's just plain fun.  Oh, and rain becomes a minor annoyance rather than a tour ender.  In the velomobile I'll be nicely protected from the rain.  In fact, the race hood for mine will come with a nifty windshield wiper.  I kid you not. The only drawback is the aforementioned potential issue with getting it home after the tour.  I do have a very nice velomobile at home, but thanks to a generous insurance settlement from the Quest, the opportunity presented itself to procure a second velomobile.  

So, that's the plan.  It rarely goes how I plan it to go.  There will be challenges, frustrations, moments when I swear I won't do certain things again.  It's all part of the experience.  Be prepared for me to complain about how unpleasant riding up hills will be.  At least with the velomobile I don't have to worry about tipping over when my legs die before I can get my feet unclipped from the pedals.  Every cloud has a silver lining, eh?