Gibraltar - Leonberg cycle trip - 2023
Gibraltar - Leonberg cycle trip - 2023 -- Chapter 1 - Preparation
The last few days before a big cycle trip are always characterised by tension and excitement. As always, there is a lot to do before you can set off on a five-week cycle tour. Paperwork and tax returns have to be completed before I leave. Other tasks have to wait until after I return. While I'm travelling, I really enjoy the freedom from the everyday life at home!
I organise my luggage for the trip using the packing lists from my last cycle trips. Meanwhile, I know the most important items on my packing list by heart. Everything is first put in a big pile, checked again and then packed in the bags for the luggage carrier. That's it.
My bike had been causing the biggest headache of all beforehand. On the way back last year, there was quite a few frustration when travelling by train. Travelling by train with my luggage, which had previously been a bike, was not without its problems. I really didn't need the "no, no, no, no..." from the train attendants this year. Shipping my bike to Algeciras would have been the alternative. I had booked a hotel there and could have the bike delivered there. Unfortunately, this service is not only expensive, but is apparently not available to private customers. There are numerous freight carriers etc. on the internet that offer transport, but not for private individuals. Very annoying! So I have no choice but to disassemble my bike, pack it in a robust cardboard box and carry it myself. And so I spend the afternoon before my departure disassembling my bike, packing everything properly and stowing it in that big, solid transport box.
Gibraltar - Leonberg cycle trip - 2023 -- Chapter 2 - Travelling to Algeciras
My journey starts on Tuesday, 12.09.2023.
At just around 6.30 a.m., my neighbour Gerd rings the doorbell ready to bring me to the railway station. I unplug the router, close the water, put on my cycling shoes, put the big box in Gerd's car and lock the front of the house behind me. That's it. Bye-bye house. I'll see you again in five weeks.
I'm travelling from Leonberg to Stuttgart and onwards to Frankfurt airport. I take a plane to Madrid. After a short night in a very small hostel, I board a train to the south the following morning. Again, a lot of "no, no, no, no..." because of my luggage. Oh dear... That sucks! In the afternoon, Gibraltar came into view and a little later I reached the town of Algeciras. Here my cycle trip ended last year and this is exactly where the journey will continue this year.
I carry the heavy cardboard box loaded with luggage and my bike to the hotel and I'm happy to have managed the trip. From this point on, I am back in control of myself and my journey.
I unpack my bike, reassemble it and dispose the box and everything I do not need any longer.
Gibraltar - Leonberg cycle trip - 2023 -- Chapter 3 - Start in Spain
On the following morning, I start in Algeciras and cycle to Tarifa. I have already been to Tarifa last year. The Strait of Gibraltar lies ahead of me and the ferries to Africa depart from here. The wanderlust is particularly strong at this point. Africa. However, my journey takes me further to Portugal and the Atlantic coast. But before I reach the coast, I still have to cycle through the hot inland area. Sometimes the sand is very soft and I can only make progress on my bike by pushing. And even in the middle of September, it's still incredibly hot. Sandy tracks with large potholes and asphalted roads alternate. The bright sand is very blinding and the black asphalt of the roads adds to the heat as it roasts under the sun. The wind brings hot air from Africa to Spain.
Gibraltar - Leonberg cycle trip - 2023 -- Chapter 4 - Portugal
After three days travelling through Spain, I arrive at the ferry to Portugal in the late afternoon. A small ferry crosses the Rio Guadiana, which represents the border between Spain and Portugal. Just across the border, I find my overnight stay. I notice: In Portugal, even older people speak English. That makes communication much easier!
