2009-01-10 51 7

Plan

Arvid just had to try again. Although it was still freezing it would be a clear and sunny day, and it's full moon, so even after sunset the darkness should be no problem.

The last snow has been quite a couple of days ago, so most roads will be clear by now. The total trip would be around 110km, which would be a great training, and the first time I'd do 100+km in a month or so. The Plan: Ahaus, Legden, Coesfeld, Dülmen (well, close to).

Achievements

Failed so miserably I'm not even counting my cycling kms(22). Most appropriate prize is:
Prize poultry. Earlier I thought it was Mother nature's bitch. I did leave the house and was fully prepared (I still have a bottle of energydrink prepared in my fridge, made from powder before I left). It was a combination of common sense and mother nature really.

Expedition

Arvid's tracklog by bicycle.

Let's just say the roads weren't clear. Well, at least the cyclingways out of town weren't.

Around 13:40 I left home. 10 minutes(2.5km) later I fell off my bike at a crossing so icy it would've been a miracle if I had made the corner without falling off. At that point I started thinking about what to do. The road I just came over wasn't brilliant, and all the other roads here did look like ice all over as well. Apparently I was very wrong about these roads being clear. I took some pictures since I was off my bike anyway.

I went back and took another, more busy road. At least I was going to reach Germany today. The roads were ok, but the cyclingways next to them were... not clear. Not very bad, but no good to keep anything of a decent pace. I'd be more focusing on staying upright than on going forward. That's not my idea of a nice 50km ride. Or twice that. As long as I could cycle on the road in Germany it was ok as well, but I knew that there was a cycling road ahead where I really didn't want to take the normal road instead. And I'd not even be halfway. I had no idea about what the roads were like after Ahaus. I decided not to go to Ahaus but do my normal training round instead, cycling in the direction of Alstätte, taking the L572. There is a cycleway for a bit there. I made some pics of that. After 150m I decided to take the main road instead. I didn't dare to go >10km/h on that icy bit of cycleway, and I knew the cycleway would end before the junction I was gonna take anyway(to the L575), so cars should be used to bikes on the road here.

At the crossing of the L575 and L560 I took some more pictures. At 14:45 I was home again.

The corner where I fell off.
The planned road ahead.
The road the other way.
The road ahead.
Through the trees.
Photographed along the alternative road.
Same but more straight ahead.
This too. The other side.
Right. Awesome skating ring.. err, road.
Road ahead.
Previous pics were at the traffic light. This was an attempt to a straight line.
Nice view.
Nice view.
Nice view.
Bleeding knee from the fall.


Sat 10 Jan 2009 in 51,7: 51.8659580, 7.2797711 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox