Tag: ottobeuren

Day 13 – Ottobeuren to Munich 🇩🇪 (unlucky for some)

Across Bavaria – 1926ft of elevation and one gear

The Velominati, self-elected “keepers of the cog” and all round authority on cycling etiquette suggest that should you draw race number 13, you should “turn the number upside down to counter-act its negative energy”. I am not a superstitious man, but in prospect it seems fitting that the day fraught with the most potential peril falls on Day 13 of the trip.

Starting the day in the bike shop

Anne’s bike shop is a convenient 2 minute downhill spin from the hotel, so I freewheel my way to arrive for opening. This is the middle of rural Bavaria, and I’m greeted by a pair of friendly local mechanics. Owing to my shameful lack of German, we’re able to communicate through our shared language of all-things bike. The diagnosis is quick (brandishing the shorn shifter probably helped), but sadly the prognosis is grim – this is an outdated and rare component. Not only do they not have it in stock, but they suspect it’ll be tricky to find anywhere in Germany. They are able, however, to ‘lock’ the chain in the middle of the rear cassette – to provide a single more manageable gear than the ‘top-gear’ it currently sits in. Ladies and gentlemen, the tour will have to continue on a fixie!

Despite spending 20 minutes working on my bike, re-lubing the chain and inflating the tyres, the mechanics refuse any payment. It’s occasions like this that you’re reminded of the fraternal nature of the cycling community. Thank you to Anne’s Bike Shop – Ottobeuren.

So with that, the task at hand becomes clear. With no local resolution possible, I’m going to cycle to Munich, in the hope of locating the labour and parts required to restore my bike to full functionality. The kicker? This 70 mile journey will be in a single gear. A quick check of the map reveals I’m in luck – Bavaria is rolling, but certainly not overly hilly.

Status update from the banks of Ammersee

It’s a pleasant route, winding through farms on minor open roads. Again, there’s a simplicity to the task at hand. With just the single gear, it’s not possible to push the pace so I soak up the sunshine and enjoy the rustic views. The road ramps to 10% every now and then, forcing me to hammer away at the pedals to stay upright, but for the most part it’s uneventful, methodical and dare I say rather enjoyable.

So far so good

When Lake Ammersee rolls into sight, just 25km from Munich City Centre, I know that success is within reach and it’s not long before a series of red lights, divergent cycle paths and traffic signal the approach of a major city. It’s a sound strategy in these situations to shadow a local, for they will know when to gamble and when to be patient. Following this approach I follow a top-knotted chap (on a rather splendid steel city bike) right into the Neo-Gothic heart of Marienplatz.

Mission accomplished – Marienplatz

Mission accomplished. Now to check into the Holiday Inn Munich City Centre, get changed and head out to celebrate. Serendipitously, it transpires that a friend I first met in the Whitsunday Islands four years ago also happens to be in Munich for the evening and kindly extends the offer to join them for pizza and vino. Fabulous company, great to catch up and we plan to meet in Augsburg (one of the oldest Cities in Germany I’m reliably informed) on Sunday.

Check in get changed and head out!

In retrospect, it was fortunate the shifter snapped when it did. While cycling 150km in a single gear was inconvenient, it would have been truly catastrophic had it failed 3 days ago while slogging up an Alp. It introduced a degree of intrigue and challenge into today’s potentially humdrum route and will force me to spend a few more days in Munich, catching up with friends and experiencing a marvellous city. Perhaps the number 13 isn’t so unlucky after all.

Day 12 – Rankweil 🇦🇹 to Ottobeuren 🇩🇪

Countries: Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Distance: 120km

If, for some bizarre reason, you had to rank the best breakfasts for cycling, ham salad wouldn’t make it anywhere near the list. This likely set the tone for what proved to be an incredibly testing day in the saddle. Again, I’m undecided on where to head today (can you see a theme developing here?), so will cycle to Lake Constance and commit from there.

After a fleeting foray onto Austrian soil I’m back in Switzerland and again have The Rhine for company. The skies are ominously grey and soon launch the opening salvo in what will prove to be a day long deluge. Eventually a drenched, disillusioned and grumpy Sam arrives in Bregenz, on the banks of Lake Constance. If Lake Lucerne was fifty shades of blue, today we’re dealing with a single shade of grey.

One shade of grey

I take the opportunity to chain drink coffee and FaceTime my parents. They’re pretty good at contextualising the situation and taking their advice I opt to strike out for Munich. Many of my fondest memories involve cycling with my Dad, who has patiently changed my punctures and designed tours together from a young age (from my first ‘proper’ 4-mile bike ride as a toddler to trail laps of Menorca). Spirits lifted, it’s time to push on – with a clear plan and destination.

It’s a lot easier when someone else designs the route!

Come mid-morning it’s time for another blissfully uneventful border crossing, this time into Germany. The route to Munich doesn’t follow a Eurovelo path, so again I’ll be relying on Google Maps and my wits (ha.) to navigate a course. Despite my marginally sunnier disposition post pep-talk, today’s adversary, the weather, has also taken the opportunity to strengthen her resolve and is launching a full-scale aquatic assault. Positively (and thankfully) my bikepacking bags (Ortlieb Handlebar Bag, Alpkit Analoko Frame Bag, Tailfin ‘Panniers’) withstand the deluge admirably. The forecast suggests the weather isn’t going to improve so I push on.

Little pomp accompanies the border crossings

You need to experience the downs to fully appreciate the ups. I must confess, by mid-afternoon my temperament is as dark as the storm clouds as I peel off the road to take shelter in a deserted children’s play area. This is not how one imagines a cycle tour, but it’s all part of the experience. I’d urge anyone planning a trip to prepare for such an eventuality.

A cycle touring reality check – LIVE from a play area!

Little did I know the cycling gods had saved a final coup de grâce to crown a historically hellacious day. German cycle paths take in a series of minor roads and gritty trail. As I’m riding one of the trail sections, flitting through the gears to find a more manageable option, I hear a crack and feel the gear change lever snap cleanly into my glove. I bring the bike to a stop and stare dumbfounded at this now useless length of carbon fibre. I’m in the middle of nowhere, it’s pissing it down, and I’ve just lost the ability to change gear. To compound the problem, the bike has failed in the smallest (read hardest) cog, so any further movement will require me laying down the watts! Hastily re-planning, I find an open hotel some 30 kilometres down the road and have no option but to ride in my one remaining gear. While rainy, thankfully the gradients are gentle and I grind out the distance without further drama.

Problem.

Never, in all my life, have I been so pleased to arrive at a destination. I’ve ended up at the Hotel St Ulrich in the Bavarian town of Ottobeuren. As luck would have it, it’s an attractive spa town and enjoyable place to spend an evening. The hotel owners, reading the stress written across my face, are fabulously warm and kind, offering to assist in drying my many bags and finding safe bicycle storage for the night.

Basic but comfortable

Some days, you just need a beer. I find a Chinese restaurant in town, order a mountain of comforting warm food and unwind. There isn’t much a warm meal and cold beer can’t fix. As luck would have it I see there’s a bike shop in Ottobeuren opening at 8am the following day. I’ll be there. The bill comes and I’m amused to see that pro-rata beer is cheaper than water. Welcome to Germany.

By the end of the meal I’m feeling relaxed and ready for my bed. Even without the mechanical, today required resilience to push through. I figure that tough times make tough people and one day I’ll laugh about a day from hell spent battling through Bavaria.