Alexander Freitag

I messed up my first participation in the Syker Gravelride (with approx. 350 participants) a bit: I dutifully went to the back of the pack and waited for the start. I had overlooked that the start is staggered in groups at different times. Soon after the start, I gradually began to wonder: The route

After my last gravel ride, I once again followed the irresistible call of the Este. 🙂 Since it was a bit wetter this time after the rain, the mountain bike seemed more sensible to me. Nevertheless, I got stuck in the mud at one point.😬 The Este hiking trail is one of my absolute favorite routes: technically

After what felt like an eternity, this was my first gravel tour. To put it upfront: Only now did I realize how much I had missed this feeling of absolute freedom. 🤗 The weather was glorious: clear to sunny, but quite windy. Right at the beginning of my tour, when I tackled my obligatory "local mountain

Although the somewhat windy and still cool weather wasn't entirely inviting, it remained dry, and I could really enjoy the ride on the mostly deserted country roads. I even found my water bottle again on the bench where I had forgotten it on my last ride five days earlier. 😅 There wasn't much going

The almost perfect evening round over butt-smooth asphalt along lonely paths and country roads past farms, meadows and horse paddies into the evening sun.😊 With a temperature range of 9 - 16 °C, the fingerless gloves were the right choice.

After a few rainy days, I was delighted by the dry conditions – even if it was quite chilly with temperatures dropping as low as 4°C. The route took me via Hanstedt and Egestorf to the Luhe River, which I followed – though mostly out of sight. The highlight was the idyllic Luhe Cycle Path starting in

I thoroughly enjoyed this tour through the heath: the mostly very well-maintained roads and paths, the vastness of the landscape, and the breeze that let me breathe in the fresh heath air. The weather was beautiful ⛅️ and the temperature pleasant. It only got noticeably chilly in the evening.

Finally, bike-friendly weather again! It was quite windy, but not at all cold anymore, and most importantly, there was no ice in sight anywhere (except for a patch of ice on the railway line 😅). I headed towards the Rotenburg district and enjoyed the mostly deserted, narrow country roads. Interrupted

I used a short stay in Heidelberg for a quick morning exploratory run. The Philosopher's Walk in the early morning, with its view of the Neckar River, was truly worthwhile, but I didn't quite reach my destination, the Odenwald Hut: A grunt from the darkness prompted me to turn back prematurely. 😱🐗

Knobby tires or running shoes? Given the conditions, I opted for the latter due to concerns about icy conditions. Despite frosty temperatures below -5°C and an icy wind, it was lovely, though a bit tiring in the deeper snow in places. ❄️ Mountain biking would probably have worked too, and cross-country