The physics just don't feel right

I swear the gravity works differently in Germany. There have been large stretches of road that appear to be downhill and yet we almost seem to be moving backwards. Conversely there have been stretches that seem to be up hill and we've gotten over 40km/hr so it's clear the universe doesn't hate us yet. Actually that should be very clear from the fact we all keep managing to find our end destinations and the fact there haven't been any major injuries.

For those keeping track at home I am currently writing this from the city of Goslar in Germany. Today's ride was supposed to be our first 100km day and as per usual our mapping was off by at least 10-20km. My pod, pod rocket ship, only had to do 120km and we arrived here in about 6 hours. As I am currently writing this at 6pm we haven't seen another pod yet and it's been 3 hours.

Once again I have nothing but amazing things to say about the hosts we have had. They really are making our trip so much more special and incredible. Last night we got to head down to the fire hall in Hoxter and try on fire gear and play around on the trucks. I think it is safe to say that no one in our group has any trouble accessing their inner child!

We also had a wonderful experience in Gutersloh the night before. We were staying with a family who had what can best be described as an amazingly cool campground. It backed onto a river, had beach volleyball courts, and even a band playing when we all rolled in. Keeping with one of our values of inclusivity we very quickly managed to coax some somewhat shy Germans off their blankets and up to their feet to make a rocking dance party. We also learned the German version of the game 31 which they call Kanuck. I thought it was rather appropriate as it was Canada Day that the Canadians won, so score one for our country.

Of course no story is all rainbows and candy and we are no exception. The last couple days have been hard on some of our group with riders arriving quite late into the evening. Luckily those of us that have been there for longer welcome them with lots of hugs, smiles, and food and we've been able to cheer everyone up in seconds.

I also had a rather unfortunate experience the other night. I really have no one to blame but myself but I was running on 2 hours of sleep so I didn't properly put up the fly on my tent. Mother Nature then took it upon herself to flood my tent at 3am and I had to do some very quick thinking to save my stuff from getting totally soaked. The net result was that I wound up sleeping the rest of the night with my rain pants on inside of my sleeping bag and wearing a hoody for upper body warmth. It clearly wasn't the ideal situation but it was totally my fault.

We have another 100(ish) km to ride tomorrow so it will likely be an another attempted early night and 6:30am wakeup call. After that we get a day off though so our bodies can rest up for the rest of Germany.

Hello from Germany

The last few days have been a bit of a blur as most of them have involved 4-6 hours of sleep and 70-110km of riding. Yes, we have finally hit our first couple of big days. The first of the two big days I was part of pod “speed racer” and we literally rocketed off the mileage. Before lunch – which was about the 60km marker for us –we were averaging around 28km an hour. After lunch we took it a little easier and dropped down to 25km/hr. The net result was that we arrived at our destination around 3:45pm, and had time to go for a swim and a waterslide, get interviewed by a local TV crew, and play soccer against (and beat) some 16 year olds. All before the next group arrived at around 5pm.

Yesterday was a slightly different story however, as I was in pod “scenic route”, and while most people did 70km we did 110km. We did get to see some great little towns and ride right next to a bunch of giant windmills which was nice, but being a little lost, did take its toll mentally for a while. At one point we arrived at a roundabout to discover the towns from two of the exit routes we had already visited and they were only 5-10km away and we had been riding for 2 hours. We also learned that the bike paths tend to like to meander along the hills and are nowhere near the most direct route. They also sometimes like to turn into dirt roads and bisect farmers' fields. All and all though we got to our destination and even though we were drenched by a thunderstorm, we had loads of fun and memories from our excursion.

I can’t say enough good things about all of the people and hosts we have encountered so far. They have far surpassed anything we could have asked for in their kindness and humor and we would not be in as nearly as good of spirits without them. Our hosts have opened up their homes, army barracks, organic farms, and camps, given us free food, beer, and shared stories and conversations that have made our trip so much more special and it is still only days old. The people we have met while riding have been just as helpful and kind. On several occasions they have given us maps they happen to have, or even gone out of their way to escort us to streets to make sure we arrive safely. I think it is very safe to say we would not all be here without them. All of this positive energy really does make the difference when you have a difficult day or have to ride 15km uphill into a head wind.

Today we get our first day off on the trip and I think everyone is excited to get to play tourist in Munster for a change. It will also be a nice rest for our bodies and a chance to heal some of the cuts and bruises that are around.