Day 1: Let's go to Bispingen

By 9:30 a.m. everything was packed and on the bikes. The neighbors said goodbye to us and were on their way to the children's flea market with two handcarts and a children's tractor team. Judging by the load, it looks like a long journey.

At the Tarpenbek we drive to the Outer Alster, where the first athletes are preparing for the Ironman competition taking place tomorrow and are slipping into their wetsuits for swimming or overtaking us with their racing machines.

At the Dritt-Elbtower we head towards Wilhelmsburg-Harburg-Buchholz. After leaving Hamburg behind us we take our first short break with a view back.

Before Buchholz we turn into the Lüneburg Heath in bright sunshine. Beautiful scenery, but some of the paths are still soft from the last few days of rain. Cycling with loaded bikes requires a certain amount of attention, especially as the lanes on some stretches are only 30 cm wide.

As we leave the Lüneburg Heath in the south, we have our first fall. Maria's bike lands in the mud on the right side. It's all OK, but the front pocket has a hole in it and the panniers look like shit. :) 2 km later we're at the campsite in Bispingen. We clean the bags, adjust the handlebars, set up camp and eat a delicious meal.

A great start to our tour.