germany = cyclist heaven

so i just got back from my holiday in germany and i can't wait to go back . . . to live .

i took my old brodie equipped with 1.25" slicks , fenders , lights , bell , rear rack and panniers . great choice as i encountered a lot of different surfaces from butter smooth pavement to gravel roads to easy forest path single track and lots of cobblestones of varying smoothness .

my riding varied from one 160 km day along the eurovelo rhine route from cologne to mainz , urban riding in freiburg , and day tours around a small german town ( bergneustad ) .

i was so impressed with the acceptance of cycling as a legitimate means of transport . . . i wasn't used to being respected as a person on a bike the way i was there . drivers would back out of your way when obstructing a bike path or automatically give you the right of way when entering a round about . if you did have cars behind you , they would wait patiently until an opportunity to pass presented itself , and then would go by at a reasonable speed and space . . . no bad vibes whatsoever .

it appeared that for nearly every route a car could take , there was a recognized route for a bike as well . that might have been a well painted and marked route on the road itself , or if the road width did not permit that , then you would be directed to share the sidewalk , again marked and signed . beyond that , there was often a completely separate route for pedestrians and cyclists . on these routes , i encountered automatic traffic signals which worked in the cyclists favor .

one other thing . . . people there are friendly , everywhere i went people would respond to a nod , a greeting , a wave . at one point , i became the guest of honor at a 50th wedding anniversary when i stopped to confirm directions on a route i was doing . they set me up with beers and black forest cake , placed me in the prominent spot for family pictures and then kept me drinking for free til midnight when i stopped in on my return trip .

deutscheland : ich liebe dich !

i was so impressed with the acceptance of cycling as a legitimate means of transport . . . i wasn't used to being respected as a person on a bike the way i was there . drivers would back out of your way when obstructing a bike path or automatically give you the right of way when entering a round about . if you did have cars behind you , they would wait patiently until an opportunity to pass presented itself , and then would go by at a reasonable speed and space . . . no bad vibes whatsoever!

I found France the same ^^ way something else I found unusual was people towing trailers [HTML_REMOVED] motor homes going to the major cols of the TDF to ride up on expensive road bikes

something else I found unusual was people towing trailers [HTML_REMOVED] motor homes going to the major cols of the TDF to ride up on expensive road bikes

As a closet roadie, I don't find that the slightest bit strange yet it's also achievable

Now, as a mountain biker, I find the whole idea of the Red Bull Rampage ludicrous and not the slightest bit achievable….

Different strokes….:)

i was so impressed with the acceptance of cycling as a legitimate means of transport . . . i wasn't used to being respected as a person on a bike the way i was there . drivers would back out of your way when obstructing a bike path or automatically give you the right of way when entering a round about . if you did have cars behind you , they would wait patiently until an opportunity to pass presented itself , and then would go by at a reasonable speed and space . . . no bad vibes whatsoever

Some European countries automatically assume the car driver is at fault should an accident happen on the not unreasonable grounds that cyclists don't go out of their way to crash into cars

Changes the whole dynamic of driving. I'm not actually sure it applies in Germany but I'm sure a local can confirm…

one of the things that i like about the attitude over there is that it does place the responsibility of operating the bike safely and in a deliberate manner on the cyclist .

bikes all had to be properly equipped , and one of the my hosts at the pub night told me children are taught at an early stage about how to operate when cars are around and how to obey the rules of the road .

in freiburg , i was riding my bike through pedestrian alleys and on sidewalks shoulder to shoulder with other people and it was just accepted that you were a person on a bike going somewhere , and as long as you handled yourself safely and responsibly in any given situation , it was all good . crossing paths at 90 degrees with other riders with less than a meter separation was commonplace .

As a closet roadie, I don't find that the slightest bit strange yet it's also achievable

Now, as a mountain biker, I find the whole idea of the Red Bull Rampage ludicrous and not the slightest bit achievable….

Different strokes….:)

I road ride as well as MTB (XC and FR/DH - but I'm no Steve Smith). What blows minds about those climbs is not just the climb, but the speed the pros do it at. They climb 10 mile 8% average gradient roads faster than most of us can ride 10 miles on a flat road. Its not too different than the difference between landing a 4 foot drop and a 30 ft drop.

As a closet roadie, I don't find that the slightest bit strange yet it's also achievable

Now, as a mountain biker, I find the whole idea of the Red Bull Rampage ludicrous and not the slightest bit achievable….

Different strokes….:)

Sure its achievable in N.A. but get real that focus group is more likely to live in a walmart P-lot, be at least [HTML_REMOVED]50lbs overweight and have a walmart mtb strapped to the back of the unit, which they never actualy ride let alone up something like the col du tourmalet

the point being that cycling is a big thing in france and many parts of yurp for the common man, I have had buses and semis follow me patiently on way narrow mtn roads where there is no place to pull over and they will do so until its safe to pass

whereas in NA I am more likely to have some stupid redneck woman roll down the window and yell at me and when this does happen I am just thankful her coorslight drinking hubby just leans on the horn [HTML_REMOVED] doesn't run me off the road

whereas in NA I am more likely to have some stupid redneck woman roll down the window and yell at me and when this does happen I am just thankful her coorslight drinking hubby just leans on the horn [HTML_REMOVED] doesn't run me off the road

you thought I would run you off the road?

lol

Glad to read you had a good trip, skid.

Gotta check out copenhagen… the bikers are the ones running the people off the road. Rush hour on the bike is totally insane.

one of the things that i like about the attitude over there is that it does place the responsibility of operating the bike safely and in a deliberate manner on the cyclist .

bikes all had to be properly equipped , and one of the my hosts at the pub night told me children are taught at an early stage about how to operate when cars are around and how to obey the rules of the road . in freiburg , i was riding my bike through pedestrian alleys and on sidewalks shoulder to shoulder with other people and it was just accepted that you were a person on a bike going somewhere , and as long as you handled yourself safely and responsibly in any given situation , it was all good . crossing paths at 90 degrees with other riders with less than a meter separation was commonplace .

Yep, children usually learn this in primary school if their parents are not bike-junkies by chance.

Glad that you enjoyed it. Did you snap any pictures?

good you were not in stuttgart, as your experience would have been not so good. this city sucks for cycling :/

good you were not in stuttgart, as your experience would have been not so good. this city sucks for cycling :/

Same holds true for most of my commute to work. Small town areas and bigger cities in hilly areas do not have that many bike lanes, although things have really started to change with all the e-bikes. I agree tho it is better to ride in traffic over here than in most of North America.

not a lot of pics . . .

i just stood in awe of the koln dome . how the hell did they build that ?

other highlight of the trip : globetrotter , a five story sports only store , complete with a pool for testing water sports equipment . while we were there a scuba diving class was in progress . also featured a " cold box " for testing winter outer wear . really didn't see any better prices than what i can get here , except for a set of " globetrotter " branded ortlieb panniers which were approximately half what they cost here .

Yep, children usually learn this in primary school if their parents are not bike-junkies by chance.

Glad that you enjoyed it. Did you snap any pictures?

I didn't grow up here, but is this not something that is done in Canada? We all had to take a test in primary school on how to ride a bike on the road.