As with the UK at the moment, temperatures are hotting up in Germany too. We attempted to make an earlier start in order to get to Köln before the afternoon heat made riding too unpleasant. After a bit of faff to find a bakery and some lunch food, we stopped for breakfast in the shade of a church, feeling glad that todays ride would be shorter and end somewhere comfortable.
The heat was beating down on us as we followed a more industrial feel towards the big city. By eleven the temperature was well into the thirties, but the tour provided an early cool down in the form of an ice cream parlour in one of the small towns we peddled through.
On the outskirts of Köln, even though we were smothered in factor 50 sunscreen, we had to stop for some improvised sun cover!
As we neared civilisation, we had to cross lots more roads. Most of them had traffic lights and we’d race to catch the green lights or suffer the wait under the blistering heat of the sun! Finally, sometime after midday, the city looked large.
It was too early to check into the apartment that Clare had found us, so went straight to a nearby city park and had lunch under the shade of a big tree while we waited. The apartment is on the 4th floor, so not ideal for bikes, but soon enough we were all squeezed in and enjoying a cold shower!
We waited until the evening before venturing back outside for a bite to eat and of course, more ice cream! (It was still 32°C at 21:30). Our legs (and my butt!) are feeling like a rest day, so given that tomorrow is due to be even hotter, we’ve timed things nicely for a restful city day off the bikes tomorrow!
Under a cooling fan, sleep came easily…
Total Ride: 56km
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