Saturday, May 22, 2010 Headwind, Rain and Floppy Tents on the Beach
That look pretty much sums up the trip…
Last weekend, three of us planned another little biking adventure from Hamburg central train station to a campground on the Baltic Sea coast. When it was first mentioned, the trip was estimated at about 160km/100mi round trip. A closer look at the map (or perhaps our first look) showed that it’s actually 300km/186mi). Hmm…
We took off from Hamburg at a very late 3pm after the train trip up from Wolfenbüttel. The thinking was that the trip up there should take about 8 hours and at the worst 9 hours. Either way, we were going to arrive before midnight.
We pulled in to the campground at 2am after an 11 hour trip…
Why? Wind…
We’re so happy right there, just chilling and enjoying a little break in the breeze. As you may guess, this pic wasn’t snapped at 2am.
Speaking of snapping…
The trip up started out fine but the wind never let up. Having that constant drag on your progress when you know how far the trip is and how much weight in baggage you’re carrying was not a fun mental distraction.
It got dark around 8:30-9:00 and quite cold. Around 10 we were in a small village where a party was already underway (for some guests a bit longer than others). They helped us spot the next turn and we took a nice break for an even-colder-than-us beer.
Shortly thereafter we rode down a seemingly dead-end road. It turned out to be connected by a short ferry actually, a first for me on a bike. When we finally passed through Eckernförde, an estimated 2 hours from our destination, the mood lifted and we picked up the pace as much as we could.
This is where things get a bit weird. After already riding for 8-9 hours, you’re not the sharpest tack. Also, riding in the dark deprives you of your ability to estimate speed and distance. We rode at that increased pace for what seemed like 30-45 minutes and then saw a sign that said we’d only covered 2km!
This was probably a sign problem because shortly thereafter another showed we’d covered 18km. Obviously this part of the country has signage problems because they didn’t stop there.
As we FINALLY were within 10km of the campground, we’d see signs which pointed in two different directions on the same pole for the same town (Schuby left 4km, Schuby right 3km). Due to this and our dimmed intellect at 1:30am, we ended up riding an extra hour finding our way.
That was a really strenuous ride with baggage and headwind and everyone was pretty much down for the count upon arrival. The last 30 minutes of riding is kind of a blur for me. I do really remember drifting off mentally a few times on the bike and then being suddenly flashed with the reality of where I was and what I had been doing.
Surreal.
So, yes, at 2am we finally reached headquarters.
Our day of rest and relaxation on the beach was hampered a bit by the weather. Luckily enough, it only rained the ENTIRE day so there was no need to stress out making plans.
Oh, did I mention the wind?
The two-man tent gave out in the evening, collapsing under the rain and gusting sea breeze. So we had to move our stuff to a porch attached to an RV. That was sturdier and greatly appreciated but unfortunately didn’t really yield much sleep. It was simply freezing out. I wore all of the clothes I had packed so I could sleep comfortably.
After about 7 hours of toss-turn sleeping, the alarm clock signaled the start of a new nightmare. We now needed to ride back! I wasn’t too thrilled since the rain had still not stopped and somehow the wind direction had shifted 180° within 24 hours giving us another headwind to deal with.
The day started out with a lot of missteps and wrong directions again due to the signs. Then, the first flat tire of the day. Unfortunately there’s no picture…but don’t worry, there’s a picture of the second.
Shortly after this we were back in Eckernförde. It’s one of the only larger cities in the area and I had to be realistic with my ability to continue. The other two riders are way fitter than I am. If I would have kept riding and slowing them down, no one would have made it to Hamburg before the last train left. So, I gave up and took the train…
Total Trip Stats: 195km/121mi
The other guys made it all the way back to Hamburg which was very impressive considering the time constraint! Oh…and did I mention the other flat tire they had?
…or this one?
…or maybe this one?
Ok, I think you might get the idea. We had enough difficulties and bad weather on this one. Hopefully the next outing goes smoother!
bike trips 
