My Cycling Diary: Day 9 : Tue, Aug 23, 2011 - 123.07 mi [Cycling] Prague to Dresden

Day 9 :Elevation & Speed Profiles

Day 9 : Prague to Dresden

Day 9 Stats :
Distance = 123.07 Miles
Time = 09:39:06 hrs
Ave Speed = 12.75 mph
Elevation = 2461 feet
Calories = 5821
Max Speed = 27.2 mph
Max Height = 969 ft
Min Height = 298 ft

Tour Stats
Distance = 878.61 Miles
Total Time = 72:38:09 hrs
Ave Speed = 12.10 mph
Total Elevation = 30704
Total Calories = 46473

Well today would be my furthest distance in a single day as I had decided to follow the River Elbe rather than take the shorter distance - a decision I would without a doubt make again given the fantastic scenery - despite the distance. It all started once again with a dodgy Czech breakfast and despite the miles I really didn't want to start the day eating the dodgy looking cut meat that was on offer - I did however today have egg on the agenda abnd some crusty bread and marmalade.

So I was off and guess what ? I wasn't heading east - today I would travel North & West of all directions - I had reached my most easterly point of my tour which was just north of Prague near Melnik in a village called Dolni Vinice II which is a full 14.5166 degrees East which means the sun sets here almost an hour earlier than in Paris which had caused me problems on the long rides - today I would finish late !

I headed north from the City Centre and very quickly climbed a few hundred feet over cobbled streets again out oof Prague - my hands by now were taking a hammering and I had virtually no feeling in the pads and my fingers - my left little finger in particular was by now pretty dead - I wondered if I could claim against the Czech Highways Dept for Vibration White Finger

I was cycling along quite a busy road with one or two wagons going past every minute - I reached melnik and was glasd to cycle through the town rather than staying on the bypass ... except for getting a bit lost - I stopped to check my route and worked out the next right would take me back on course so I set of to shoot rihgt on the next corner ans as I passed the building on the corner and started to manoevre right there was a car coming straight at me - It was a One Way Street. Disaster avoided I finally picked up my route but instantly realised I was going the wrong way and about to retrace my tracks - I did a quick 180 but however I tried I couldn't find a road out of the area I was in - eventually I went up a dead end street and found the reason why - there was a mainline Train line in the way. Fortunately there appeared to be a shortcut staright across the train line so after very very very carefully checking left and right I dragged my bike across the lines presumably the same way the locals do !

From Melnik I followed the River Labem and after a few miles a huge Power Station appeared with massive chimneys which reminded me of Chernobyl, then i thought I wonder if this was a Russian designed Nuclear Power Station ? ..... Unsure I cycled a bit faster :-)

Within about 5 miles the countryside was changing from pretty flat and I could see big mountains in the distance and the river was clear with beautiful trees in thee fields and a gorgeous little chapel appeared - I stopped to photograh again. I wondered also how the river would flow uphill through those mountains - it all seemed odd.

At Litormerice I followed what I thought was the cycle route which would link up with the reason I was following the river - the Elbefahradweg - a long distance German Cycle Path which runs the length of the Elbe from the Czech border to the Baltic coast - part of which I cycled on last years Tour near Bremerhaven.
I found myself crossing the Labem on a rickety bridge with traffic lights and cycling along the west bank which was fine until I reached Lovosice, however shortly afterwards the road became very busy and even had armcore barriers along the side so I was hemmed in again with wagons hurtling past me, now at the rate of about 4 a minute and each time one tried to get past when there was a wagon coming the other way it either had to brake and wait for a gap or get very close to me on my bike.

I powered on and was surprised to pass a shipyard in what is a land locked country but before Usti nad Labem there was a yard on the river building ships - the river was now not really in a gorge but it was surrounded by occasional large rocky outcrops hundreds of feet high. I looked across the river from my perilous route and I could see a lovely quiet road with gentle cyclists and not much else - obviously the Elbefahradweg was on the other side.

As A approached Usti nad Labem where there was a bridge to cross I was glad to be on the busy side ... Why ? .......
Because the view across the river was absolutely awesome - there was a huge craggy outcrop sitting above the town and from this side of the river I could look right across the river to it and down the river to Usti - Spectacular !

I cycled on to Usti and found two bridges - the first was very busy - the second was a modern footbridge with an incredibly steep slope with steps to wheel (haul) your bike up - with a great deal of effort I got the bike up the slope and cycled across the bridge and down gladly a ramp on the other side. I then was pleased to see after a mile a cycle route - it was the elbefahradweg at last - Easy street to Dresden I thought just follow the riverbank all the way.

