CGX 2401 Sweeper Heaven Eifel
6:30 a.m., the alarm clock rings! I pen my eyes. A suspicious rustling outside. A glance out of the window confirms my worst fears. A rain shower is pelting down like in a car wash. 8:00 a.m., blue sky and sunshine. The weather can change quickly in the Eifel. We are full of euphoria in view of the significantly improved weather conditions. We also have Ulrich with us, who has managed to drive from Hamburg to Bad Kreuznach without getting a drop of rain. He was to remain our lucky weather charm for the day. In the best of moods, we make our way to Bingen and the Rhine, where we encounter the most scenic section of the Rhine Valley. It is not for nothing that the Middle Rhine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of its highlights is Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, which served as a customs house in the middle of the river from the 14th century onwards. Along the Rhine and past the Loreley, we approach Koblenz and the Deutsches Eck, where a 44-metre-high monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I was erected below the Ehrenbreitstein fortress at the end of the 19th century. This is where the Moselle flows into the Rhine. Upstream, we explore the beauty of the deeply incised Moselle valley. Moselle wine is one of the best wines in Germany and the vineyards are among the steepest in the world. Impressed, we move from one wine village to the next. But the high altitudes are also quite something. We work our way out of the valley in narrow serpentines This is where the Moselle flows into the Rhine. Upstream, we explore the beauty of the deeply incised Moselle valley. Moselle wine is one of the best wines in Germany and the vineyards are among the steepest in the world. We move impressively from one wine village to the next. But the altitude is also quite something. We work our way out of the valley in narrow serpentines and enjoy the panorama over the Eifel mountain ranges. We spot more and more highly tuned motorcycles and cars on the roads, and soon the legendary Nürburgring comes into view. The fantastic hotel right next to the race track offers us rooms with a direct view of the action. Over dinner, we sum up the day and are pleased that the skies have spared us, we have stayed dry and have been able to enjoy the fantastic scenery to the full.
This morning started with a taxi-ride around the Nürburgring three of us. Shortly before the track was closed for some incidents, they finished a great and unique experience in the BMW M3 Competition. After that and a little late breakfast we headed off through the beautiful Ahr-Valley. A little bit rain could not stop us to enjoy the nice, narrow and winding roads. We stopped for photos and coffee along the route through the unbelievable nice Eifel National Park and get into Aachen earlier. After check-in we had enough time to explore the city and its sights on food. Old Town, Government Building and, of course, the Dom were the amazing and best things to see. At the Restaurant “Am Knipp” (founded in 1698) we had a very tasty local dinner and back in the hotel, we wrapped the day up with a drink at the roof top bar. A great way to finish a great riding day.
The fantastic view from the rooftop bar of our hotel over the rooftops of Aachen whets our appetite for today. The gray sky keeps its drops of water to itself, and we set off with motivation. Our fears that the European Football Championship would lead to particularly intensive controls at the EU borders do not materialize. We quickly enter Belgium. Our first stop is the observation tower at Lac de Gileppe. The reservoir looks particularly spectacular from the tower café. Signs along the way announce the Spa-Franchorchamps Formula 1 race track. The roar of the racing cars on the track even reaches our ears despite the wind noise. Inspired by this, we look forward to visiting the motorsport museum in the former monastery of Stavelot, where many a little treasure is hidden in ancient cellars. Gradually, it's time for lunch. What could be better than a chip shop, which is as much a part of Belgium as a beer garden is of Bavaria. We finally find one in Beauraing and are surprised by the difference in quality compared to "normal" chips. Freshly refreshed, we look forward to a wonderful stretch of the Wedel as far as Bouillon, interrupted only by a photo stop at Rochehaut, where the Semois has carved out a wonderful, green, wooded valley in many meanders.In Bouillon, Ron is already waiting for us with the Bootbeer and a wonderful day's cycling comes to an end after dinner. In Bouillon, Ron is already waiting for us with the Bootbeer and a wonderful day's cycling comes to an end after dinner.
