Life is not a Practice

An overcast Thursday evening and later rain. The second half of the ride was wet and very cold.

17 kms and 460 meters of climbing.
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=cfxiucszmssduzcx

Camera was broken as I pushed Jon's buggy over it.

The weather forecast said rain but luckily they lied.
An enjoyable tour with more tracks and trails than roads.

28kms and 550 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=zwozmvizmsvvbcvm

With the "Tuesday Bikers" on a sunny evening. Up in to Austria and then back down in to Germany. Doing 66km/h one meter behind Jon I was wondering how long you need to brake at that speed?



52 km and 561 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=fqmtznpbiqotfpcy

Jon's pictures at https://plus.google.com/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5865862959006086625/5878189394089432610

A Sunday tour to a lake I had never even heard of - the Faulensee. We rode over the Beichelstein to get there and add a few meters of climbing and back via Vils in Austria.



On the way back we also rode "through" the Forgensee lake. It is a resevoir and not currently full so the old road was above water level.



52 kms and nearly 800 meters of climbing.
Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=voekzodakucmmnbf

More pictures at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5876039696493748161?banner=pwa

Jon's pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5876255920545131825

My first "mountain" mountain biking this year. After the 80kms yesterday, a gentle mountain bike ride half way up the local mountain and back down again.



Only 9km but nearly 400 meters of climbing.
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=xnoptxunouqeolxb

Out with Heidi for a training run on our race bikes. We had no plan of where to go and decided at each turn based on in which direction there were the least clouds.



Ended up doing a fantastic 80km trip largely on routes we had never been on before. The old railway line from MArktoberdorf to Roßhaupten has been converted to a cycling path and is fantastic as a race bike route. The next picture is an old station on the route.



82km with 800 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=yptbysrlcnxhhzme

More pictures at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5866409348860352993?banner=pwa

Thursday evening and 10 of us cycled to and then around Pfronten. We got absolutely soaked in Achtal - the same thing happened there a few years ago.



28km and 345 meters of climbing.
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=xurgtnlzospzuuwt

More photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5866409348860352993?banner=pwa

Missed the Tuesday night reace biketour last night so went out for an hour today.
In all the villages I passed through, they were putting up the new maypoles.



22kms and 250 meters of climbing.
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=wiarczqkirgobnqz

A classic "beginning of season" tour.
11 of us were out on a lovely warm spring evening.



28kms and 450 meters of climbing
Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=eejopzztpnwzoqww



More pictures at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5866409348860352993?banner=pwa

After the great race bike tour at lunch time, we were out with the mountain bikes this evening. Through the local countryside past six lakes.



22km and 300 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=ynfvqgknblohaxcp



More pictures at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5866409348860352993?banner=pwa

Sun shine and warm weather today. It is a Wednesday but by taking an extended „lunch break“ we (Heidi and I) managed a two hour race bike tour across the Allgäu hills. 40 kilometers and 620 meters of climbing with an average speed of 20km/h isn't bad for the first „serious“ ride of 2013.



Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=gyyasgininvacdja

A quick run round the lake on the race bike after work.

http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=xsavjvjghbbjebbe
19.3km 217m of climb

Another lovely day so once again off on my mountain bike. This time down in to the Wertach valley and then up again and then down again and so on.



Some snow covered patches but mostly just muddy.

http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=txidywcmwjpnzwhq
20km 258m of climbing.

Photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5866409348860352993?banner=pwa

A week ago I was skiing but finally spring has arrived so I went out for my first ride of the year on my mountain bike - in shorts!



http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=fhsenklcvyjsngwy
22.7km 347 meters of climb 1hr38min.

While on a business trip to nearby Werdingerrode we took a trip on the Brocken Railway (http://www.hsb-wr.de/en/start/) to the top of the Brocken mountain pulled by a narrow gauge engine.

Many years ago when I was in the Royal Signals based in Germany we were always warned that the other side (Russians and East Germans) was sat on the Brocken listening to us.
We visited the building where they had all there listening equipment and the dome that the antennas were in. A quarter of a century ago I would never have believed I would be in the radio dome on the Brocken one day.


This picture was taken inside the dome.

The end of the first April week and time we were cycling. But there is still snow everywhere.
But rather than complain, Max and I went skiing in Oberjoch.
Perfect snow conditions, absolutely no people (no surprise there) and absolutely no visibility.



We had hoped we would come out above the clouds but we were a few hundred meters too low.