Garmin activity: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1354987564
179 km, 7h17, elevation gain 855. Trip rating 80 %
Day 4 meant the second half began, I was closer to Prague than home, that August was over, September had begun and that my vacation lasted four more days. It was up to me to capitalize on this knowledge
The crappy place for storing my bike worried me a little last night, but when I saw her this morning I felt a big relief
Day 4 appeared to be very relaxing with only 180 km planned. That is far less than the 250 km which was my goal on the previous ride.
The morning began with glances of medieval Wernigerode
Then I slowly made my way out of the city, which cost me some time
At this point the ride has really kicked off
On my way to Leipzig
This area felt more like Taiwan than Germany
Deep into East Germany there were still many bike lanes, which made me feel safe
Suddenly I arrived in a medieval town, I think it was Heimburg. There were so many cobbles and old buildings. Annoying for cycling but nice for sightseeing
Deutsche Fachwerkhauser
This setting incited me to do a small video clip
A good idea for lovebirds to visit...
When I left this little town, my GPS gave me a 19 km ssgment. That is very rare. It was a large road going straight ahead for 19 km. It was rather flat and I did not have headwinds. I could easily maintain my speed above 30 kmph and this for almost 45 minutes.
It positively influenced my progress for the whole day.
I only stopped once during this segment for a sanitary stop
Even on day four elevation gain was nothing serious
The road to Leipzig in the first place and Prague eventually
Weather was again very favorable
Extraordinary sights
Next town
I took a break here and made a video clip
Progress was really good, no need for stress at all
Bartman handling the Roubaix SL4
Different angle
Different pose
September started off well
There was a 3 km cycling trail here
Awesome bike
All was very flat here
About 100 km already in the pocket
Nice view! I was gonna cross a bridge here somewhere
A local cyclist here asked me some directions. I was able to help here out but when she found out I came from Belgium by bike she felt kinda ashamed to ask me for directions. Haha, the freezing irony of life.
View from the cyclist bridge over the river
I took a moment to enjoy these views
The bridge led to this point
There was a stretch of cobbles here and as I passed two man were watching me. One of them said to me in German: Not really easy to ride over huh! I greeted him friendly
The districts kept piling up
You know, if you think about it, cycling from Belgium to Prague is really very far. The only thing what makes a ride like this doable is good planning: breaking it down in segments and days ad then divide the days in parts. By rounding up part by part it becomes mentally possible. And that comes with a joyful feeling of achievement
Bartman biding his time in rural East Germany
I like this picture a lot
There were a few cobble lanes here. At one part I cycled over the 20 mm wide pedestrian line. It was full of cracks but it was the best option compared to the cobbles. While I was standing here, I also inspected my tires. I needed to remove a piece of tiny stone from the front tire. Four days in the ride the tires stayed true.
Facing the cobbles... Even on my Roubaix they are annoying
The saying on the wall means: Master is he who invented something, pupil is ho who can do it.
Waiting for train,..
As the minutes and hours passed, Leipzig was coming closer
I tried to find a nice restaurant to take a bite but nothing crossed my way except for this gas station. I filled up on water, bought a sandwich and some snacks and relaxed a little. I had my GPS charges so it had all the juice for the remainder of the ride, which was only about 60 km.
Falling leaves, the end of the summer, the beginning of fall.
The only thing I found strange is that a big city like Leipzig still did not appear on the signs
Wind energy
Many wide open and deserted roads here. Must be the reason why I met quite a few cyclists here.
At this spot it was around 25 km left. However, I wanted to make the most out of visiting a major city as Leipzig by finding a bike shop. If I could pump up my tires in Leipzig I would be settled for the rest of the ride. I searched bike shop in Leipzig and I found one. There I went!
Less than 20 km from Leipzig. The airport was situated here.
I was now heading for an area with a lot of traffic
Leipzig industry area
DHL, the logistics company that moves away from Brussels... to Leipzig...
Porsche
A four km cycling path where I had my last sanitary stop before entering the city
Day four was nearing its end
I had to pass through Leipzig city for a few miles and that was annoying with all this traffic
But at least I got to see the Leipzig city center
This urban riding was also slowing me down a lot
I recognized the name Plagwitz, that is where my hotel was.
Many cyclists here
I found the bike shop and my tires were back at 90 PSI.
I found the hotel easily and it even let me put my bike in the room. First time out of four. I walked to the city center for a dinner and then hit the sack. Day 5 will lead me out of Germany into Czech republic.
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