Thursday, July 31, 2014

Stubentalalm & Fichtelhütte

Out biking in super conditions today, a Thursday none the less. I guess we have had about five to six “nice” Thursdays this year. We all met up at the gym again, at the beginning wondering where we should go as Inge wasn't there. Luckily she turned up just as the bell struck quarter to seven, with a plan of what to do.
Set of towards Bayerstetten, just as last week, but in Reichenbach we turned up towards the Haslacher Alm. Had a way to go uphill, with Hopsing and Paulina always coming back down again to check if we where there. Passed the Haslacher Alm and continued on to the Stubentalalm on forest roads. Just like on Tuesday. After the Alm we took a different route, further downhill and then left along the back side of the Alpspitze. After biking uphill for a long time we where greeted with the Breitenberg being coloured red by the setting sun. Had to get a picture of that and then tried to catch up again. I did not manage that, they where travelling at exactly the same speed I was. Every time I rounded a corner they where already at the next. After chasing them across half the mountain some took pity on me and waited a short while.
Reaching the Dinserhütte we proceeded up to the Fichtelhütte. At some point I went from biking into photography-modus, as my camera was out every five minutes. The scenery was spectacular, the sun setting and casting everything in red with the clouds at just the right hight that they passed us.
At the top we had a small celebration drink, as Hopsing has just finished his Trans-Alp biking, which took seven day. Probably something I could not manage at the moment in that time. He told us a bit what had happened and it sounded like it was fun.
Downhill after the small party, with the night approaching. We reached the Bistro at the right time and had a drink. We where joined by Michael shortly after that, who had just biked up the mountain with his self built tandem bike. Fitted with lots of technical gadget (disc breaks, electric motor, etc.) he is very proud of it (it's a superb piece of engineering) and even let some of us have a try on it.
Left after a while, destination home with a warm shower.
Track at GPSies, pictures at Picasa and a video from near the top here. Dad's blog of Group 2 here.

Time in saddle: 2 hours 15 min.
Average speed: 10.1 km/h
Distance: 22.8 km

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Stubentalalm and Obere Reuterwanne

Nico is back again, so our Tuesday biking can proceed as normal. Well, nearly normal. Due to bad weather, we where joined by Heidi and Dad on mountain bikes. Race biking must be really bad in wet conditions.
As Nico had to work later he wasn't able to manage it at the agreed time, so we biked towards Maria Rein and met him halfway there. Continued along the “Indianerpfad” towards Reinen and then around the back and over the dam to Reichenbach. We built in a few extra metres in altitude on a detour.
After that it was up towards the Haslacher Alm, the only people we met where a couple walking up and the cow herder with his cows in the Alm at the top. The weather was not hot at all today, more along the line of cloudy, Gray and wet. I think that is better than 35°C in sweltering sun, but that is my opinion. We reached the top and had a look at the spectacular view. We saw for about 50 metres, if even that, as we where stuck in the middle of the clouds. Back downhill again, me in the lead scarring up a rabbit. He disappeared to my left, but apparently reappeared right in front of Dad, who had to do a full break. Apparently the rabbit was in some kind of shock after that with adrenalin to spend as it went whizzing down the track in front of Nico and Heidi in a zigzag motion.
Reached the bottom and biked Nico back to Maria Rein before going down in to the dark Wertach valley and back up the other side to home.
Track at GPSies, pictures at Picasa and Dad's blog here.

