Impressions

As the weather looked promising, I decided to cycle from Cologne to Karlsruhe. I finished off the trip with another 300 km on the Rhine cycle path.

Jan joined the tour for the last few kilometers. As he was unable to organize camping equipment so spontaneously, we decided to spend the last two nights in accommodation. For this reason, I sent my camping equipment home by post the day before and traveled the last few kilometers with a pleasantly light pack.

Day 1 was very relaxed with the best weather directly on the Rhine. We overtook 1000 other cyclists from the NRW Cycle Tour 2025 and accidentally took more detours than planned. The originally planned 120 km turned into almost 140 km. But that was quickly forgotten over pizza and cocktails on the banks of the Rhine.

Day 2 started with a breakfast from the bakery on the banks of the Rhine in glorious sunshine. Unfortunately, a headwind somehow crept in afterwards, which made cycling along the banks of the river unnecessarily strenuous. Shortly before Rüdesheim, a cycling detour (“only for experienced cyclists”) crept in, which meant an extra 200 m of climbing over the adjacent mountain. After a coffee in Rüdesheim, we still had about 50 km to go through the vineyards in a headwind. Once we had completed this, we allowed ourselves to relax in the hotel pool.

Day 3 started again through the vineyards. After some deliberation, I realized that the reason my gears had suddenly gone haywire was yesterday’s accident, which had actually bent my derailleur hanger. Luckily I had a spare part with me, which was quickly replaced. After a final beer on the Rhine near Germersheim, the last few kilometers were quickly done.

Pictures

Niederwalddenkmal Durch die alten Dörfer Abend in Boppard Abschluss am Rhein

Costs

  • Accommodation day 1: 35 Euro per person
  • Accommodation day 2: 46 Euro per person
  • Food and drink: 145

227 Euro Gesamt

Sleeping place

Airbnb in Boppard on day 1. Hotel in Gundersheim on day 2.

Tour data

Daily distance day 1: 137 km Daily distance day 2: 101 km Daily distance day 3: 95 km

Gesamtstrecke: 1723 km

Weather

25 degrees, wind