Well let's start withe yesterday. We left the great hotel in Eckwarden (did I say that it was as much Dover Sole (schollenfillet) as you could eat for 11€? Unfortunately the great Köstrizer lager and dark beer were charged by the glass. But what a meal!
We had a bit of raIn over the night but the weather was dry and the wind initially right smack.....- as usual. But this was the day where we were heading in all directions (and for once this was what we were meant to do) and we soon had a great tailwind and did 18-19 mph until a gravel road left me with a flat rear wheel (later the same day ditto front wheel so Gatorskin may not be the tyre to choose for this). As I removed the rear wheel I thought I would recheck and clean my sprocket and to my great surprise where I used to have 16 teeth I now had 10!! And this was inspite of me not putting sugar in my drinks! As some of you will know that the smaller number of teeth on the rear sprocket the faster the rear wheel turns - so it wasn't the tail wind after all but my low tooth sprocket (and a lighter bike as well that had increased my speed!!? ) Well unfortunately not and what had happened was that when cranking up the steep dikes I had heard a few crunching noises which i thought nothing off at the time - so the dikes got me teeth!! Bugger - well perhaps not the right word but the right sentiment.
And we were miles from bikeshops, so we pedaled on, as the two clowns in charge of New Labour some years ago said, with a "softly,softly approach". No trackstands, no sudden accelerations, no hill climbs (as if that was ever my forte) etc. and I had to disappoint the scores of jubilant cycling enthusiasts lining the roads begging me to show off my skills "Nein, keine Track Stehen heute, Leute"
We passed through Bremerhaven (no help), Cuxhaven (great bike shop, closed for some obscure holiday - the Lederhosen inauguration day?), Ottendorf (very pretty, not many of those places encountered!)and made it via Germany's Mildenhall, Hemmoor, to a charming little village, Osten on the other side of the canal. And here lies another story- the notel was a picture of blissful German delight and right behind it there was a metal contraption reaching approx 50 metres into the air and underneath it was suspended a kind of carriage. This is the "famous" 1909 Schwebefäahre i.e. a kind of a skilift carrying up to 100passengers at a time over a small stream. And why? For crying out loud every single villager had to be forced across the stream several times a day to make it financially viable! But it is still there to be seen and by some admired as well.
Anyway - the hotel was a delight with great food, beef and a charming young waitress. Mr Baker had a day of faste leaving me to enjoy the culinary delights.
Up early next morning (me to mend another puncture) and we headed off for Hamburg hoping for cyclic dentistry on my damaged teeth. The weather drizzly but the wind gentle. A bike shop in Stade tried to help but gave up, never having seen a fixie. In Hamburg I hailed a policeman dressed like an Imperial Stormtrooper (a big football match required some police attention) and he kindly directed me towards Cyclefactory in Altona where my second cyclists' guardian angel (remember I had one in Glasgow last year) called Frank inspected the damage and with great confidence daid that he could fix it! So whilst I imbibed a couple of ruby ales with some forcaccio he did miracles and when I returned the Mercian looked like a blushing young girl wearing a red chain and a new sprocket.
So if any of you are ever in need of emergency repairs east of Harwich and north of Cessinatico I know where you should go! And off we went to face new adventures!!
You give it all away when you post a photo of blue skies, bright sunshine and smiling face - no longer will we believe the tales of attrition in the face of poor weather! You must be the 'coolest' cyclist on the NSCR - on a fixie with a chain which not only matches your kit but your bike as well, now what was it you were saying about fashion?
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying your blog Soren; it's making me think what I could do next year??
Ah yes I recall that '57 was a very bad year for teeth. Still recovering from the war, (don't mention it to the locals) the metal was of poor quality and quite fragile under load. Now for those 23 mm tyres Soren. I was about to say that they are less than suitable for touring with a load than, either a bigger size, (I use a 28mm version), or a more durable tyre like Schwalbe, being used by Darren. However, everything happens for a reason and you would not have had the encounters mentioned without this calamity..... a matching red chain would have been unthinkable but for those '57 teeth! All is well again, even if the pocket is lighter. You are on the move once more and ready for the next experience. Keep on writing...your blog is the first thing I look for with my morning cuppa!! On, on, on......... Gino
ReplyDeleteI guess you'll be seeing the dentist on your return!!! Did your fixie have wisdom teeth I wonder?
ReplyDeleteSo Guy and I are in our last preparations - getting a little nervous following in your cadences. You understand what you have done? We set off for Lands End early on Tuesday morning, overnight at Penzance, a short journey to the bottom end and then...we're off on Wednesday!! We hope to emulate your beerfest at least.
That Gino fellow has an amazing command of the vernacular...I bet he'll be showing us all how to do it sooner rather than later!