The path was realy Good in places being brand new tarmac and traffic free p Excellent so my ride up to Decin was very good albeit it seemed to take forever to get there after all it was only 80 miles - the sort of distance I do before lunch these days ;-)

At Decin the path went under a motorway and was signed straight on - I followed the sign into a park and then there was no obvious way other than to go onto the road so I was now cycling along the road on the east of the Elbe heading towards the border and as I looked across the river ... you guessed it - lots of cyclists in the cycle path !! I just couldn't win.

I assumed the road went through into Germany but it was worrying how ever car coming my way had a Czech number plate. Eventually the border came into view and again it was a really special - a smaller river ran into the gorge at Schmilka where a smaller river channel run into the elbe at 90degrees through two huge black rock formations into which two hotels had been built.

I cycled past the old check point which remember would have been an eastern bloc border between Czechoslavakia and what was the former East Germany. At Schmilka there is little ferry across the river and it had just docked - so I cycled towards it and thought I'll cross to the other side where the cycle path is - but before I git there despite seeing me coming he upped and went back across. I continued less than a mile and found another ferry - this time I alighted and was soon on the other side and on the cycle path - Easy Street again I though - nearly in Dresden .. I thought

In reality I had about 35 miles still to go and it was already near dusk but after over 800 miles you can get a bit blazee about the distances - the gorge I was cycling through was beautiful and I was dawdling taking photos and enjoying the light that the sinking sun was creating.

I eventually reached a bridge at Bad Schandau where the cycle path disappeared again p there was a fairly busy road on the west bank where I was so I crossed the river and looked at the other side - there was a quieter road but no sign of a cyclepath so I crossed back and continued down the road feeling a bit vulberable now as the sun was blindingly low in my eyes and therefore drivers on the road as well.- I also now had a hill with about a 100feet climb to contend with - No Easy Street This !

A few miles later at Konigstein I managed to spot a tunnel under the railway track that ran along the valley - it lead to a path between the river and the railtrack which was about 20 feet higher above a concrete wall - the path followed along but I didn't know if it went on or was a dead end - i took a chance and it actually turned out to be the Elberadweg again - Not signposted ... again.

After 105 miles I reached Pirna which I thought was a suburb of Dresden - here at last ... well I still had another 20 miles and an hour and a half to go. I past lots of cyclists some passed me going very fast to beat the dark and there were lots of rollerbladers there enjoying the evening.

I eventually reached the start of Dresden where once again the cycle path disappeared and I found myself on streets - at this point I had to stop & retrieve my lights from my paniers and put my hiviz vest on. After 2 or 3 miles i picked up the cyclepath again and was following a very dark riverside path for about 5 more miles when i reached the City and crossed the river to my hotel for the night.

I arrived at about 8pm and when I checked in the hotel the owner was most interested in my day, he helped me put my bike out the back and then proceeded to quiz me about my journey .. in German - i did my best and managed to hold a conversation with him for almost half an hour during which he recommended somewhere to eat and told me the history of the hote. At which point I muttered "Ich Moechte ein Duche" and he let me escape to have my shower.

Route :

Photographs :

6 Miles : Only 6 miles done and I appear to have
come to a Happy end in the Czech republic.

21 miles : And this appeared to be the only way out of Melnik
I had to drag my bike across a high speed train line.

27 Miles : Near Poceplice on the Labem was this huge
Power station. I guess it wasn't nuclear because of the
massive cooling tower.

29 Miles : Beautiful relections across the mirror
like Labem and a small church on the other side

29 Miles : More beautuful reflections in the Labem - the trees
looked almost like they were floating.

29 Miles : Another reflected tree and you can just start
to see the mountains in the background through which
the Labem runs downhill - very odd !

45 Miles : Not long after Litormerice I found myself cycling
through fields of what the Czech Republic is famous for....
Hops !

60 Miles : The secnery just took my breathe away - this is the
view along the Labem (Elbe) 2 miles short of reaching Usti.
The river was still like a millpond and the reflections across
the river were stunning.

60 Miles : I zoomed in looking towards Usti and framed the Town
behind the huge Rock face which lies on the east bank. there is
a big castle sitting on the rock and the colours were just magnificent.

62 Miles : The new bridge over the Labem at Usti where I had
to drag my bike up a near impossible set of stairs to get access.

65 Miles : Now on the right side of the river I finally
picked up the Elberadweg

68 Miles : A little car ferry across the river just south of Decin
in Velne Brezno

87 Miles : Finally reached the old border post at Schmilka which
was the former Czechoslovakia / East Germany border before
the wall came down.

88 Miles : One of the hotels built right into the cliff faces where
a smaller river joins the Elbe on the border. The rock formations
were quite spectacular here and the rock was Black.