Life is not a Practice

The fourth day in Cortina and only five of us did a quick "road tour" up the hill for a coffee.



11 kms and 430 meters of climbing. Track is at
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=xgzohscueqmupxsd

My pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5921707781848663521?banner=pwa&authkey=CPumgJP8gZGkqwE

Jon's pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5921540097943142497

After the huge tour yesterday, and after Jon had rebuilt my bike at the local bike handler, we did a "nice gentle" Dolomite tour through the Val de Gotres.



Only 33 kms and only 860 meters of climbing but what a great day. The perfect follow on to yesterday.

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

My pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5921705411362024705?banner=pwa&authkey=CNaKwIK-idTsPA
Jon's pictures are at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5920913105040886065

Wow!
It took 11 hours but we did it. Once round the Tofana Massive in the Dolomites. Stunning scenery, incredibly rocky tracks and some amazing single rails to finish with.

Broke my bike but I survived in one piece.



"Only" 55kms and we used the cable car for the first 500 meters of climb but still a really hard day.
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=wvjzykkvnljdlbbc

My pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5921701433081116897?banner=pwa&authkey=CPzD-YXqktCoQQ

Jon's pictures are at https://plus.google.com/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5920615267498635201

First day in Cortina. we stopped on the way to the hotel and cycled up to the foot of the "Drei Zinnen".



Once we were back at the car I had to drive car and trailer to Cortina while the rest rode.

20kms and 870 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=dffnwhrzxanhjvqj

My photos are at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5921697511266403633?banner=pwa&authkey=CO_986yx6ebeWQ

Jon's photos are at https://plus.google.com/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5920173938618210641

Max was out with the heros in Group 1. His reports and links to his pictures are at http://maxhogarth.blogspot.de/2013_09_01_archive.html

The usual four of us (Heidi, Moni, Jon and I) doing the normal training run on a Tuesday night.
Once round the lake and then home via Maria Rain.
We needed to save our energy for the coming weekend in Italy :-)

27 kms and 300 meters of climbing. Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=zevcsammdqcdqpao

Dorothee was visiting from Milan so Heidi, Hermann, Alison and I took her to the Roßbergalpe for lunch.



Pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5853746597235744401

The evenings are getting shorter so we need to stay a little closer to home or be sure we do the dark part of the tour on good tracks.
Tonight we chose the second option and just got down off the Beichelstein before dark.

Great picture from Jon


My (three) photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5903015570987104113?banner=pwa

32 kms and 570 meters of climbing. Track at
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=xgpjyczgwbqluyzq

Jon's photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/100547066824249637955/albums/5865862959006086625/5917865466616081458?pid=5917865466616081458&oid=100547066824249637955

Thursday evening and seven of us were out with our mountain bikes.
After climbing up to the Bayerstetter Köpfel and then trailing back down, we enjoyed a variety of paths near the Grüntensee.



20kms and 500 meters of climb
Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=lqlwolvukczzkcrf



Photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5903015570987104113?banner=pwa

Three of us out on our race bikes keeping away from the big black clouds in the mountains.

We actually planned a completely different route but Jon and I missed the turning in Gschwend as we were chasing a car.

39km and 519 meters of climbing.
Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=fzafhaxudquroycm

After over a week of lounging around on a boat it probably was not the best idea to go and do a long race bike tour with the super fit Jon. But that is what I did.



My GPS batteries ran out during the trip but Jon has posted the route to GPSies http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=sjpffwvnbevobmgd (58kms with 920 meters of climbing!)

Max had my camera on his weekend tour to Italy so I have very few pictures. I did however take this panorama at the top of the Jochpass.

The original is at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5903015570987104113/5913700661952478722?banner=pwa&pid=5913700661952478722&oid=103827427036815679772

Once we got back I had to drive to Italy to pick up Max and Nico who had spent the weekend cycling from Nesselwang to St. Leonhard. At least they bought me an ice.



Max's description of his trip to Italy is here http://maxhogarth.blogspot.de/2013/08/timmeljoch-day-1-familiar-territory.html?spref=fb

The whole family spent a week boating on the Erne and Shannon in Ireland.
We started in Northern Ireland and then passed along the canal in to Eire. Later we returned to the starting point in County Fermanagh.



My pictures are here https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5912802555955779201?banner=pwa&authkey=CPrW1OvF8-3SowE



The track we followed is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=esviayrvlmrukinm

The weather forecast was very bad but we decided to go race biking anyway. Hadn't got 3 kms when it started raining so we went to our house and enjoyed a few beers on the terrace.



The boys had also invited their friends round so it turned in to a party.

The following photo is of some really strange hail


Photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5853746597235744401?banner=pwa&partnerid=pwrd1

Cycled up to the Roßbergalm this evening with Barbara (the company's tax advisor).
We just managed to get back down before darkness fell.

Video taken on the way at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP3xltvehRw&feature=youtu.be

Yesterday was the 8th Viehweidefest at French/Klotz's so a late night in bed. After helping to tidy up I cycled to the Schwaltenweiher to watch the beach volleyball competition. Just got back before the rain storm.



Viehweidefest photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5908286638809907441?banner=pwa

2 vidoes of "Noyes" and their fans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lxWi8tkU8s
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUokhfb2ohI

Track to Schwaltenweiher at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=pagwttsbheaxtktz

Met on Thursday evening for one of our "standard tours" and then decided to do it the other way round. Amazing the things you see when you ride the "other way round".



As requested by Wera, we also added in a small diversion on the way to Wertach.

43 kms and nearly 700 meters of climbing
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=lmnzjzbefwhewlpw

Pictures at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5903015570987104113?banner=pwa

This evening Jon suggested a bit of "race bike geocaching".



We cycled to Wald and then did four geocaches.

https://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=b8c46363-557d-485c-9c44-9f0cb59b3f3f

https://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=3b7f9ba3-4ba7-488c-aeb1-9f73cc2f23ce

https://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=78d0443e-bcef-47e3-a3c1-cbfa0e27d027

https://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=a8d1e5a3-b968-47f6-93fd-aa3a0a94e632

Couldn't find the first one but the other three we found (Jon found two and a local showed us the fourth). We also got a guided tour of the local museum.



Cycled back via Lengenwang and Seeg to avoid finishing the tour with the "Ruckholzer Steig".

39kms with 500 meters of climbing
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=dacpdazcyxruggxy

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

Today we had temperatures in the upper 30s so five of us cycled to the Allatsee for a swim. Afterwards we went for an ice in Nesselwang. It is a tough life.



34 kms but only 300 meters of climbing - enough in these temperatures.
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=jjtvblvppkcpnphy

Photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5887203753058455121/5905722997877746834?banner=pwa&pid=5905722997877746834&oid=103827427036815679772