Unfortunately, the roads away from the main roads are no easier or better than in Spain. I am unaware for a short second, oversee a pothole and drive straight through the pothole at high speed. After that, I hear a strange creaking noise on my bike. Oh my dear. This cannot be possible!!! Something is probably broken now. This is the worst case scenario. Will my cycle trip be over before it has even really begun? I realise that a part of the luggage carrier has broken. Damn, I didn't expect that. I try to stabilise the carrier with what I have with me and what I can find nearby so that I can at least get to the next town with a train station. The improvised construction holds better than I initially expected. Every now and then I stop briefly to adjust the carrier. Somewhere at a small illegal rubbish dump, I find a piece of metal that I can use as a replacement for the broken carrier (I'm still using the carrier today [August 2024]...)
After almost 800 kilometres, I reach Lisbon. A milestone on my journey through Portugal. I spend the night in a very busy Lebanese city district and take a rest day. It rains all morning, so I take advantage of the weather, stay in bed and sleep long. Only in the afternoon do I set off by foot to discover Lisbon.
After this rest day, I cycle north again, recharged. A few days later, I reach Porto. By now I notice the first pilgrims on the Way of St James, who are travelling the Camino de Santiago by foot and starting their journey to Santiago de Compostela in Porto. I have to decide how to continue my tour once I have reached Santiago de Compostela. The Eurovelo takes a route through the mountains that is similar to the pilgrims' route. The Spanish Basque country is left out. However, this is supposed to be quite interesting and, above all, much smoother. I'll have to think about that soon.
But first I reach the border of Spain and, after a 140-kilometre stage, the pilgrim town of Santiago de Compostela. For me, this is not the end of the journey, but simply a normal stopover.
Gibraltar - Leonberg cycle trip - 2023 -- Chapter 5 - Spain
I leave Santiago de Compostela behind me and quickly reach rural areas that remind me of the Black Forest. The fog over the valleys announces autumn. And so do the temperatures. It's impossible to cycle without a windstopper jacket. Unless it's going really steeply uphill. Today is a stage with permanent temperature changes. I'm sweating uphill so much that water collects in my shoes and I'm freezing downhill. Unfortunately, I'm too lazy to get a warmer jacket from my luggage bags. Hopefully I won't regret it because I'll catch a cold. I observe the many pilgrims who are now coming towards me. It's unbelievable how many people are on the way. At first there were just a few people. Very quickly they became large groups, even whole legions. I stop now and again so that I don't get stuck in the crowd. Some of the pilgrims are so lost in thought that they don't even realise that I am standing there. An elderly gentleman runs into my stopped bike. Well, you should keep an eye on the road.
The flood of pilgrims continues until late afternoon. People walk in masses along the road. All with the same destination. There were hundreds of them. Or even close to a thousand...? I have no idea. The paths were like a railway station. The only difference was that they were all running in the same direction. The landscape is also very beautiful. And the route is pretty easy to walk. You don't need any special hiking shoes.
It is now late September and the nights are already getting quite cool in the north of Spain and, above all, daylight comes significantly later than in the peak of summer. Around 8.30am it is daylight enough for me to set off. The flood of pilgrims starts at around 9am. My route takes me through wonderful landscapes and across a few mountain passes. The ascent to the Alto do Poio (1,335m) stretches over many kilometres. The next day there are even more mountain passes to overcome. The next 20 kilometres are just constantly climbing. Some of it is so steep that I just manage it in the lowest gear and with maximum pedalling power. I reach the first pass (1503 metres) after one and a half hours. The second pass (Puerto de Foncebadon, 1504m) is only a few minutes away and only a few metres down and back up again. When I get there, I see how other cyclists have made the ascent to the pass: With a shuttle bus. Er, really?!?!
Gradually, the landscape changes. The beautiful mountains give way to gravel tracks with countless potholes. Slowly, the stream of pilgrims dries up. It's not far to go and I reach France.
