Generic Touring Thread

Ever since watching this video
about two years ago, I wanted to ride the Bikepacking Trans Germany (BTG) trail. It starts in Basel, and makes its way up to the north of Germany along 1600k of forest roads, gravel, tarmac, old cobblestone, and singletrack.

Das Fahrrad:

Since I don’t own a car, and taking a bike on the train seems like too much of a hassle, I decide to cycle towards Basel from my home in the south of the Netherlands. Then do a section of the route, swing off somewhere, and make my way back home. I have three weeks.

My route:

Fully vaccinated and packing some self-tests, I set off on August 21st. The flat lands make progress effortless during the first days. I needn't worry though; ripples in the earth will slow me down soon enough.

The following days are moody: drizzly and foggy, but not cold. The Vennbahn is an excellent bicycle highway in the direction of Switzerland; smooth tarmac surrounded by dense forests, full of pine trees. Then the hills finally start, and I have to wake up my skinny Dutch legs for something they’re not used to.

A week has passed now. The weather takes a turn for the worse, but not before my stomach does. My tiny green tent is turned into a sick bed, as I struggle with liquid bowel movements for a day. The next morning things seem solid enough again, but having lost a day I opt not to start the BTG portion of the tour in Basel. Instead, I directly cross-over from Steinach (some 100k north of Basel) to the BTG trail. Going east I will meet it soon enough.

And what an introduction it is. A quote from the BTG info page:

There are technical sections along the route but almost all of them are rideable, even with a heavy loaded bike. The only exception is a 2km section through Hell’s Kitchen gorge that you will face on the first day of the ride. This section will require you to carry your bike in some ridiculously steep sections.

The word ‘ridiculous’ keeps echoing in my head. I am having to carry my bike up infuriatingly slippy hiking paths, with the panniers removed from my 35kg rig. All the while asking myself out loud who would make such a route. Maybe the better question is why I’m riding it, but right now is not the time for self-reflection.

Kilometers of extremely rooty single track are completely eroding my enthusiasm for this route. At this point I am just trying to make it through the day. The rain is coming down in full force now, and all signs of it being summer have ceased. I’m so put off by my first BTG day, that I reluctantly make the decision to ‘resort’ to traditional road touring going forward.

And what do you know? The sun starts shining again, Cadillac gravel roads emerge in front of me, and I’m enjoying myself again. The forecast shows a week of rainbows and butterflies, and I set my crosshairs to Leipzig, where I am meeting up with Tijmen. Arriving there, two weeks of pedalling is put on pause to fiddle with bikes, eat all the homemade food that’s put in front of me, and sleep like a baby in an actual bed.

The wrenching isn’t for nothing: Tijmen is going against all trends by replacing his one-by crankset with a double, to get some easier gears on his bike. He will accompany me for two days starting in Leipzig, heading west (back home for me). No one in five tours and around 10.000k has ever toured with me, but it’s a big success. A couple of hours pass while our rhythms sync up, and we conquer some tough hills together.

After two fun days it’s time to say goodbye again, after Tijmen hands over the GPS routes of the final three days he has made for me. And they are more ambitious than I probably would have made them. Ramping up in distance as the days go on, because why not. The final stretch was supposed to be 140k, but a ferry that apparently only operates during the weekend makes me backtrack to a bridge, adding another 20k to the mix. Done and dusted, I arrive home after three weeks of touring. I don’t unpack. In fact, I don’t do much of anything. I eat, and I sleep. And that’s it.