July 26, 2023
Day 6: Molsheim to Offendorf
Last night’s hotel was a cut above our usual standard of accommodation. But Bruce, when given permission to choose, has form in this department. It was he who booked two nights in French chateaux on our last trip to France four years ago.
Hotel Diana did not fall far short of chateau standard; we enjoyed the heated indoor pool before dinner, and left barely enough room for dessert in the opulent hotel dining room before staggering to bed.
Today’s dramas are...barely dramatic, I hate to report. There are two attempts at leaving the hotel this morning, one without and one with my passport. From Molsheim (the second time) the route is a straightforward ride through farmland and small villages, nearly always on bike paths. Old friend Tail Wind has joined us for the ride too. We turn right onto a canal path accompanying the River Bruche and are happy to discover a canalside café for morning coffee.
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There’s some kerfuffle around losing and finding the route a couple of times, as Strava reveals, but we make steady progress. Our lunch stop is a seat in a deserted village with a flat surface suitable for tea-making – a new initiative on this trip – accompanied by the croissants and pain au chocolat liberated from the hotel dining room this morning. There is such a thing as a free lunch!
Before we know it, the last small village segues into the outskirts of Strasbourg. Here Tour Leader excels himself. He’s decided he needs a better and safer system for carrying stuff on his rear carrier than the current jumble of bags and straps. He’s looking for a trunk bag like mine and has done the research regarding the location of a couple of bike shops in Strasbourg. Each shop, however, fails to deliver (urban bike shops carry cool urban stuff or bike-packing gear, it turns out, not plain old grey-nomad bike-touring stuff). However, each shop recommends another that might just have what he wants.
We spend an exhilarating hour whizzing through the streets of central Strasbourg, seeing much more of the city’s majestic buildings than we thought we would. Painted bike lanes abound, though they constantly veer from the road to shared bus lanes to footpaths and back again. I’d love to have photographic evidence but there’s no chance to pull out my phone – too much else to concentrate on.
The mission is a failure in terms of buying a bag . . but it’s been so much fun!
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We’ve arranged to meet tonight’s B and B host at 4pm, so it’s time to leave the hustle and bustle of the big city. Tour Leader has plotted a route out that takes us through a large green space near the Rhine. Our leafy raised path with a well-sealed surface appears to be a flood protection levee. This is easy riding, with only a few pedestrians and oncoming cyclists to worry about. It’s been a rain-free day so far but, approaching our destination, a few tell-tale spits hurry us along.
Five minutes before the hour, we’re at the gate of ‘Au berceau du loup agile’ – an intriguing name not at all helped by Google Translate. This mystery warrants further investigation.
Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 315 km (196 miles)
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