August 9, 2019
A perfect day on the Rhine
Konstanz, Germany to Stein am Rhein, Switzerland
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
The weather could not have been more perfect this morning for a day on the bike. I left Konstanz and headed to Stein am Rhein. I found my first negatives for our tour provider, Radweg Reisen. The Konstanz city map with the route marked was not detailed enough. There were two confusing turns where the map and trail signs led us off course. Fortunate enough, a local walking observed our confused state and stepped up to set us on course. It would be much easier to follow the route if I had a GPX file of the route. A simpler solution would be to have maps of confusing trail intersections and turns.
| Heart | 3 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Not much time was lost finding my way out of Konstanz. We were soon cycling onto Reichanau Island. This was an amazingly beautiful island to cycle around. Our first stop was a fruit and vegetable market with a bakery and coffee shop. I can't resist a morning stop for a coffee. The island was full of farms an greenhouses. Farmers and residents had tables of fruit and vegetables for sale on the roadside.
This tour included a ferry ride off the island to Gaienhofen where we continued to cycle through small villages on route to Stein am Rhein. The route was mostly on quiet roads and cycle paths with an occasional hill. I crossed into Switzerland just before reaching Stein am Rhein. What a lovely ride .
Stein am Rhein is quite a town. It was crowded with tourists this afternoon but became quieter this evening. The streets are beautiful with colorful Germanic architecture. One noticeable thing was the prices for dining in Stein am Rhein. It is considerably more than Konstanz. I am not sure if that is because we are now in Switzerland or in a tourist resort. I found good reasonable meals by wandering off the main tourist path.
Today's ride was 21 miles. That is so much shorter than my typical 45-60 mile day of touring. The interesting thing is that I loved the day and experiences. I worried about short mileage days when booking this tour. Just recently my touring pal Greg was reflecting on the fact that less emphasis should be placed on mileage and more on the touring experience. He was correct when he says touring ceases to be a tour when you are constraining yourself to get from point to point be in a certain mileage range. Today was a lesson learned that the miles were low but the experience was high.
I promised to talk about my tour bike setup. The bike itself rides nicely, I am not used to a more upright cycling position but found it comfortable. The bike is heavy but moves well. The shifting is suitable. I do like indexed shifters. I had a slight gearing problem today, but I believe it is largely from my unfamiliarity with the bike.
The touring setup is nice. The handlebar bag is large with a waterproof map compartment. It has several zippered pouches. I was able to store my daily touring needs in it easily. The pannier is waterproof and quite large. I stored my jacket, tool kit, small laptop and notebook easily in it.
The bike has a generator hub that powers a headlight and taillight for safety. There is also a frame pump attached to the rear rack. The rear rack firmly holds the pannier and included a top rack with a spring loaded holder. These are nice accessories to have on tour. I am pretty satisfied with the bike to date. The only fail is the absence of a water bottle holder.
Tomorrow I am off on a round-trip to Schaffhausen and Rhenfalls. Weather is looking quite good tomorrow, a repeat of today.
Today's ride: 21 miles (34 km)
Total: 26 miles (42 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 5 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |