news from the peloton
Russell duz Deutschland, July, 2005
This picture ran in the local newspaper - celebrities!
You know, vacations come to many of us not often enough. Through our daily lives of fast paced hustle and time constraining agendas, a real vacation is hard to find. About 4 months ago my good friend and Deutschland native Thomas planted the bug. He painted a fantastic picture of relaxation through cycling, my only real sanctuary. To me, cycling is like church. I'm the most focused and at peace when I'm riding. It's the place where my thoughts are the clearest and my mind can wander. Thomas and I quickly began to plan 7-10 days of pure cycling through the country villages of his home town near Frankfurt Germany.
Willi "Villi" the Williger and the many valleys
After a major pain in my ass getting my passport just days prior to my flight, I was ready to head over the pond for the first time. I flew alone meeting Thomas and Kevin (friend and co-worker of Thomas) in Frankfurt Int. We took Thomas' brother's Team Suzuki van north towards Ulrichstein, a small village (or as we will soon call them, "Willages") about the size of Cle Elum. We stayed just down the valley in Untes-Seibertenrod where Thomas and neighbor Willi grew up. Willi the Willager from the valley we called him, or Willi Voigt, named after the German superstar cyclist Jens Voigt. Willi took on that name a few days into our weeks riding. I didn't expect a country bumpkin and full time design consultant to have such strength and power. Must be mom's home cooking and Strawberry cake!
Willi also had a treat for us. Jan Ullrich's Giant racing frame! Willi has been doing some contract work for Giant Europe designing the T-Mobile team graphics. Turns out Giant sent Willi Jan's frame to study for next years art work ideas. The German's cycling mojo must have worn off on him.
The riding in these parts of Germany is very reminiscent of northern Cal. Beautiful rolling hills and valleys full of hay, wheat and corn farms, but not many grapes. The roads are perfect! I didn't expect that. Even out in the sticks and back roads of these farm lands the tractor paths are paved. There is little or no shoulder for cyclists but that was never a concern. Cars drive fast but respect cyclists. In Europe, the speed limits are whatever you feel comfortable with, unless otherwise posted. Occasionally we would get buzzed by a BMW or Mercedes doing 140k but we mostly stayed to the back roads of the villages, weaving in and out of small towns. You ride up and out of one valley, the longest climbs averaging 2-3k, and descend into the next village. We did the math and averaged nearly 5-7000 ft. of climbing each day, according to Kevin's altimeter. There was one mountain we visited twice named Hoherodskopf. Up there was the most beautiful view of the Hessen region. At about 2600ft at the summit, you could see for miles, enjoying. The best Cappuccino, of course.
Famous In Grunberg
Thomas and Kevin work for Corus Pharma, a prescription drug company specializing in inhaled drugs for pulmonary diseases. Little did we know that Thomas' real expertise lies in sports marketing. In anticipation of my coming to his home village, he wrote the local newspaper, Alsfelder Allgemeine. The 2nd day of the trip a reporter came over and did a full interview complete with pictures. It really wasn't much of an interview, more just Thomas hyping Kevin and I up. A US Pro here to train - the news was big. Word reached many villages. Locals had much to talk about. There isn't much cycling in this part of Germany other than the youngster Patrick Sinkewitz who won the Tour of Germany last year. Everywhere we went people had heard or read about us and for this week, we were famous.
Check out the full story here - http://www.alsfelderallgemeine.de/seiten/default_aaz.php
With our popularity, Thomas also set up a ride with the local cycling club in the town of Grunburg. They were so excited to ride with us. Along with the team manager and friends were a few youngsters, apparently the local fast guys. Our ride was similar to a Feb. training ride here in Seattle, complete with sign sprints and beers afterwards. Every now and then the young guys would light it up and string us out. It was a treat mostly because they knew all the flatter roads! Every ride prior to this one had major climbing. Thomas comes up to me a few K's before the only climb of the day and says "You should teach these guys a lesson up this climb." I laughed and recruited Kevin to set up the train. Thomas, not known for his mountaintop finishes, was on lead out duty. He pulled at 100% and handed it off to Kevin. He took me right into the base of the 400 ft. climb at full speed. I launched and went hard up the first pitch. As the road leveled out a bit I looked behind to see the youngsters strung out chasing me. I didn't know whether to sit up or rub it in. As the top came near I had backed it off enough to let the youngest guy catch my wheel. We crested the top shaking hands. Not far behind was his teammate and Willi "Jens" Voigt. We all hung out for a bit and headed back. From the sounds of it, the show of power from the three of us was well received. The little race we had finished took us to the town of Steinfelds for the 2nd time that day. Thomas had me memorize, in their tough language, "Ish Svur en Shterviles" - I've been to Shterviles, twice!
Wear your Helmet
We rode through so many small towns I can't begin to remember the names. We did make it to most every major town within riding distance though. Marburg is one of the larger cities in the area, about the size of Bremerton. The road into town was a bit out of Thomas and Willi's village. They were admittedly a bit lost. We had our bearings and were cruising around 35K an hour on a somewhat busy road. Along the road side were pieces of clothing that had apparently fallen from a car or something. I (being the comedian) thought it would be funny to pick one of the shirts up as we rode. I was messing around with this white polo one second and on my face the next! As I rode to the front of our 4 man pace line, the shirt wedged itself into my fork and front wheel. I was flipped like a pancake so fast I didn't have time to say "oh shit!" I popped up on the pavement pretty much un-scathed, just a little road rash, a very bruised up shoulder and one very cracked helmet. I should have been in the hospital with a broken collar bone and a cracked up head. Needless to say I was very lucky. My bike was ok. We had to true up my blown rear wheel, otherwise nothing broke. Seems my head took all the impact. So kids, please wear your helmet. They can save your ass!
As we rolled into Marburg I was still a bit worked from the crash. We plowed our way up to the highest point overlooking the town. Up top of nearly every town is a castle or church. We hung out for a bit but the call of Cappuccino and Bratwurst took us into town square. This place was so beautiful. Tight little back alley roads, cobblestones, trendy shops, cafés and beautiful ladies. What's different is that here on this tiny cobbled alley they call a street, wide enough for a few café chairs and tourists, busses can run through! It's the Euro way I guess. Space is occupied everywhere you go. In these towns, streets are tight, cars are small and the public bathrooms are clean. Drivers are much more aware of the space around them. In America, an alley like this would be considered "impassible" in a car. But here, full size busses have no problems passing your foot stool by inches.
The Beauty of Fulda
After a wheel change the night before, I was ready for more big-town excitement. Today's journey took us to the town of Fulda, home to the areas largest Roman Catholic church. Alsfeld's town hall is 850 years old. This Church is known as the Fulda dome, and was started in the year 900. Bonifatius, who Christianized Germany, is buried downstairs. I'd never seen anything like this in my life. I was taken back a bit. This church was just spectacular. Inside you could view statues and an alter nearly 800 years old. The ceilings reached nearly 6 stories high. The place was humbling. After our visit it was time to see the town and get our buzz back. In route to the local beer fest, two local gals actually pulled US aside. Maybe it was the news article, maybe it was our constantly turned heads and wondering eyes. Thomas dropped some more knowledge and left a web address with them. Had we not been on bikes we might have stayed a bit with Katia and company.
Along with us that day was one of Thomas' cousins Hertmute. He knew all cool places to stop and load up on brew and yes, more Cappuccino. Now, 7 straight days of riding can wear you out right? Add in German beer and schnapps along the way, some 80+ degree heat and wait for the bonk! By days end I was cooked - but not out. We had planned a trip north to Kessel, where Thomas' brother Klaus lives. Party time!
American music
Kessel, great place about the size of Bellingham with a younger alternative vibe. I was excited to discover the foreign party scene. Klaus races Motorcycles. Needless to say he is a bit over the top. He's one of those loveable guys that does everything large and to the maximum. His party was just that. The back yard of the house stretch ˝ acre back into the woods with a huge grassy lawn, a large fire pit and a tent with video games! Not just a small personal DVD player some guest brought, I'm talking a full on big screen, outside, complete with a projector for his Nintendo. Moto GP was the game of choice. Between 4 man sessions there was a bit of karaoke. I was surprised that all these hipsters knew the words to Abba, Gloria Gainer, Madonna and the likes. Yah, it was American pop disco alive and well. I had a great time chatting up Klaus and Thomas' friends. Most of these guys and gals Thomas knew well or had gone to school with. I anticipated not having much to say as the American tourist but, as parties go and beer flows, communication has no nationality.
Most everyone spoke English in some way. It was refreshing. By what I'd consider night's end, some gals invited us to the local disco/bar for more drinks and dancing. Here's where the hangover starts. Again I was hoping to see what real German discos are all about but was surprised to hear more of the same. The club we made it to was packed shoulder to shoulder with teenagers singing along with modern American pop songs. The room was so filled with smoke, I was getting nauseous after just 30 min. Kevin and I had to step out but not before a few boogie moves and pictures of the local ladies. We stumbled downstairs to discover more of a scene. Down here was even more smoke but real DJ's and locals getting funky on the dance floor. No disco here, full on Euro techno flavor. We rolled into bed around 5:30 am listening to the birds chirping.. The next morning, ouch! We were a mess. . .
I'll miss the countryside
After our journey north, the warming scenery and home cooking of the country side was welcoming. We had one more day of riding with Kevin until his departure home. We managed another 5+ hour ride again under beautiful skies. Rumor had it our little village was home to two Porsche tractors! Not one, two! Kevin and I had to get a look. 1958 I think was the year these were built and the owners still used these old workhorses regularly. You just don't see that everyday.
The next day we took Kevin to the train station and Thomas and I did got a ride in. I was more of a sun baked, fried piece of meat that a bike rider. Man, my energy had gone. It was probably all catching up with me, the jet lag, drinking, riding, sun. I was nearly asleep before we even got back! Thomas' parents Karl and Lydia invited us over for dinner that night. Afterwards I was asleep on the couch in a matter of minutes. I did have enough energy to pack up the bike for our departure the next day. About 1am, Thomas wakes me up and had discovered that we both had flights on Wed, not Tues. Ha! So, one more day of riding for us after I unpacked my bike. The problem was the borrowed rear wheel I had been using was done. That morning Hertmute lent me his wheel so I could ride but again problems. I had to modify some spacer to fit my DA 10 on his wheel. I did get it to work after 2 hours of filing in the garage. We rolled our last 3 hour of kilometers and ended up back at Mom's for some good supper and Pilsner. In Germany and I guess in Europe, it's the little things. The power outlets are different. Cars are smaller and a driver's license is harder to obtain. The food is richer and deserts we view as a treat are part of every day life. Space is maximized. Showers are shorter. Bottles are recycled, not like here, I mean when you go to the store and buy a mineral water, that bottle may be all scratched up and used looking. It's been sanitized, cleaned and re-used instead of melted down. There are not large cases of beer in cardboard. You want a case of beer? you buy a large crate and return it when you are done. Pork is the meat of choice. Beef is rare. Cycling is big news! Right up there with F1 and football. Towns have their own beer and that's nearly all you will find. Apple wine is the brew of choice of many Villagers. People are generally very friendly and welcoming. The sharing between friends and family is a value I think a lot of us lose in our daily hustle and bustle of American culture. Priorities are a bit different in places like Ulrichstein.
I'll miss the great company and homely feel of the country. We are already planning a return trip. Willi would like to take us to his current home of Hamburg, far to the north of Germany where he wind surfs. I'd recommend a vacation like this to anyone, especially if you have never been to Europe. It was so great to see the home grown side of a country I knew little about and at the same time make some great new friends.
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