August 29, 2022
Day 7: EuroVelo 15 - the Rhine river (source to sea)
Laufenbrucke to Basel
Arrived in Basel! I'll get to my trip report shortly, but first ...
Ever heard of ‘Schwingen’? Neither had I until today. It’s Swiss folk wrestling, locally called ‘Hosenlupf’, and it's so popular that I arrived in Basel to find a national competition underway. My first clue that something big was happening was the hundreds of mobile homes and caravans parked up, and streams of people heading in all directions toward a stadium to watch this national sport. A passerby explained the intricacies of the sport and suggested I should go watch. However, tickets were sold out to the 48,000 people attending. I also didn’t want to fall for the oldest tourist trick in the 'attractions' book - calling the hapless tourist into the arena to pit them against the reigning Swiss champion for a 'play-wrestle' at the tourist's expense. The crowds love it ... and it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye! Fun fact: wrestlers wear ‘Schwingerhosen.’
Now, back to today’s ride. In the end, it didn’t rain last night, so I could have camped out. No regrets, though - Hotel Rebstock in Laufenburg was excellent, and I had the best sleep of my trip so far. The free schnapps provided by my waiter after dinner helped. I still have no idea why he gave it to me for free - either he liked my accent, or it was out of date!
After filling up on cheese, meats, and pastries, I headed off around 8:30 a.m. I needed to fill up my water bottles first. I’d seen two fountains the evening before, so I went to them. Unfortunately, both had “Do not drink the water” signs, so I headed to the next village to fill up. Rookie error, but it all worked out.
After climbing my first hill of the morning, I passed an elderly woman pushing her bike up the same hill. I got to the top, parked my bike, and walked back to offer help. She politely declined, but the clear message was, "I’m not so old that I need help!" Message received! We walked the remaining 40 metres together, laughing and chatting like old friends - even though neither of us understood the other. It was a beautiful start to the day.
I headed to Bad Säckingen on a shared cycleway/walkway/local-use road. It was so quiet and flat that I easily held a steady 22 km per hour. How do I know this? I passed a bike speed radar! It displayed my speed in green and gave me a thumbs-up. I could also check on my GPS, but the radar was impressive.
As I cycled through the cobbled streets of Bad Säckingen, I saw no one except a couple of tourists with cameras and a police van that drove by (they did wave back). Being Sunday, I didn’t expect much activity, but one coffee shop seemed open. Unfortunately, the owner shook his head and signalled that he didn’t open until 10 a.m. - another hour away. He finally relented, though - the tears in my eyes and drooling from my mouth were some of my best work!
After sitting down, I suddenly panicked - it was Sunday in a religious area of Germany, and four nuns were walking by on their way to church. I was drinking coffee and clearly not in my Sunday best, so not heading to church ... Heathen! They smiled as they passed, and I’m sure they said a silent prayer for me. If this makes no sense to you, you didn’t attend a school where nuns taught you!
Leaving the town centre, I crossed the river on yet another wonderful wooden bridge, travelling from Germany back into Switzerland, and continued on for a few kilometres along quiet roads beside farming fields. Upon reaching Wallbach, I took a short detour through more back streets, then down to the riverbanks again.
The ride towards Rheinfelden was some of the most tranquil I’ve done so far. There were few people out, and I travelled through forests on dirt roads for well over 10 km. Although the path brushed the edge of civilization a few times, it never took away from the serenity.
The road was well-compacted with little loose gravel, but it was a bit rough, so I slowed my pace and enjoyed the moment ... until I came around a sharp turn and saw a cyclist with his pants down, peeing into the wind. He was as surprised as I was! I averted my eyes and said, “Hi.” He was about to have a bigger surprise - the group of female walkers I’d just overtaken was only metres behind me!
As I neared the end of the gravel track and entered a more built-up area, more walkers and mountain bikers appeared. At the same point, I passed some rapids on the Rhine River!
Another break, this time in Rheinfelden, brought me to another historic town centre. By now, it was 11 a.m., and a number of cafés were open. In my quest for the best cake along the Rhine, I tried a lemon crumble with a mug of hot chocolate - delicious!
Cycling through the outskirts of Basel and into the old city centre was surprisingly pleasant. The route took me along backstreets, by the river, and through parklands - far less stressful than I expected. Arriving on a Sunday certainly helped.
After checking into my hotel, I wandered around town. There was clearly some sort of festival happening. Trams in the centre weren’t running, cars were not allowed, and security was very tight. Police with high-powered weapons were everywhere. What was going on? Schwingen ... the Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival? I found out later that a World Jewish Congress was being held, along with Schwingen, which explained the high police presence.
However, I stumbled upon another event that drew me in - downhill carting! Put a small child in a homemade cart (that Dad made), take them to the top of a hill, and let them go down at high speed, navigating a chicane that made Oberalppass look easy! It’s funny ... until someone loses an eye - or an arm or leg! After watching for about 20 minutes and seeing no such disasters, I moved on.
Rest day tomorrow!
P.S. I did get to see ‘Schwingen’! With a beer in hand, I watched it on a big screen set up in Basel’s town centre especially for the competition. It’s reaching the pointy end now as the three-day event finishes today! P.P.S. The kids’ downhill carting also wraps up today!
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