Day 14 - Pforzheim-Strasbourg-Sept.7

Well I spoke too soon last night, shouldn't have mentioned the weather....guess what we woke up to this morning?  You guessed it.  No choice but to go out and start cycling by 8:30 this morning.  It was tough getting out of Pforzheim - there are supposed to be bike paths but they don't always go where you think they are going so a few extra kilometers first thing this morning already and those extra kilometers included some very steep climbs.  It was a lot slower going than originally planned so all the stops along the way were later.  We did manage to meet up at 11:00 for a late coffee break.  Here Bill was treated to a special piece of cake - it's his birthday today and we helped him celebrate.  His wife, Rita, has her birthday tomorrow so we will be celebrating with her as well.

Bill is having his birthday cake with coffee today....

The ride today took the cyclists through some of the Black Forest area - it was still great to see this but it would have been so much nicer if the sun had been shining.  Lots of lumber trucks on the roads - doesn't always leave a lot of room for cyclists but everyone was especially careful on the wet pavement.  There were dry spells as well today and the cylists did make good time then.  By 1:00 it was decided to take some short cuts in the route and that led the cyclists to a spot way up high where the view down below was breathtaking.  We could see the winding road below and there was a sign at the top saying there was an 18%  grade for the next 7.2 kilometers.  Thankfully it was dry at the time and the cyclists started off - the van decided to stay back for a bit and give them a head start.  We met up with them again at the bottom - everyone got down safely - I'm sure a few prayers were said....

This was the point where the 7.2 km downhill started

Time is ticking away and we are still quite a ways from our final destination for today - we call ahead to see if supper can be postponed an hour and we get going again.  The last hour was in the rain again - we crossed into France today and are staying at a youth hostel in Strasbourg for tonight and tomorrow night.  The cyclists beat the van in today - rush hour traffic and construction made it a very slow drive in for the van.  Tomorrow is a day off - a few tours are planned and everyone needs some down time. 

Distance cycled  145 km     Flat tires  2         Total Flats    14