My Cycling Diary: August 2010

Monday, 9 August 2010

Saturday 31st July - Maribo to Copenhagen

Day 6 : Maribo to Copenhagen

Distance = 100.18 miles
Time = 7hrs 06 mins
Average Speed = 14.1 mph
Elevation = 2124 feet
Calories = 6264

Tour Distance = 546 miles Time = 42hrs 41 mins Calories =25,742

The Final Day of my european tour Amsterdam to Copenhagen and it was eventful - at the start of the day it looked like a 100 mile trip if I went direct but I did fancy diverting to see the Cliffs of Mon - unfortunately that would add an extra 60 miles !!! Anyway decision to be made after about 40 miles...
I left my hotel in Norreballe and cycled into Maribo where I stocked up on energy bars for the days ride exchanging my euros for my first Norwegian Krone - I didn't even know they had their own currency let alone what the exchange rate was !!!
Anyway - 3 energy bars and 2 bottles of water in store and off I hit the road heading Northeast straight across Lolland to Sakskobing where I stopped to take some pics of the inlet. It was then straight on to the bridge at Guldborg where I stopped to wander along the lovely beach and take some pictures. Pushing further on at the end of a 3 mile uphill climb I was confronted with a fantastic view of the road stretching forward another 3 miles downhill all the way to the bridge across to Vordingorg and the main Island on which Copenhagen is located. A fast ride followed down the hill stopping only to take some photos & video (I actually went back up the 153 to the 293 turn off just coz it was such a nice ride and so I could video a bit of it !)

More video was to follow crossing the bridge to Vordingborg which is posted on Youtube.

I then followed the road North watching my Garmin carefully .... very carefully until ..... There it is 55 degrees North - exactly the same degree of latitude as my home City Newcastle - I even video'd the event - It's just a shame I was in Lidl car park !!

Now I was at the point - Do I continue north to Copenhagen or do I divert 30 miles east down a Cul de Sac to see the Cliffs of Mon followed by the same 30 miles back then 60 miles on to Copenhagen or do I go straight on .... well on Day 6 after 550 miles - what do you think did ... yep - STRAIGHT ON !!

A long uphill ride then folllowed to Praesto where I had a great downhill section through woods to the coast briefly - only to then face another 20 mile uphill ride until i would finally pick up the Baltic and Copenhagen Bay.

After 15 miles with the legs tiring and only 5 to the coast i passed a sign saying 'Scenic Route' - Hmmmph - God knows where its going and how long it is but .... Scenic .... here I go !!!
It followed the train line from Harlev across a few fields - nothing spectacular - then the route signs stopped and the roads wer'nt even on my Garmin :-(
Oh No a T junction - I chose right as that looked shortest back to my original track and Boy was that the correct decision !!!
Within a mile the road turned left and went through some very old yellow painted cottages on a cobbled road which opened out onto the fantastic Vallo Slotskro which was a moated palace surrounded by water lilly ponds and a magnificent 3 mile tree lined drive which again I video'd all the way down to the coast.
It was then a ride up to Koge where i stopped to take on some energy and I ordered a Spaghetti Bolgnese in a lovely harbour setting ... Unfortunately apparently Danes don't really understand pasta - a fact highlighted by the fact i was given a knife and fork to eat it !! - Having managed to obtain a spoon I was the disappointed to see the pasta hadn't been drained and i had a plateful of pasta, bolognese sauce and well water !!!
Energy on board i cycled the long 20 miles bay through brondby and into the City folloowing my Garmin right to my Hotel door ... or so I thought - but there was no hotel there .... even worse I couldnt remember which hotel I wa sin and didnt have it written anywhere. this was bad news at 8pm for a man who had just rode 100 miles - after much pleading the kind Concierge on the hotel D'Angleterre let me acces my e-mails and I discovered I was actually in the Wakeup Copenhagen hotel Hotel - the one I passed an hour agao on the way into the City .... Aaaaaaargh !!!

Photographs :

Sakskobing Harbour

Another view of Sakskobing Harbour

The lovely Bay at Guldborg.

The Bridge at Guldborg.

Me on the beach at Gulborg in the lovely
early morning sun

Top of the hill and the view 3 miles downhill
to the bridge at Vordingborg.

An information board showing my location (red dot)
and the bridge off the Lolland and onto the main island.

The Vordingborg Bridge cycle path.

My first sighting of a sign for Copenhagen
and your first sight of my German Haircut !

Uphill for 6 miles on the way to praesto -
something tells me this may just be the
highest point on the island :-)

Trying to be arty - A tree, A field,

a mast & a Bike !

Roadside map of the Lolland

Well - this Scenic route is looking .. well... errr.... Scenic !!

The beautiful Vallo Slotskro Palace

A Cottage near Vallo Slotskro

Koge Harbour front where I stopped for a dodgy Spaghetti Bolognese

Koge Harbour Restaurants

Friday 30th July - Neumunster to Maribo

Day 5 : Neumunster to Maribo

Distance = 93.24 miles
Time = 6hrs 46 mins
Average Speed = 13.8 mph
Elevation = 3184 feet
Calories = 4353

Tour Distance = 446 miles Time = 35hrs 35 mins Calories = 19,478

I was up early and into town to sightsee and get my haircut - my optimism had been dampened having ordered my full meal and drinks in german the previous night and chatted about my cycle route with the waitress I eventually dropped into english to ask if there was anything I 'must' see / photograph in town before I head off in the morning - " No" she replied "There's nothing - this is a working town"
And I did manage to prove her right by finding nothing worthy of a photo the next morning !
So off I stride into the hairdressers and boldly ask for a full on 3mm haircut which was very much shorter than I anticipated - just never got the hang of these metric distances !!

