Daily Stats*
| Distance |
90.6 km |
| Time |
5:22:34 h |
| Avg. Speed |
16.8 km/h |
| Max. Speed |
39.6 km/h |
| Avg. Heart Rate |
138 bpm |
| Uphill |
1115 m |
| Downhill |
1275 m |
| Avg. Temperature** |
29.0 °C |
Elevation profile [m]
Slope profile [%]
*measured by Garmin Forerunner 945 & Sigma ROX 4.0
**measured at the lower back
Daybook
After the challenging route from yesterday, this day continued with another long distance and many uphill sections. Unlike before, however, the route split into two: almost all of the climbing was in the first half, while the second half was almost completely flat or downhill.
But first things first. At around 11 am, after a relaxed breakfast, I left the accommodation in Neunkirchen. I hadn't expected the starting kilometers to be easy, but still I got disappointed — right as I headed out of Wiebelskirchen, I had to pedal over the Strietberg into open fields and back into the sun.
Wind turbines and short forest passages marked the following route through Habenichts to Marpingen. One lesson learned from previous bike trips is that every descent is followed by an ascent at some point. Accordingly, I experienced a slight sense of déjà vu when, after the descent in Marpingen, the ascent to Tholey and Theley awaited me (and no, I couldn't find Thaley, Thiley or Thuley in the geographical surroundings).
The "Primstal-Radweg" then took me via Kastel to Bierfeld, where the first regular break was planned (at around KM 35). Shortly before, there was a minor "incident" in which tree felling work held me up and I even had to lift my bike over a trunk that was blocking the road. This left me with a few scratches on my leg from the protruding branches, but otherwise no lasting damage. So I was able to enjoy the break ;-)
The next 10 km mainly consisted of a lengthy climb with a constant gradient of 5% to 15%. Here, my biggest motivation was that this would eliminate the rest of today's uphill meters, and being shaded by the forest made this final effort at least bearable. If you can imagine the bike path to Heidelberg's Königsstuhl with forest and gravel instead of asphalt, you'll have a good idea of what this part felt like.
Kell am See then was an absolute turning point. I would even say that I have rarely experienced a smoother cycle path, in terms of rideable length, with such plain asphalt as the "Ruwer-Hochwald-Radweg". Maybe I was just happy that the uphill sections were behind me, but you may agree that up to 48 km with mostly -1% or -2% gradient and plenty of shade is pretty well-suited to "let the bike run". And it's fun :-)
With an average speed of around 25 km/h, I "flew" to Trier in no time. And kept thinking how lucky I was that I didn't have to ride this part in reverse ...
To sum up, another difficult leg has been completed. Not only physically, but also mentally, this one took a lot out of me, because when you're riding uphill on gravel at a speed of 3-4 km/h, you want at least the reward of a fast descent, not an equally strenuous descent at 5-6 km/h. However, the route also had many good moments, and I can only recommend the Ruwer-Hochwald-Radweg!
Impressions
Lunch break in Bierfeld (without beer)
Crossing the "Biberdamm" (beaver dam) before the climb to Kell am See
Covered bridge on the "Ruwer-Hochwald-Radweg" near Waldrach