July 24, 2023 to July 25, 2023
Days 4 and 5: Riquewihr rest day, then to Molsheim
Even so early in the tour, a day off the bike in Riquewihl was exactly what we needed.
Our first few days, involving train travel and head winds, had left us feeling just a little stressed. We were also carrying too much stuff and had yet to reach peak pannier packing.
Riquewihr, a small, impossibly beautiful medieval fortified town on the Alsace wine route, is the perfect location. We have a spacious room in the 16th century building in which to spread ourselves out; there’s a post office to take care of poor packing choices (a box is on its way to London as I write this); and the heart of the village is just outside our door.
Thierry, our generous host – he gifted us a beer on arrival and a bottle of Alsace pinot blanc to enjoy on our day off - is also a weather oracle. As we’re loading panniers and bags onto the bikes this morning, he predicts the windows of dry spells between rain showers. Rain will arrive at 10am, he says, but is not surprised when it makes an unwelcome appearance 20 minutes earlier, just as we’re about to leave. (He also successfully predicts the midday deluge, we remember, as we’re eating lunch.)
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Rain jackets on, radar rear lights finally fitted and panniers perfectly balanced, we wobble our way over the cobbles and through the town gate – and immediately up a substantial hill. This is one of half a dozen decent climbs we make today as the route takes us through vineyards in the foothills of the Vosges. Given the weight we’re carrying, I resort to pushing a couple of times.
There are cyclists all over the place today, many on hired e-bikes. I would call this an excellent choice. We stop to chat with a German couple on a tandem. They’re regular tourists through Germany, France and Belgium. Bruce comments – unwisely, in my opinion – that our marriage wouldn’t survive a tandem tour . I suspect he means I don’t take direction well. Herr Husband says, ‘oh no, we love each other, we have no problems on the tandem.’ Dig yourself out of THAT hole if you can, darling.
We enjoy today’s ride, despite occasional uphills and downpours. It seems that, no sooner do we leave a gorgeous village, its equally attractive neighbour appears. We have expansive views overlooking the Rhine valley, our next destination, to the east. There’s some cycling on the shoulders of main roads, but we’re mostly on shared paths – with motor vehicles relatively rare and generally considerate.
After initially hugging the hills, with all of their ups and downs, the wine route eventually takes a more direct approach as it turns its back on the Vosges. We do the final few km to Molsheim on the shoulder of a busy road, then only have to navigate some road works and detours in town before turning into our hotel just as the rain lets loose again.
Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 253 km (157 miles)
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