| Elapsed Time | Moving Time | Distance | Average Speed | Max Speed | Elevation Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
07:25:22
hours
|
05:14:07
hours
|
80.18
km
|
15.31
km/h
|
55.80
km/h
|
1,053.70
meters
|
Leaving the hostel before 9am was a nice feeling, especially as it’s been fairly hot the past few days and the midday & afternoon sun isn’t the most pleasant riding experience.
I’d seen that just outside Bonn was an abandoned castle ruin, on top of a mountain said to be home to dragons (or maybe that’s just a story..). So of course I wanted to check it out. Problem is that it’s on top of a 250m hill climb. But… it was early in the morning and I had a big breakfast, so I was as ready as I’ll ever be.
I had a few disagreements with Google on how to get to the mountain, but at some point I found the entrance and starting riding up the park trail through the forest. I took off one of the luggage packs and buried it in the bushes – less weight makes for an easier climb 😉 But even still, I did have to hop off and push the bike up the last third of the hill, it was way too steep for me and the ground was wet and turning to mud, I wasn’t in the mood for slipping over this early in the day.
Anyway, I got to the top and found a chateau that wasn’t going to be open for another hour, so I tried flying the drone over it until I was warned once again by security that this is Germany and you aren’t allowed. So, I packed up and went further up the hill to find this dragon castle.
Well.. apart from the view at the top, the castle ruin itself was rather disappointing. There was a single tower and a section of wall remaining. Glad there wasn’t an entrance fee to this one or I’d have been mighty pissed off. A few quick photos at the top and then back on the bike for some epic downhill back through the forest trail.
Returning to the main bike trail I had to cross the Rhine once again on a ferry and then from there it was generally just cruising for the next few hours. I stopped to check out the town of Andernach, cool little medieval fortified town, complete with a small fortress built back in the 13th century! From there smooth riding till I reached Koblenz. Oh.. let’s not forget the large hill right at the end, as per usual.
A small ride into Koblenz old town to check out the sights before dinner at a pub established back in 1689. Had a great meal of asparagus soup, a massive pot roast and a half liter of beer 🙂
