Dep 8.50 Arr. 18.00 Dist 95.1 km. Total. 1054 km
I woke up at 6.20 feeling ok but for some reason I turned over and slept again till 8.10. I had breakfast in bed, ie, tent, some kind of oaty type muesli with milk and P&O sugar, quite nice actually. I was a bit apprehensive about the day's ride with no target and in unchartered territory.
I went to reception to hand back my wristband and asked the lady if she had a map of the area. A man appeared and gave me a map with all the local cycle routes on. When I told him my destination he looked at me like most people have done so far, a mixture of disbelief and what looks to me like admiration but is probably something else. He then suggested Aalen. He said it was quite a tough route but all other ways would be as well and this was quite direct. He said he does it himself in 8 or 9 hrs and he looked quite fit. which was ominous to say the least.
The way out of Lowenstein was uphill for about 5km which is a similar length of climb to Saddleworth but not as steep. Thankfully, the rest was generally flat, following a river valley. The road was quiet but occasionally a huge articulated lorry would come along. There were another three nasty climbs and the customary headwind now and then which wasn't strong but I felt it. I got to a busier road and made decent progress as I got closer to Aalen. The kindle informed me there was a hostel in Aalen but it was a remote area and stuff was very slow coming through. Also, my phone was very low on power. I eventually found the place and here I am now, nearly caught up again, blogging on my phone, which isn't easy. I've had my tea which was a bit weird but pleasant and filling.
It was quite a difficult day and I was very tired at times. I stopped and rested 4 or 5 times and seemed to be thirsty all the time and that's without beer last night! The destination tomorrow is Neuburg an der Donau so then I will meet another great river which will then be my companion for most of the way to Turkey.
Today's Route
This is the story of my cycling adventures abroad together with records of training and preparation. The second and most recent ride will hopefully commence on 28th May 2013. The first took place between April 10th and May 26th 2012. It all starts at the bottom, the Blog that is. Scroll down for recent posts and click for even "Older Posts".
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