Today we started a little bit later and everyone enjoyed the extra hour. After the usual daily briefing we headed off and hoped to ride ahead of the rain. No happened. After one hour riding, the rain hit us and we sought shelter in the Castle of Sedan. We spent some time in a nice, cozy and historic cafe with hot chocolate and coffee. After the rain was lighter, we continued to our next stop of the day, the Maginot Line. A small museum and huge constructions were emotional, educational and impressive. At the same time, the sun finally came out and around lunch time we reached the Abbey of D’Orval. The Abbey was founded in 1132 and is still brewing a famous Belgian beer. We spent time walking through the Abbey, the gardens and the museum. A worthwhile stop for everyone. After another 2 hours we reached today's destination, Bad Mondorf in Luxemburg, and looking forward the tomorrows rest day.
Today’s weather liked to be rainy, therefore nobody wanted to go on a ride. The group decided to use all possibilities of the hotel and a REST Day. Wellness, Spa, Fitness and swimming pool were the top pics after a very late breakfast. During the day some wanted to go to town and explore the city or just walking around the nice area. Spending the day on the balcony of the room with a nice book and relax will be another preferred “activity". Meanwhile, the two tour guides used the time for a technical check of the motorcycles.
After our rest day, which was good for all participants, everyone was looking forward to finally getting back on the tarmac. Ulrich motivated the weather gods once again before we got down to business at 9 a.m. on the dot. After a leisurely coffee stop in Landres, we approached today's highlight. The Verdun memorial was our next destination. The famous Battle of Verdun claimed 320,000 lives between February and December 1916 and was to go down as the worst catastrophe in the history of the First World War. Accordingly, there are many opportunities to learn about the topic on site. After visiting the museum, we rode to the cemetery with 16,000 graves and on to Fort Douaumont, where you can still see the changes to the landscape caused by the permeating hail of bullets. We continued across the wide, hilly landscapes of Lorraine. Easy Cruising was the motto, which all participants enjoyed very much. After another coffee break in Saint-Mihiel, we discovered a monument on a lonely rocky cone, which we took a closer look at. The Butte de Montsec is a temple-like memorial commemorating the USA's entry into the First World War. Side by side with the French troops, they finally succeeded in pushing back the German units. Shortly before our destination hotel in Nancy, things got wild again as we got caught up in rush-hour traffic. Despite lots of red lights and cars jostling between us, we finally managed to arrive at the hotel as a cohesive group, and that's the most important thing.
Despite the 288km ahead of us we start relaxed and not in a hurry. After one hour we stopped for the first coffee and tea. Another hour of riding brought us to Camp Struthof, a former German Concentration Camp. We spend some time to get facts about the camp and walked around to see what happened. Very impressive and emotional. Our next stop was at a ship-lift, an impressive technical invention. This lift replaced 8 looks from the past. At the same place we had a nice and light picnick, before we had off to our final destination of the day, Le Cleebourg. Overall, the day was about history and riding.
On to the last ride! Our destination for the day is once again the Hotel Fürstenhof in Bad Kreuznach. But before that, we had a fantastic journey through the Wasgau, the border region between Rhineland-Palatinate and Alsace. The region is the richest in castles in Europe. Consequently, we didn't have to wait long before we were standing in front of Falkenstein Castle, one of the many sandstone castles destroyed in the Middle Ages. It towers majestically and we were equally impressed. However, it was too early to visit, so we took the same route as thousands of other bikers in the region, namely to Johanniskreuz. This was an important traffic junction in the Middle Ages and is now a popular meeting place for bikers, where thousands of like-minded people gather in good weather. Today, however, there wasn't a single bike there because it was raining. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was good and the coffee was delicious. In Frankweiler, Ron was already waiting for us with the picnic. Because of the rain, he found a place with a roof. Well-fed, the Donnersberg trail runners were already waiting for us. After a wonderful ride through the wide fields and meadows, we drove up the highest mountain in the Palatinate at 687 m and made our next coffee stop. The rest was just a formality and we arrived at the hotel on time. Vehicle handover, final dinner and final round. To sum up, everyone was thrilled, and everyone took home very different highlights as memories.