We are in Germany

April 23, 2024

Our first ride on our Recumbent Tandem in Five Years

Well, we are tired, jet lag has set in. In the past few days we have taken 2 international flights, had stopovers in 2 hotels and now are with our friends at their home in a Germany. We got up our first morning here to ride to a bike shop in Limburg with the hope that they could inspect our tandem and if needed order the necessary parts. This could take time for all the pieces to come together so it is necessary for us to get there right away.

From the tropics to winter conditions…yikes. We have dressed in many layers.

It is a cold morning and it is now snowing.

Our ride today is certainly not boring…we haven’t ridden Seavo in 5 years so we are using unfamiliar muscles and adjusting to riding a tandem and not trikes. That part went surprisingly well, but the weather did not cooperate…first snow, then hail. Oh well, next week’s prediction is for warmer sunny weather.

This beautiful border collie is having a great morning chasing a frisbee in the grass by the bike route.

The beautiful rolling hills and rural scenery of this area is something we have missed.

Our friends have been extremely busy over the past 5 years converting their heating to a state of the art wood burning furnace and solar energy. This structure houses their new furnace and the large garage door accomodates their tractor which delivers the wood for the furnace. The circular metal item in the right foreground is where they create huge rounds of firewood.

Their new heating system and solar panels provide heat for their home as well as for another house on their property. The Reitz family have effectively done much work to reduce their impact on the environment and to implement a sustainable method of heating and providing electricity for their home.

Food is always a highlight when we stay with the Reitz family. Today we are having potato soup with sausage that is stuffed with cheese. Tasty.

We just heard from the bike shop…not the best news. Parts that are needed for Seavo are proving difficult to find which makes it difficult to make a plan to start our trip. Next Wednesday is a national holiday and if the parts don’t arrive before that, we will be set back again. The clock is ticking. So we decided to have Seavo remain in the shop until the job is done. This is disappointing on many levels. We share a passion for riding with our friends in their area and we feel like a “duck out of water” without our tandem.
The bike shop has done what they can and they have replaced both chainrings, changed Rohloff oil etc. The problem they are having is sourcing a new sprocket for our Rohloff internal gear hub and a new chain ring with the right number of teeth for the Bafang motor.
Good news…they may have found the needed parts, but it will take some days to get them. We will stay with our friends on their farm. We are grateful to have such kind and hospitable friends as Georg and Cora.

Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles)
Total: 25 km (16 miles)

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