Life is not a Practice

Just Jon and I on our race bikes. I have started a new training program on my Polar watch - "weight reduction" - so it is asking me to do over eight hours a week in zone 1 and 2.
We rode at a steady 22kmh average and my watch said that it "did me good".


Jon in wet weather gear.

In Seeg it started to rain heavily so we took refuge in the fitness center and had a drink. While drinking we watched a monsoon pass over us. Afterwards we cycled home in drizzle - no problem, we had the correct clothing.



58kms and 805 meters of climbing.
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=pjlselzwdzlqgnhl

Pictures at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6030336146678088705

Evening race bike ride with Jon after work.
Warm weather, great views and fun company.



46km and 420 meters of climbing
Track is at
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=hzodamkzhrlgicyi

Only five people came out biking with Group 2 tonight. Germany was playing the USA in football so Jon and Irene had to watch that.

Wera had planned the route up to Himmelreich and then down the old Bärenmoos track. After that we cycled a few trails in Pfronten.



32km and 740 meters of climbing.
Track is at
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=gfaubcovchtyfnxd


Photos at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6030336146678088705?cfem=1
After a drink in the Bistro we went to Hopsings to celebrate his birthday.

Reintroduced Rhiannon to race biking.
Once round the Grüntensee at a moderate speed. She did really well up the hills.



Alison set off with us but her gears broke at the end of the road.

No one had time for cycling tonight - as we were all at a meeting later in the evening. Never the less I managed to squeeze in a quick road bike trip round the Grüntensee.



My sport watch said that I was "top fit" which is maybe not surprising after the last week and then a three day rest.

21km and 250 meters of climbing
Track at http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=uvmmoniipuymhrnz

Wera, Heidi, Gremml and I went for a ride through the Silesian countryside to visit the imposing Mosna Castle. 63kms on a mixture of race and mountain bikes. And only 200 meters of climbing. It is so flat here.



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

Photos are at the end of https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6027794269999755825?authkey=CN_Wh6fGyoTCwAE

A nice relaxing 70 kms from Korfantow to our destination in Dolna. The last part was through a cherry tree lined avenue. We met wera and Gremml in Strzelce Opolskie for a coffee and they took our rucsacs in the car the last 5 kms.



We cycled a total of 835 kms (reducing the points in the track "averaged" it down to 822) and climbed over 7000 meters. And we had a great six days of fun cycling.

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

Photos from the whole trip are at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103827427036815679772/albums/6027794269999755825?authkey=CN_Wh6fGyoTCwAE

Left Hradoc Kralove and cycled up in to the mountains on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. Crossed the border in a forest and then down in to the Silesian plains. Ran out of sunlight and spent the night sleeping at the football club house in Korfantow.



We actually crossed in to Poland twice. At about 662kms we crossed back in to the Czech republic for about 500 meters. before returning back in to Poland.

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

Now in Hradek Kralove. Only 111km today across the cobbles of Prague, between the tram lines and then hours down route 11 being overtaken by juggernauts.
It is less fun when you have to ride behind each other and can not talk.



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

Left our hotel and then cycled to the Czech border. Spent the first hours cycling through tiny villages with no banks or shops or restaurants or anything. Eventually persuaded a vietnamese shop owner to change Euros to sell us rolls, apples and water. Later found civilization, a bank and a cake shop. Finally reached Prague after 169km and 1566 meters of climbing.



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

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