Day 1 - Aichach to Fürstenfeldbruck - And All the Bear Could See Was the Other Side of the Mountain

May 27, 2024

Day 1 - Aichach to Fürstenfeldbruck

Did I mention the weather?

I’m never sure if I should call this day 1, or day 1 & 2. My flight left Sunday morning and deposited me 30 minutes early in München Monday morning. For some inexplicable reason my initial flight to Detroit asked the last group of people boarding to gate check their carry on luggage. Claimed the bins were full, which oddly they definitely weren’t. That meant my carry on got checked all the way through to München where I wasted time standing around for my bag. I quickly dispensed off my tasks of buying a SIM card and visiting the bakery and headed for the train.

Not only did I make the earlier of my target train options, but i was able to take an even earlier version of the first train to Pasing, a mercy given that the actual intended first train arrived quite late. The connection to Augsburg was packed, but the third train of the trip was virtually empty. My friend Johann from HoVelo brought his Rickschah to pick me up. I got to see his great store and new workshop. We did a couple little projects together, and then we got busy prepping my bike.

The day was running well ahead of schedule when we got to the bike, and it was a good thing because between all the chatting and prep work on the bike, we didn’t finish up until after 7pm. Markus from Augsburg, who I met last summer, came over to ride partway to my hotel with me. The weather all day was quite pleasant. Until the evening. Maybe 10 miles into the 35 mile ride it started raining. The initial sprinkle turned into an outright deluge at one point. I fully confess I regretted not having a race hood at that moment, complete with mini wiper blade, but I did at least have the foam cover that kept all but my head dry and warm. Around mile 17 we pulled into a gas station to wait out the worst of the rain.

Did you know gas stations are where the cool dudes in da hood hang out? I didn’t, but now I do. They bring their sporty cars and hang out at the pump. The extra cool ones light up a cigarette as they pump their gas. It’s been awhile since I last patronized a gas station, given that I mainly bike everywhere. I’ve never patronized a gas station in Germany before, so I got a valuable cultural experience while Markus and I waited for the rain to let up a bit.

The gas station, where the cool dudes abide

It was after 9pm and dark before we resumed, Markus heading home, and me heading the final miles to my hotel. Once Markus departed my average speed dropped quite a bit. No more incentive to push it. I was also getting pretty cold and tired. Pedaling did have the advantage of warming me back up. My B&M IQ-X headlight was sufficient to light the road ahead of me. I made a few wrong turns along the way, and got to take advantage of the small turning circle of the Bülk Urban. I also thoroughly tested how well it behaves in rain. After several very miserable trips riding in the rain kn a traditional recumbent, it was sreally nice to be warm and dry inside my bike.

I arrived at my hotel around 10:30pm. They left a key for me in the lock box with instructions to park in the underground parking. My bike got the most posh parking space it has ever gotten. My hotel room was very nice, clean, and modern. I had a nice hot shower and climbed into bed to write the blog. I got barely two paragraphs in before I fell asleep.

Big thanks to Johann for all his help with the bike and to Markus for patiently waiting for me to be ready to ride and for guiding me part of the way to my hotel. And of course thanks to Jan and Viktor at Velomobile World for building a bike for me to go adventuring with.

Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 35 miles (56 km)

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Kelly IniguezThis is a new veto for you? How does it ship home at the end of the tour?

I'm following along with interest. It's a shame you got wet on your very first ride. But, you got it out of the way!
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6 months ago

Ben ParkeTo Kelly IniguezThis Velo stays here. My friend Johann already has a buyer lined up for it. I shipped the one from last year home with me as checked luggage with Lufthansa. Technically you can do it, but I would not do it again. I already have Urban serial #1 at home and will likely sell it on a couple months and get one of the new production models. They’ll be making some excellent improvements based off the info I gather from this trip. While theoretically this is a vacation, it’s just as much sole intensive testing of the new model.

Spoiler: looks like rain is projected every day for the foreseeable future. I may need to dig the foam cover out more often than not. I regret not bringing the remote with for my GoPro.
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6 months ago

Kelly IniguezTo Ben ParkeI think there could be a nice market for renting velos while visiting Europe. I don't suppose that is a publicly offered option?
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6 months ago

Ben ParkeTo Kelly IniguezI’m sure there is some sort of market for velomobile rental. At one point there was a dealer in Switzerland offering rentals. The challenges renting would be first the price to acquire a rental fleet for the dealer. Then there is some learning curve for inexperienced riders. They pick up considerable speed very quickly. There is tip potential when cornering, lower ground clearance than most are used to. If riding bike paths you need to know how to prepare for tight corners so you don’t run out of space. But the biggest drawback is that while you can put a well-built bike through the wringer, a full carbon or fiberglass velomobile does require a certain degree of care to avoid cracks and damage to the shell. My guess is that’s the main reason you don’t see rentals. In my case I’ve been fortunate to be able to turn around and sell the velo i ride on my trip, but I’m fortunate to have connections in the right places. And a prominent velomobile YouTube channel.
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6 months ago

Rachael AndersonI’m glad you made it okay! That’s a long ride to do after the flight, especially in bad weather.
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6 months ago

Ben ParkeTo Rachael AndersonI wish I could say it was the only ride I did in bad weather. So far, it is at least the longest ride in bad weather. The heavy rain lasted about na hour yesterday. More is on the way.
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6 months ago