Gibraltar - Leonberg cycle trip - 2023 -- Chapter 6 - France
After almost three weeks of cycling and a distance of 2,400 kilometres, I reach France. The route takes me through the mountains again. More precisely, through the Pyrenees. There are three passes that I have to overcome. Each pass is a little higher than the last. Fortunately, there is not much downhill between the passes. By the time I reach the third pass, I'm soaked with sweat and put on another warm jacket. The pass is covered in clouds and a cold wind is blowing. Brr, really nasty cold up here. I hurry back on my bike and start cycling into the valley. The view gets better the deeper I get into the valley. I am really overwhelmed by the nature here in the mountains. Everything is green. No comparison to the dry, dusty gravel tracks of yesterday or of the last few days and weeks. It's a pleasure to cycle through the bends at high speed. Well, it's the cars that are annoying because they are too slow in the bends. But they overtake again on the straights. I prefer not to play such games and don't overtake cars downhill in the bends. I'm curious to see how things will go in France. In any case, the roads are very good. And there are so many signposts everywhere that I could actually switch off the GPS device.
Autumn is slowly arriving. As I have breakfast in my hostess's beautifully decorated garden cottage on the morning of 5 October, I take a look at the outside temperatures: 11 degrees Celsius. The days of heat-wave battles and 12 to 15 litres of water a day are gone. I now exchange this for a warm jacket, long cycling shorts, vest and gloves in the morning. Every now and then a little fog hangs in the valleys. As soon as the sun is high enough, it gets really warm again, sometimes even hot. Then I reach one of the canals that I followed for many kilometres on my tour of France a few years ago. I make good progress on well-maintained and fairly flat cycle paths. "Happy cycling". And there is another clear sign of autumn and the coming winter: The gingerbread is already appearing on the supermarket shelves. And (yes, I confess...) a packet of gingerbread ended up in my provisions. Well, yes. If it's this cold in the morning, then my biscuit engine should gradually be switched to winter fuel...
I have now cycled more than 3,000 kilometres on this cycle trip. There are just 856 kilometres to Leonberg. Wow...! That's possible!!! Let me do the maths again. 120 kilometres per day. I still have exactly seven days until next Sunday. If nothing goes wrong, it's feasible to cycle all the way to Leonberg.
Gibraltar - Leonberg cycle trip - 2023 -- Chapter 7 - The crash
I've been cycling all day on well-maintained cycle paths along the canals. I've already done 120 kilometres today. It's just 20 kilometres to where my overnight stay is in Paray-Le-Monial. I have no reason to hurry. There are only a few cyclists on the road. Some come towards me with a lot of luggage. I'm pleased to see that other people are doing long tours by bike as well. A good way ahead, a tractor is mowing the grass on the banks of the canal. The tractor has to give way quite abruptly because of a pretty aggressive cyclist. Stupid cyclist, can't he slow down? I approach the tractor slowly and wait until the driver gives me a sign that I can pass. A little further on, I see the cyclist again. He must really be in a hurry. I gradually get closer. I ring the bell from a distance so that he doesn't get spooked when I overtake at his high speed. It's become a habit for me to ring the bell because I've already been spooked when someone has overtaken me. Just as I'm in line with the cyclist, he suddenly makes a U-hook and wipes me off. Not a chance to stay on the bike. I can already see myself swimming in the water of the canal. Then I fall to the ground. Finally everything comes to rest somehow. I hear a woman screaming like a banshee. But I can't even move myself at first. Fortunately. Otherwise I'd probably have killed the person who knocked me down to the ground. A little later, two other cyclists arrive and call the fire and ambulance services. I can slowly move again and at least sit upright. I am very dizzy.
Well. Then the usual routine started. Paramedics arrive, take care of me and that woman. After everything is fine with me, they focus on the woman and finally they load her into the ambulance. The police also arrive and take her personal details. I get the woman's address. A little later, the woman's husband shows up without saying a word, puts her bike on the rack on his car and talks to the police. I ask one of the policemen to wish the lady a good recovery. After that they all leave and I can get my bike ready to cycle again and ride to my accommodation. Luckily it's not far away. I observe the cyclists who come towards me on their electric bikes or those I overtake with a high level of suspicion. Especially when people sit on their bikes like King Cheese. As if there is nobody else in the world. At my accommodation, I have a shower, clean and treat my wounds.
