Thursday Kappler Alm - Stubenthalalm

Woke up to beautiful sunshine weather and clear blue sky this morning. Good weather for hiking up to the Saloberalm near the Alatsee with my college class today.
Driving back home the clouds were getting numerous once again. After eating lunch the day had turned dark again. A typical Thursday, as usual. It pissed down sometime in the afternoon so when we set of at the gym it was a bit wet and still very cloudy (the gods hate us).
As once again everyone had voted for a "safe" route we cycled up the Alpspitze through Kappel and then up to the Kappler Alm. Bloody steep.
Jon hooked himself up to Karin for a short while to gain some ground.
Reaching the crossing back down to Nesselwang, Jon decided to leave us as his heart pulse wasn't to good. Continuing on without our Boss we biked up the Alpspitz were I fell on an electric fence quiet painfully. Luckily Inge was there strait away with her medicine. I fell twice more as my day just didn't seem to be good.
Racing downhill and then up again to the Stubenthal Alm we speed down past the Haslacheralm and then of to the Bistro, racing against Sepp and Hopsing.
Track at GPSies (got a new Garmin Oregon 400t for my old 300; great job Garmin) from me and Jon and pictures from Jon and me at Picasa. Group 2 info here. Sepp's report here.

Time in saddle: 2 hours 20 min.
Distance: 27.3 km
Average: 11.7 km/h

Thursday Alpspitz Tour

Picked up Gabi today on my own as Dad wasn't going because of some firm meting and Heidi was doing something else. Gabis thermometer showed the temperature to be at about 13 °C. Also very cloudy sky so it looked like rain.
Meet at the gym as usual and set of on the safe route up the Alpspitze. Safe as in, whenever it starts to rain you are back in Nesselwang quite fast.
After cycling up all the of the Alpspitz we could, and having a chilling wind blow against us, it was of to the Fichtelhütte and then down a step, rocky track. Some managed to cycle down and Jom even managed to fall over whilst walking. A feat nobody has managed to date, I think. And then it was whizzing down the mountain at top speed (always fun) with a few fences in the way. At one point we had to wait for Inge a while to get all her gear on and then we were confronted with a near impossible problem. Try getting past a herd of cows in the road. Sepp managed to do it with lots of jelling and then it was of to the hay hut and after that downhill. We have worked out that Jon beats everyone downhill on tarmac (something about motorbike experience...) but I am perhaps a tiny bit better on stony trails.
Back to Nesselwang along the mountain through a forest were two things happened. One: Jon and me chased a badger for about 100m and two: I nearly shredded Jon's glasses in a marsh with the result of Sepp nearly biking into me.
After that of to Jimmy's for a drink and a talk.
Track at GPSies from Jon, and pictures at Picasa from Jon and me. Report by Sepp here.

Time in saddle: 2 hours 10 min.

Distance: 22.9 km

Average: 10.8 km/h

Sunday Lake Tour

Lots of fresh air this weekend. Went to lake Constant yesterday and had some fun learning how to drive a boat with the water rescue. Had a journey on their big (14,50m) and modern equipped rescue boot and also in three smaller ones.

Today it was of on to the bikes for a Sunday tour. Left the house at 8min to nine and picked up every “Brandler” on the way. Left the gym at 9.02 and set of to the Vils in Pfronten, cycling through Wank and Kappel on the way. Reaching the Vils Hans took the lead as he is a gebürtiger Pfrontner.

Him and Dad suggested we take a short cut through the Vils down a ramp designed for the diggers, but the rest reclined (of course). Biking along the Vils to Austria the storm clouds were getting numerous again and the wind picked up. Luckily it was a back wind which was driving us forwards.

At one point a small dust devil appeared which fully hit Gabi and shoved me around a bit and got sand in my eyes. Gabi was surprised but nothing else happened. With storm clouds behind us we carried on past paddocks of horses and a pond with some water lilies in it. Uphill for a bit after that but then down a long tarmac road past the Alpsee were I apparently biked over a snake (we still don’t know if it was a grass snake or a viper). Then down an off-road track to the Schwansee for a brilliant view over the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein.

Then for some delicious lunch and after that to the Alatsee were most of us had a swim. The weather had brightened up a lot over lunch so we were once again cycling in sunny conditions. Back on our bikes along a mountain range above the Weißensee and then back through Pfronten home by brilliant sunshine to have an ice. And we had all thought at 10 o'clock today morning that it was going to rain.

Track at GPSies from Dad this time, as my GPS is still in repairs and pictures at Picasa from Dad and me.

Time in saddle: 3 hours 30min

Distance: 54 km

Average: 14.9 km/h

Thursday Cycling Weather (again)

After not going last week, I had not been cycling for two weeks. Coming home from school there were already the typical thunderclouds appearing over the Alps (the German word for Thursday seems to really fit; Donnerstag (Thunderday)) as it had been sweltering hot all day.

But at 18.25 I left the house to pick up Heidi and then carried on to the gym. Waiting for the rest the first discussions of where we were going to cycle sprung up. Some said here, some there, as nobody wanted to get wet.

At 18.45 we set of towards Wertach via the Grüntensee. Already storm clouds were coming up from the west. Stopping at a bridge we decided to correct our course and biked towards the Elleg, meeting Group 2 on the way who where heading strait for the dark clouds. Waiting at the main road it was then decided we would cycle up some mountains we had just come from, as the weather looked better there. Cycling through Wertach to our destination arguments of where to cycle sprung up again but in the end we went up a hill (to get some Höhenmeter) and then back as fast as possible to Nesselwang with thunder and lighting chasing us. For some reason we continued on through Geschwend and headed for Nesselwang hoping we would get there dry as it just started spitting. Well, hope shattered. Bearing down on Nesselwang coming from Pfronten was another storm front we then got caught in. Arrived at the Bistro a bit wet but just in time as not to get caught in the real downpour.

Track at GPSies from Jon as my Garmin is in for repairs. Pictures at Picasa from Jon and me and a report from Sepp here. Group 2 info here.

Time in saddle: 1 hour 20 min.
Distance: 26.4 km

Average: 19.6 km/h