Day 6 - Deidesheim to Wiesbaden
The morning
The first long one today, want to be on the road by 8am-ish, it’ll probably take me 2h longer than the usual 4.5h. I need to pace myself. I can really feel the multi-day load. Looks like there will be some rain passing through today with temperatures in the high 10s. But first breakfast. After the dinner last night, my appetite for an extensive breakfast was limited, so the usual Kafi & Gipfeli (aka Swiss Breakfast) was the way to go.
The ride
The much anticipated long ride turned out to be a rather short one unfortunately, due to a thunderstorm moving through my path, so instead of going 106k, I ended up with 51k. Overall not the worst thing from a fitness and endurance point of view, due to the limited ride, my legs are feeling much better.
But the ride. Very diverse, it started out in a vineyard area in the Northern Vosges, in Germany called the Pfälzer Wald. From there it went straight to the city known only for the biggest chemical plant in the world, the city being Ludwigshafen am Rhein and the plant BASF of course. The difference within those 20 or so km could not be more stark.
For me, Ludwigshafen has a different meaning though. My whole family comes from here and there are mixed memories. I think it is the most ugly city in Germany but of course I have nice early childhood memories with grandparents and other family members.
On this ride, I kept my visit brief. Direct route back to EV15 via Oppenheim and Oppau.
The other thing that is stark is just how ridiculously bad Germany’s cycling infrastructure is compared to France (at least the part of France I have cycled). Germany’s is non-existing. Yes, sure, EV15 is reasonably well equipped in that regard and yes, sure, there are cycling paths in cities etc. But - where it counts, where it is important for cycling safety, and where nobody seems to be looking, there is nothing. Zip. Really disappointing, but much aligned to Germany’s other infrastructure woes, I guess.
Overall, a mixed day, but at least the train was on time.
The evening
The hotel this time is the Nassauer Hof. A pretty large hotel in the middle of Wiesbaden, has its own “Therme” (a somewhat German-speaking concept of a hot water spring-based bath with Saunas) and a couple of good restaurants. Given that I was there much earlier than planned due to the train intermezzo, I was worried that I might not be able to check in, but - no worries, room was ready for me at 1pm.
They must not get a lot of the cycling crowd because they parked my bike in the suitcase room (!). Pretty funny I thought. Lunch was a burger in town - I had this craving and the place did not disappoint. Then an afternoon of laziness, followed by an early and quick dinner in the Orangerie, good but again not too elaborate food, and an early night.
Tuesday is another day of rest, which is very welcome. My right leg needs recovery and also a massage, definitely feeling the strain. Also the rear derailleur is feeling the strain… will see if there is an LBS1 around here somewhere to take a look at it.
Local Bike Shop ↩︎