Gibraltar - Leonberg cycle trip - 2023 -- Chapter 8 - Endless summer
Although temperatures still reach 30 degrees Celsius and higher during the day, the cold in the morning does not hide the fact that autumn is definitely coming. The colourful leaves of the trees and the smell of autumn are another obvious sign. Even though the route along the Doubs leads through an incredibly beautiful landscape. I would love to stop every hundred metres and take a few photos. If I did, however, I wouldn't make any progress. I enjoy every kilometre and every bend after which the landscape changes.
All of these factors make it very hard for me to keep to the decision that I made last night: Today will be my last complete stage on this trip. Due to the predicted severe weather change on Saturday, I have decided to end my cycling trip tomorrow. I'll be in Germany around midday tomorrow and will be travelling the remaining part of the journey by train. I will probably go until Pforzheim, and then cycle through the Black Forest to get home. But that depends very much on the weather.
I've been observing the weather forecast for a few days and unfortunately the weather will change on Saturday and not as I first hoped on Sunday or Monday. Of course I have rain gear and warm cycling clothes with me. A whole luggage bag full, which I have now carried for more than 3,500 kilometres. But there's no reason to cycle through the Rhine floodplains and forests when it's raining, and particularly in stormy weather. With the first storm in autumn, a lot of dry dead wood falls out of the trees and that is very dangerous. So it is even questionable whether I will actually cycle the last few kilometres from Pforzheim. I decided that yesterday evening and also decided to make a detour to Belfort (Leonberg's twin town) and spend a night in Belfort. I book my accommodation in Belfort during the lunch break. So the decision is now realised.
After a night in Belfort, I continue on the last stage of my journey. Destination: Müllheim upon The Rhine. I reach the railway station 10 minutes before the train departs. That's what I call good timing. But unfortunately, I also end up in the clutches of Deutsche Bahn again. And they do their very best to push their passengers' ability to suffer to the absolute limit.
One train section is missing today. That means it's going to really be crowded. And indeed... Crowded is actually a nice way of saying it. Luckily there is STILL room for my bike. A second cyclist can also add his bike, but then it's over. The rest of the space is completely packed with people. At the next stops, people have to stay outside because there is absolutely no more room on the train. Then one lady with a bike forces her way onto the train. She is completely annoyed because it is probably so crowded every day. She shouts at the people blocking the areas for the bikes, they shout back and the tension on the train rises. Oh, Germany, how beautiful my homeland is.... It's a two-hour journey to Karlsruhe. Fortunately, the lady gets off at some point and the tension on the train calms down. We arrive in Karlsruhe 15 minutes late. The connecting train is gone now. I take another train to Pforzheim, then hop back on my bike and cycle through the beautiful Würmtal valley.
Shortly before 7 p.m., I arrive at the market square in Leonberg. A welcoming committee is already waiting for me at the Domizil. Sebastian has already ordered a cold wheat beer for me, which I really enjoy. (I don't want to glorify alcohol. But somehow the beer at the end of my cycle tours is part of the deal...). More of my friends join us and so we are a nice group enjoying the warm summer evening on the market square.
It's getting dark early and gradually getting colder. So at around 9.30 pm I make my way the last few metres until home. And of course I'm pushing my bike now!!!
Unlocking the front door, taking off my luggage bags, taking off my water bottles - just like every evening after a stage. Except that the accommodation feels very familiar.
That concludes my cycle tour from Gibraltar to Leonberg. I'm glad that, apart from the accident with the stupid electric bike, nothing worse happened during these four weeks and 3,637 kilometres. I would have loved to cycle for another two days and do entirely without the train. But then the next morning, autumn arrived with heavy rain and storms. The endless summer of 2023 is unfortunately at an end.
