July 25, 2024
To La Petite Pierre.
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Unlike yesterday, today I promised Sue around 70 kms, and I can honestly say, my nose did not grow.
Today was a two-fer of a ride today, almost entirely cut in half with two distinct experiences as you can see from the elevation profile in the map above. Not only that, the middle of our ride also coincidentally straddles the border of Germany and France.
Breakfast was served at 6:30 this morning, and we were seated not long after that and we indulged in the usual selection of the incredible breakfast spreads that we have experienced here in Germany. We can honestly say we're getting spoiled.
Before heading off today, the chains needed some attention so I spent some time cleaning and lubing; and all cyclists know the feeling of a clean drive train. It really makes all the difference.
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3 months ago
We stayed at the Premier Inn in Saarbrucken. This was a perfect place to spend the night. It was close to the Altstadt and only about 100 meters from the Saar cycle path which we would continue along today. Having been all packed up, we were on our way with the same easy river miles we have been riding along for the last 3o0 kms. No steep leg-breaking hills first thing in the morning. Just spinning the legs and moving along the river with the morning sun casting long shadows through the riverside parks as we headed out. A nice way to begin the day.
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Unbeknownst to us, about 8kms into today's ride we bid a Tschüss to Germany and a Bonjour to France. There were no border markers, no signs, and no border patrol checkpoints to cross like there would have been before the EU; we just noticed that the signs we saw were all in French now, and the Saar now became the Saare. But, all along the borderlands here, a 'guten morgan' is as good as a 'bonjour'.
At Sarreguemines, the Saar split into two. One part of the Saar became the human made canal whose course was elevated above the actual river. It was strange to be cycling along the hemmed in canal high above the actual Saar flowing several meters below us on our left. This kind of remined us of cycling along the Adige canal into Verona in 2022.
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We have been following the Saar upriver towards its headwaters since Saarburg and we have noticed it evolve from a large and wide slow moving river, to a narrower body of water more akin to a large stream.
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The back-half of today's ride had a very different character from the front half, and it all began when we bid adieu to the the Saar at Herbitzheim. No longer were we on flat river side paths. Instead, we began our journey into the rolling terrain of the Northern Vosges region and the first climbs of the tour began.
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We both admit that it was nice to wake up the legs and get away from river cruising, and we relied on RideWithGPS for today's route to La Petite Pierre. Soon after leaving the Saar, we were led into the UNESCO Northern Vosges Natural Area and onto excellent gravel roads that wound its way through old oak and beech forests. These were the best miles of the day and we rode for dozens of kilometers through the rolling terrain of this incredible natural area on peaceful gravel roads.
Generally speaking we've had good success with using RideWithGPS, but I also recommend you doing your research and spend some time scrutinizing the routes they give you. Needless to say, I did not do that, and we were thrown onto some very questionable paths where a mountain bike might have been a better tool than a loaded touring bike.
At one point, RideWithGPS led us down a route that gradually deteriorated from a gravel path, to a faint and muddy farmer's tractor path, to something that became questionable about what it was. Like a gambler that goes all in, we found ourselves in a place where we both decided that we were too far into this mess to turn around, so we kept pressing on hoping that the route improved. We skirted through mud, large rocks, tall grass, and followed faint trails, hoping that they would lead us to some kind of road. Throughout all of this, Sue rode like a champ and her years of experience cycling through a diversity of terrain really showed. Eventually, we popped out on asphalt, and breathed a sigh of relief.
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So. We made it to La Petite Pierre. It's a stunning little village in an equally stunning location perched high above a forested valley. But, we'll save showing La Petite Pierre for the next post. Time for some food, laundry and writing this journal.
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As I sit and write today's entry, I'll briefly mention that Sue has kindly washed our cycle kits, and we have the most incredible room over looking the valley below.
Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles)
Total: 517 km (321 miles)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
A comment on your routing issues this day and the motorway misery after Basel: take a look at cycle.travel! Why not ask it for route suggestions along those stretches where RWGPS failed to deliver? If you compare what c.t suggests with what RWGPS tricked you into following, I'm pretty convinced you'll be convinced.
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