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.