Life is not a Practice

Off by 08:20. 30kms heading east against the wind. Past a nuclear power station. Coffee in Straubing and then in to the hills. Followed some old railway lines through the mountains. Now in a hotel in Höllhöhe about 10km before the Czech border (http://www.hotel-waldschloessl.de/). The owner can not believe that you can cycle from Allgäu to here in 2 days. Only 136 km today but over 1500 meters of climbing.



Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=cltzwwnhditkgqye (is for all five and a half days)

Left Nesselwang at 08:00 with Heidi. A sandwich in Landkreis Landsberg at 11:00. Lunch in Fürstenfeldbrück. Iced coffee in Freising. Sleeping in Bruckbergerau at the Gaststätte Hutzenthaler where we have been fed some amazing food as they have a big family party and food over. 188 km and no rain.



Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=cltzwwnhditkgqye (is for all five and a half days)

Stubental und Vilstal. Buckets of rain.

28kms and 655 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=nyuriqtzfezwabdj

Heidi can not go out road biking tomorrow so the two of us went out for a road bike trip this evening once things had cooled down a bit from highest temperatures of 35°C in the shade.



We cycled out to Durach and then on to Wildpoldsried and then back via unterthingau and Görisried.

67 kms and 790 meters of climbing.
Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=qujcxsdjdxzaitye

Got a bit "carried away" on my race bike this morning.
Cycled to Kempten and then to Sonthofen and then home through Tannheimertal- 110 kms with 1300 meters of climbing. Good training for next weeks trip to Poland



Stopped in Immenstadt for breakfast and took a video of the empty market place with the background of church bells. http://youtu.be/JGb_Rb2q3ps

The route is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=ekfjceqashxlasio

And then in the evening swimming with Rhiannon at the Attlesee

Max and I were up at one of the companies masts today. The track is much steeper than it looks and great fun. Max very bravely drove down.



More pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/5758793461974384929

Seven of us cycled up through Vilstal and then home via a Schnapps (or two) at the Sorgalp.



41kms and 600 meters of climbing
Route at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=ebgywcwcbhqzpvrx

Jon's photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/+JonFrench/albums/6001035885012242001

Too wet for Moni and Jon (who had to screw a bike rack on the car). Heidi was working so just Gustav and I. A nice relaxed ride to Wald and Lengenwang and home.



38 km and 570 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=axdhidannrwdkfsc

After a week of feeling ill I was back on the road bike today. And I was on a new road bike! For my fiftieth birthday many people gave me money towards a new bike and this week it came. It is bright orange (of course) and the twin of my mountain bike. Jon put it all together the last few days and today we took it out for a test ride. I must have enormous faith in Jon. He screws everything together and then I sit on it and ride 80kmh down a road on it.


Photo by Jon (thanks)

You can't fool the "personal trainer" built in to my Polar watch and it said "you still are not fully fit so don't go over a 144 heart beat". The result was a slow but fun ride up in to Austria, through the high Tannheim Valley and then back home. Jon nicely stayed with me all the way.



As Jon said - we really have a great life.

57 kms with 716 meters of climbing
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=kwziuzlumygnzwds

Up to the Roßbergalp with my race bike. And then on once round the Grünten. Lots of zone 2 and 3 for my "personal trainer" and lots of fantastic views for me. Unfortunately I was too early in the summer so Gabi and Richard weren't up at the Alm yet but I had something in my rucsac to eat.

Back via Burgberg and the Kranzegger Steig so a few more meters of climbing.



54 kms and 1020 meters of climbing.
Route at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=gigavirfztdgoxxk

An amazing tour along some paths I didn't even know existed. Guided by Wera.



32km and 600 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=inazvugipaptgtgv

Pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6008547758484876929?authkey=CK_H6OKh2s3T4gE

One of our local race bike classics. Through the "Königsstrasse" to Sonthofen and then back home over the Jochpass.

Four of us were out on a warm summers eveing after work.



Not everyone can go out after work and do 66 kilometers with almost a thousand meters of climbing through such beautiful Alpine scenery.

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

The fitness studio that we have been visiting this winter had a 24 hour spinning marathon from 09:00 yesterday to 09:00 today.

I took part from 21:00 to 03:00 and Alison from 06:00-09:00.


The photo was taken about 02:30 which is maybe why I look like a Zombie.

It was great fun with a different trainer every hour, a wide selection of music and food and drink.

Only Heidi and I were left of the Tuesday bikers (once again too cold for the rest) so we joined up with Max and Niko for a mountain bike tour.



Up to the pass between the Edelsberg and Alpspitz then down the ridge (no point braking - only mud, wet roots and snow) and on down to Reichenbach.



Great fun in the May snow.

19km and 740 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=wsiudunwjstwocvo




Max's blog at http://maxhogarth.blogspot.de/2014/05/wet-and-snowy-alpspitze-round.html?spref=fb and his pictures at https://plus.google.com/photos/102257273463070793435/albums/5988092975507307873/6012998715832113170?pid=6012998715832113170&oid=102257273463070793435

Sunday and it finally stopped raining. Lots of meters of climbing to get my sport zones finished for this week .
And I didn't get rained on :-)

38km and 645 meters of climbing.
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=yxhvwjktmwsglfzf

Out with the Thursday Bikers. We did the hanging bridge route with some new variations. Great fun.



31.5km and 400 meters of climbing.
Track is at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=arhyajsxqiwwjpjk

Pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6008547758484876929?authkey=CK_H6OKh2s3T4gE

Jons Ftos at https://plus.google.com/photos/+JonFrench/albums/6001035885012242001/6011331495165994786?pid=6011331495165994786&oid=100547066824249637955