And that was it - away I went heading east across lovelt green fields and deserted tracks - great riding some of which I started to video with my new camera - shame my mount for the handlebars was broken on the train.

I arrived in Plon in the German lakes and spent a while buying superglue and repairing my camera mount - now I could do video properly !!
Plon was lovely and soon after followed a 600feet climb out of the lakes up and over past Malente through some lovely wooded roads.
This was followed y what seemed to be an eternity cycling quiet roads heading ever closer to the Baltic sea and the Fehmarn island - after some very dodgy signage again and little guesswork i evetually chose the right tiny trail which lead to an unconspicuous gate which took me up onto the Fehmarnsbrucke bridge, A towering collosus of a bridge high above the exposed straight with a 40mph wind blowing from my left buffetting me towards the oncoming traffic on the main road.
Well I had to video this didn't I and i've uploaded the Fehmarnsbrucke Bridge Ride onto Youtube.

I could now smell Denmark approaching :-)
About an hours ride across the Fehmarn Island and I was in Puttgarden where I'd followed the cycle path past vast lines of cars and wagons queueing in about 20 traffic lanes - "Thank god I have my own fast track cycle path I thought "
Yes a fast track to nowhere - the path ended at an empty office building where a worker eventually told me to go queue with the traffic - so there I was in between cars and juggernauts - I evetually got to a tool booth & paid my fee and was then direct to lane 1 (I was in lane 20 !!!!)
Having queued in Lane 1 a while the ferry started to board and we ( 4 motorcyclists, 1 disabled car & me) were ushered forward - hurray here we go ...
I was promptly stopped and asked to stand in the corner like a naughty schoolboy :-(
Having watched all the traffic go and the ferry fill i wondered has he forgotten about me ? lots of anxious glances at the ferry loaders and evetually was signalled to go & I chased the last cars onto the ferry just in time before the ramp went up... close one !!!
Straight upstairs now for Food - the first of the day & I was first in the queue - the only thing hot appeared to be hotdogs , so I took one and a Cheese & Ham sandwich with a nice warm cuppa.
45 minutes and we were in Rodbyhavn in Denmark - just as well as my liesurely start to the day meant it was now about 7:30pm - so a rapid ride up to Maribo and along what seemed like a road to nowhere and the longest 4 miles ever till i reached my Hotel for the night - The Hotel Lolland in Norreballe just before dusk.
I was greeted by a friendly owner and after a shower & change a quick 3 bottles of Tuborg Classic whilst looking at some stunning books of Iceland which she gave me to view including one of the latest volcanic eruption - Some fantastic photographs - So it was off to bed and a very good nights sleep before another 7:30 rise for my last ride of the tour up to Copenhagen

Route :

Photographs :

Lush Green fields to cycle past just east of Neumunster

Barley fields near Neumunster

Great off road tracks to cycle along, still heading east
towards Plon and the lakes

This is a photograph in a shop window in Plon which shows the
many lakes surrounding the town.

Die GrossePlonische see at Plon

A large mast at the top of the climb out of Plon towards Malente

On the last hill before the coast and the Fehmarn Island

My first view of the Baltic Sea

Basically this sign is telling you - If it's too windy don't try to cycle across the
Fehmarnsbrucke Bridge - fortunately for me the wind was only about 40mph !

Me cycling across the Fehmarnsbrucke

The windsock says it all

Trees on the Fehmarn Island

The ferry Terminal at Puttgarden

First & last food of the day - A hot snack on the ferry to Denmark.

Onboard the ferry to denmark - a 45 minute crossing

Late evening sun across the barley fields near Rodby

Geese & lots of them flying just south of Maribo

My Hotel for the night the Hotel Lolland in Norreballe

Sunday, 8 August 2010

Thursday 29th July - Bremerhaven to Neumunster

Day 4 : Bremerhaven to Neumunster

Distance = 83.66 miles
Time = 6hrs 17 mins
Average Speed = 13.3 mph
Elevation = 1652 feet
Calories = 3757

Tour Distance = 353 miles Time = 28hrs 49 mins Calories = 15,125

A pleasant ride eastwards leaving Bremerhaven quite late at about 11am having first tried to fix my camera and then given up and bought a new one at the out of town retail park near Lehe in Bremerhaven.
A cycle through a wooded forest and some unexpected rain to Bad Baderska where i took shelter under a bus shelter for 30 minutes and then discovered the town centre was a building site across which I had to carry my bike.
A cycle thorugh further forest tracks to Hemmoor where I found a nice windmill and was promptly electrocuted on an electric fence whilst trying to get close for a photograph - Actung !!!
A steady ride down to Wischnafen where I passed a huge queue for the ferry across the Elbe to Gluckstadt. The ferry came in quickly as I bypassed the 2 mile long queue and soon I was on board crossing and exchanging cycling experiences with a guy from Zoetermeer in Holland who was doing the North Sea cycle route towing a trailer with all his living & camping gear in.
from Gluckstadt it was continuing east through even more forested trails until I arrived in Neumunster - a quick shower in my hotel which was Firzlaffs Hotel then into town for another nice pasta meal in a wine bar in the town centre where I managed to practice a bit more German, culminating in me getting a haircut the next morning all in German - the cut was a lot more svere & shorter than I expected but I got exactly what i asked for - I just didn't realize how short 3 millimetres are !!!

Photographs