Tag 1: Krefeld-Bad Laer

Nerve-wracking!

The first tour started off hardcore with over 160 km (!) on the first day!

But that was unintentional; more on that later.

Let me start from the beginning. It actually started yesterday when my front derailleur (the thing that moves the chain up and down the chainring) broke during the check-up. Being a handyman, I tried to fix the problem myself. Without success, so now the shift cable (which makes the derailleur work properly) was also broken.

So, I went to the bike shop at 7:30 in the morning, where at least the derailleur started working properly again. I will probably have the shift cable replaced in Bremen.

Then we set off at 8 o'clock sharp towards Duisburg/Oberhausen/Gelsenkirchen in constant rain. The first break in Bottrop also brought the next shock. The bike bag broke off. It was hanging by a thread. Should have left my computer at home. Just kidding, 6 liters of drinks, about 7 kg of raw meat (just kidding, groceries), and the 2 kg heavy lock were probably too much. Unfortunately, the other bag was four times lighter.

Well, with the fear of losing my beloved food every second, I continued towards Datteln and Lüdenscheid. You should cross over 7 bridges, they said. Between Datteln and Olfen, however, I had to realize that not only the bridge was closed, but also a detour of at least 6 kilometers was the consequence. Filled with anger, I took a lunch break to recharge my energy. And then, the sun came out and despite the lack of cultural highlights, it was a pleasant ride. In Münster, I finally found a proper bike bag after a fruitless search. Problem 1 solved. I continued on the beautiful bike promenade towards Bad Laer. The last 20 kilometers before the destination, there were actually no cars or houses to be seen, which made it easier for me to pick up the pace again, which I had lost until then. At 18:30, the moment finally arrived and I could jump into the pool. Due to the low number of guests, I even had it all to myself for a short time. I quickly grabbed a bite to eat in town and then fell into bed.

Tomorrow, hopefully with fewer complications, off to Bremen. Probably about 140 km on top.

See you tomorrow! Greetings Florian