Groß Köris

September 4, 2017

Another cool day! But we were expecting that. The good news was the sun. It was out and shining! And tomorrow will be better. And flatter! Not a bad way to end our trip!

But it will be hard to be flatter than today was. I dressed the same as yesterday, less the second jersey. But I could already feel the warmth as I stepped out of the hotel. Still, I anticipated wind, and it was still in the low 50s by the time we pushed off, so I was content wearing the leg warmers. They never seemed to bother me when it warmed up like having too many upper body layers on did, and if they become a bother, they are easy to doff.

Today's ride to Groß Köris.

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Our first stop was at a nearby bike shop. Everyone wanted air in their tires. Even me, who often does not worry about these things too much. But Happy, before he dropped me yesterday, remarked that my tires looked "squishy" and I needed air. OK, I went along. I had not added air since Dijon. But upon completing the operation, it was determined I wasn't so low on air after all! 3.8 bar . . . about 55 psi. My tires are rated for 65 to 70. So not bad for 1500 miles! But I did add that extra 10 psi.

Of course, replacing that 10 psi was something I would feel all day in my head, if not in my butt! I ride a stiff bike as it is, an aluminum Cannondale with large tubes. Yesterday I was feeling it, so I was sure today would not be any better. But it was pretty, and the first 20 miles went by relatively unnoticed. I'm training myself to not pay attention to the "Distance Remaining" data point and to focus more on the ride. We traversed some really beautiful areas and lots of cute towns.

An Evangelische Kirche (Evangelical Church) just outside Finsterwalde, less than two miles from our ride start.

Speaking of the towns and villages, they are so different than the US. First, they look older! Second, they don't tear down; they reconstruct! Third, they reconstruct in a style keeping with the village. And then they take good care of their property. Mind you, these homes do not have lavish yards and big garages. They are modest and have an urban feel even in small villages. And window boxes overflowing with flowers. And all of this is true, from France to Switzerland to Austria and onward, throughout our trip. Of course the big urban centers are different, but compared to the US, they seem more conservation-oriented here with their housing stock.

Outside of that, we mostly rode through agricultural lands. But we also passed through several tree farms and rode along nice bike trails between villages. The tree farms were quite extensive and stretched for a good ten miles or so, on and off, interrupted only by the occasional village or agricultural field.

What an inviting road! This was the beginning of a tree farm we rode through at about MP 5.

As you can see, the trees are planted in pretty regular rows, uniformly spaced. The uniformity has an oddly relaxing quality about it.

Our first bike trail was in Goßmar, where we picked up a trail that followed a waterway (Am Goßmarer Fließ) for about three miles to Luckau. It was almost too easy to miss and was not marked, but my Garmin signaled I was off course right away, so I turned back to find it. Bike facilities can be easy to miss as they are very prevalent, and we're not so used to the integrated infrastructure design you find in Germany, so you need to be on the lookout, or else you will find yourself staring at one from the travel lane wondering why you weren't riding on the trail instead! But once on it, what a beautiful ride. Truly a trail in the middle of "nowhere," but it shows you how important short connections are for the Germans, who use bikes for everyday travel more than we do!

The wooded trail along Am Goßmarer Fließ.

The weather warmed up sufficiently that I doffed my rain jacket after about 30 miles into the ride, about 20 miles from the end point. I could have done so much earlier, but sometimes I just get lazy. Plus we had strong headwinds, so it helped fend off the wind chill a bit. According to my Garmin, it didn't hit 65°F until 30 miles into our ride, at about where I doffed the jacket. I added my orange short-sleeved jersey for visibility and finished the ride feeling comfortable.

As we approached Groß Köris, we entered more tree farms and then followed another nice bike trail into the town itself.

A tree farm outside of Groß Köris. The roads through the farms are narrow with little traffic.

And shortly thereafter, we were on another bike trail! This is a big change from the Czech Republic!

I continued to follow the course, thinking our hotel was up ahead in the town zentrum . . . but that was a mistake! Groß Köris is more a getaway place and is surrounded by lakes. No real town center per se. So, while I missed my turn to our hotel, it allowed me to tour the town a bit and see this wonderful old drawbridge.

Yes, an old drawbridge, with a road surface in dire need of upkeep! This bridge crosses a channel connecting two of the lakes on either side of Groß Köris.

Once I realized my error, I rerouted myself back to our hotel. I don't like to backtrack, so took a longer route across town and then back south. Our hotel was a delight. I arrived first and was anxious to enjoy the remainder of the day in the beer garden out front. And I did, while waiting for the boys to arrive!

Hotel & Restaurant Seeschlösschen, where we also had dinner.

But first, a little refreshment! The weather was perfect and calling me to continue enjoying it!

So all in all, a nice day except for my butt, which was definitely chafing and stinging! The two days off in Prague helped a lot, but yesterday I started feeling uncomfortable again, and today it continued. One more day of 30 miles or so, and we'll be in Berlin. I know Mark will want to ride when I get home, but he may have to take a two-week rain check!

Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 1,783 miles (2,869 km)

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