Time in saddle: 2 hours 45 min.
Average speed: 11.0 km/h
Distance: 30.2 km

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Elleg & Reuterwanne

Thursday evening again, as every week. The weather was surprisingly good for a Thursday, lots of sun, but cloudy to the end.
Set of punctually at 18.45 from the gym towards Bayerstetten, where we met/overtook Group 2 before carrying on around the back of Reichenbach to the Grüntensee. I still had my sunglasses on, but in the forest they where more of a hindrance as a help, so off the went. I think Inge had a puncture at one point but it was fixed so fast that I am not sure it really was one. Carried on around the Grüntensee with a beautiful sunshine shining across the lake. Got some really good pictures of a surprisingly calm Grüntensee. After that it was up the Elleg and across some of its field. Motto of the day: Where there a field there is a way.
At one point a nearly absolute disaster happened, Matthias probably had so much power that the chain actually ripped in half (it could also be old age, but who knows). Luckily for him and us another fellow was there which doesn't bike with us too often (Karl-Heinz) who had a complete kit to fix that sort of problem, so we where all back on the bikes in under ten minutes. Biked along some back way behind Wertach before we came back down to the sawmill and went round the back and up towards the Reuterwanne past the Alpe Toni. A rather embarrassing situation, as the two youngest (Matthias and me) where at the back by a large margin when we reached the Untere Reuterwanne. We also met Group 2 there which had just come down the trail the other way and had sat down for a drink.
After we had stopped for a short rest, the Groups split up a bit. Most of Group 2 carried on down the way we had come up and then along the main road back to Nesselwang, as it was getting dark already. Dad came with Group 1 as he was felling fit and healthy, but we also split up a bit further uphill. About half went back down into the valley to Jungholz and then the same way Group 2 went, while the rest carried up towards the Obere Reuterwanne and then biked down the front to Reichenback in darkness. We reached the Bistro after everybody else had, but without any problems and then had some drinks.
Track at GPSies, pictures at Picasa, Dads blog here and a link to Sepps report here.

Time in saddle: 3 hours0
Average speed: 11.6 km/h
Distance: 34.2 km

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Kappler Alm, Gundhütte and Fichtelhütte

Tuesday biking today again, but this time not with Nico. He is currently in Egypt, enjoying the sunshine. He probably took all of it with him as we have had rain since Sunday evening. Is not to cold, thought.
Heidi picked up me and Dad and we set of towards Jons to met up with the rest that had abandoned race biking for mountain biking today. The weather was a bit willy today, so we took our usual tour from Nesselwang up to Maria Trost. We had to get our long clothes of before biking uphill, so we stopped at the bridge near the bottom to store our long things away. After some biking uphill we reached Maria Trost and the weather had not worsened (still overcast) so we carried on up Heartbrake Hill. We got above the lowest cloud layer at one point and had some nice pictures of the countryside. Reached the crossing to the Kappler Alm after just about an hour of biking and continued on to the Kappler Alm where we got our long and waterproof clothes back on.
Just as we left it started poring down and I thought it was hilarious because we had just reached the point of “no turning round”. Jon said his goodbye to us further along and biked down to Kappel and then back home, whilst Heidi, Dad and I continued on towards the Gundhütte. I wanted to go back home via Pfronten, but Heidi and Dad thought that that would be to many kilometres and instead chose the “short cut” strait across the Edelsberg. Biked up that, spotting some deer and otherwise not seeing a lot, as we where in the midst of the clouds.
Reached the top after another few hundred metres of altitude and biked down all the way to Nesselwang via the Bayernkurve.
On that day we had only met one other biker and where all by ourselves the rest of the time. Went back to Heidis to wash our bikes and then back home for a shower.
Track at GPSies, pictures at Picasa and Dads blog here.

Time in saddle: 2 hours 45 min.
Average speed: 8.0 km/h
Distance: 22 km

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Dietringen Lifeguard

Spent the whole weekend at one of the largest lakes in the area. Was on duty for water rescue at Dietringen by the Forgensee.
Out shift started at 10.00 o'clock on Saturday and finished at 5 PM on Sunday (with the night in between also having no duty), meaning we could spend the night at the lake. Got our boat there with Dads help and got comfortable in the hut provided at the shore. Nothing noteworthy happened, we went out in our boat a few times, dodging the sailing boats which had massed on the lake.
After our shift had ended on the first day we set up our grill and had a late night, meeting some sailers along the shore which had used some driftwood to make a camp fire.
Next day we where back to work at 10 AM, a lot of people there already. The beach was abruptly empty when a thunderstorm decided to say hello on its way along the Alps in the afternoon. After we had seen all the boat get back to port after that “greeting” we packed our things as it was rather obvious that no one would come swimming again today.
A long and fun weekend with a lot of boat driving.
Some pictures at Picasa and Dad wrote a blog here.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Kappler Alm & Alpe Sorg

