August 6, 2024
To Landsberg am Lech
Over dinner last night (it was a lovely birthday meal at an Indian restaurant, thanks, with a couple of girlie drinks for me), we discussed today's ride. There was some apprehension. The weather apps told me that, after a cool morning, temperatures would rise into the late 20s and we would be climbing all day to Landsberg am Lech, 90 km away. So we came up with Plan B, to be enacted if it looked as though one of us (hello!) began to melt into a puddle by the side of the road. Making it to Augsberg, around the halfway point, would give us the option of catching a regional train to not far short of our destination.
Having that safety net sorted obviously helped us to sleep too well. We wake after 7am but - in what is now a practised morning routine - we're packed, breakfasted and loaded onto our bikes ready to roll exactly at 8am.
The cool morning air is a tonic after our night in a stuffy attic room and we are soon into the rhythm of riding. Today, we farewell the Danube and hook up with the Lech as we head directly south towards Austria. The kilometres tick over smoothly and in no time, we're on the outskirts of Augsburg looking for coffee. Plan B will not be required.
When a bäckerie turns up, we say yes. I regret this once inside though. While waiting to be served, I notice about a dozen wasps inside the cabinet, trying to burrow into the sweet pastries. I find myself swatting at the glass, as if that will send them packing. No one else seems concerned. Once outside, we both pull our pastries apart before washing them down with dodgy coffee and saddling up.
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3 months ago
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We're really enjoying this ride, so aim to get through a few more km before stopping for lunch. Does anyone else suffer from post-lunch lethargy? It's definitely a thing, especially for retired people used to a wee siesta . . .
Dead on the 60km mark, the perfect lunch spot turns up. It's a shrine to St Joseph, to whom we are suitably thankful, and with an expansive view of maize.
The afternoon segment of the ride is helped by the consistency of the gradient and also by a change in the landscape. As the day heats up, we often find ourselves riding on shaded forest tracks. It's not just today; we have been pleasantly surprised by our experience in Germany. Yes, there have been some urban experiences but time and again, we find ourselves back amongst the maize, sunflowers and brassicas in the countryside, or - even better - in the woods. What a fantastic network of cycle trails and paths this country has!
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The final stretch into Landsberg am Lech returns us to a mostly gravel river track for 10 or so km. We're joined by a father and young son who are returning to town after a day ride. Dad is very chatty, and reminds us that Landsberg am Lech is where Hitler was imprisoned after World War I - and where he wrote Mein Kampf.
Once we reach the turn-off to the town centre, they wave us goodbye and we find our own way to a very busy and attractive central pedestrian zone. Our hotel is smack bang in the middle of all this busyness. In no time, our bikes are sent to their cellar and we're free to enjoy the complimentary ice blocks, biscuits, lollies and coffee. The 'Art Hotel ANA Goggle' may make no sense as a name to my tidy language mind, but it has my highest recommendation (something to do with writing this journal in a comfy lounge, fuelled by three cups of coffee, four biscuits and an uncountable noun of lollies).
Today's ride: 92 km (57 miles)
Total: 674 km (419 miles)
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