Dep 1020 Arr 730 Dist 132.9 km Total 1325.5 km
I only had four pints! I felt rough when I woke up in the hostel. I didn't know what time it was and didn't really care. I woke again for a bathroom call so had to get up and it was 7.20. I gratefully got back in bed again and eventually surfaced for breakfast at 8.45. It was a lovely sunny day so I put my lenses in and donned my sexy cycling goggles.
I got out of the town ok and made good progress considering how I was feeling. Then came the dreaded sign of a car in a blue square, which I know now means motor vehicles only. I got off and zig-zagged across from village to village ending up on a straight cycle path which looked like it would get me back on course. It went through a forest but it was dead straight. What could go wrong? Remember Hansel and Gretel? Well, every now and then there would be a fork on the road. One track went at 20 degrees, the other went at 21 degrees. One was 8ft wide, the other was 8ft 1 inch. I made a number of decisions and I think was on course and I came to a clearing with a little monument to the loggers of old who were logging on and off before we were born. There were a number of tracks branching off, one being the obvious choice, but there was a red and white plastic barrier across it from tree to tree. I could hear lumberjack work going on further down this track. Surely they would let me through. I had a sit down and something to eat while I pondered my next move. I decided to walk to where the work was happening and there were tree fellers chatting (sorry). One big fat lump, and that's being kind, with a grizzly beard flew at me ranting and raving while the other two just looked on. I calmly apologised and explained my situation and asked if there was another way. The answer was an emphatic no with more ranting. Basically they couldn't be arsed explaining. I turned and walked back with Bluto shouting after me. I knew what I was going to do. I had another snack and took off my high-viz jacket and then saw the fat guy in his van coming up the hill to the clearing. He's going, I thought. No, he just turned round and went back. Maybe it's the only place he can turn and he's going the other way. Anyway, I set off walking down the forbidden track which was quite muddy with lots of branches about. Fortunately, it was downhill so I got on and started pedalling. I went round a bend and saw his van. OK Tom let's go. I tried to accelerate but got stuck in the mud. Just then a twig got caught in my front wheel and started making more noise than all the chainsaws in the forest. As I slowly and noisily went past the van I expected the worst but it was empty and I rode away into the clear and with the welcome sight of a village ahead. I had to chuckle to myself. Here am I, a pillar of society in my own country, acting like a naughty schoolkid, or, better still, like popeye, and without the spinach. Back to Hansel and Gretel and other fairy stories. Weren't the woodcutters always the heroes who rescued people?
I got back on course but the day was dragging on a bit. One of my lenses was giving me a bit of jip and I was on a long straight road with a slight headwind. I had run out of water and felt the need to get to the campsite at Mamming before 8.00, which is when the receptions tend to shut. I got to Dingolfing and experienced verbal abuse for the first time from some teenage kids. I then asked another kid the way to Mamming and he deliberately tried to send me on the wrong side of the river. A cyclist put me right. He said the cycle path will take you straight to the camp. I set off, thirsty and hungry with my eye watering, getting close to the 8.00 cut off time. I made it to the camp before 8.00 but not only was the reception shut, the camp was shut. It was a sort of activity centre for kids but the website said it did cater for individual campers with tents. There was nothing else to do but set up camp in a quiet corner. I went into the village to ask for water and got a take-away pizza from the only place with a bit of life. The chap filled my bottles for me and I went back to the camp and enjoyed my evening meal and settled down for the night.
Today's Route
This is the story of my cycling adventures abroad together with records of training and preparation. The second and most recent ride will hopefully commence on 28th May 2013. The first took place between April 10th and May 26th 2012. It all starts at the bottom, the Blog that is. Scroll down for recent posts and click for even "Older Posts".
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