As I had nothing planned after work today and I often finish early on Fridays it was back on to the bike, even after biking on Thursday. Heidi had offered to go biking as she has Friday afternoons of, too.
Met up at beautiful sunshine and sweltering temperatures in the afternoon and the first thing we did was bike up the Alpspitze. To get there we had to pass a flock of children and parents walking towards the very mountain we wanted to bike up. After lots of dodging and ringing (kids don't react to that) we managed it past them and got up the Alpspitze at a rather fast pace. We had our fair share of sweltering moments on some near to white gravel, but whilst chatting to Heidi we where up in a jiffy. After that downhill towards the Kappler Alm and further towards the Gundhütte. Tried to get there on Wednesday but didn't want to take the risk going down along a trail on my own (and I didn't know the way). After the Gundhütte there where two trail to chose from, one would allow us a nice run downhill and the other would mean some walking. Both of them start in the same direction and end up at the same point, but none of us two had an idea which was which. Guess which one was taken.
After some getting of and on, and some nice trails through the forest we arrived at the bottom and headed for the Bärenmossalpe. We couldn't carry on for long though, as the lumberjacks where in that part of the forest somewhere so we turned round and headed for the Sorgalm, where I had forgotten my bottle last night. On the way we biked up some pretty step roads, me and another biker pushed up while Heidi biked it all. After retrieving my bottle and having a drink and piece of cake we biked back via the main road and said goodbye at my home. I met Heidi again later, weirdly, as I still had some shopping to do and she was there just by chance to.
Track at GPSies and some pictures at Picasa.

Time in saddle: 3 hours
Average speed: 12.0 km/h
Distance: 36.6 km

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Schnitzlertalalm & Alpe Sorg

First thing with my bike today was getting to work, and then back. After a short tour up the Alpspitze yesterday (and getting lost on it somehow) I had some problems with my front disc breaks, so I biked past Jon and got them fixed up again.
Group 1 met at the gym a bit earlier today, as we had a longer tour planned and the days are getting shorter again. Set of at 18.33 o'clock, with a total of nine people on the move today. At first we did a rather new detour towards Gschwend round the back, behind my families home. After the we saved going down into Wertachtal by cheating (we used the main road bridge) and the round the Grüntensee at top speed. Managed it to Wertach no problem and continued on until we arrived at the bottom of the Wertacher Hörnle. Our aim was to get to the top, down the other side and to an Alm on the other side. Biked up and up, in the bottom half there where some rather step climbs with gravel, but we managed to stay on our bikes. Stopped for a drink in the middle of a field at one point, right in the sunshine. I was sweating the water out faster than I could get it back in again. After a long way up, with Paulina an Hopsing always shooting up ahead and coming back down again we reached the Schnitzlertalalm and after that it was only a short ways to the top. We had something to eat and got our long clothes on before setting of back downhill along some interesting trails. Spotted a deer at one point and slowed down a bit, as we where not sure if it would jump out in front of us. We never saw it again and apparently there was a hunter in a deer stand we passed, so we probably helped the deer live and the hunter be a BIT peeved at us.
We carried on to the Alpe Sorg I and had two or three spirits and some beer to drink before we biked back to Nesselwang in the black of the night with lights on. Tight formation for optimal wind usage and we got back no problem before Moni and me headed back home whilst the rest carried on to the Bisto. Super tour once again thought of by Inge.
Track at GPSies and pictures at Picasa.

Time in saddle: 2 hours 40 min.
Average speed: 14.4 km/h
Distance: 39.1 km

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Up the Elleg and Buron

After three weeks of no biking I was finally back on the bike with the Thursday group.
Before we set of on our tour we meet up at the gym and had a lengthy discussion about where to go. Group 2 had an idea rather fast so they where of and Group 1 decided after a few minutes that we would head of towards the Elleg and the perhaps also take the Buron.
The weather wasn't the best, overcast sky, a strong head wind and the smell of rain on its way. Getting to Haslach was a challenge in itself, as the wind was against us getting there and it had some strong arguments. Arrived there eventually and went uphill to Feistenoy, watching Paulina get ready for a tour tomorrow. After that up the Elleg where it started to drizzle a bit. Put on our long clothes and whizzed down to Wertach before going back up the other side to the Buron hut. Arrived at the top rather fast, as I had a very lively talk with Heidi. That does seem to shorten the felt biking time.
Long and rainproof clothes on after the and downhill in wet conditions before heading back to the Bistro for a drink.
Track at GPSies and pictures at Picasa. Dads blog of Group 2 here and the TVN report here.

Time in saddle: 1 hour 40 min.
Average speed: 13.8 km/h
Distance: 22.8 km