Uterect, distance covered 100km ish.
Awoke to heavy dew again, fortunatly the campsite had a long gazeebo covering some public benches so packing up was no problem, this time I took down the inner first and prevented any dampness inside, the package was tight but extra heavy. Assembling the tent the night before I had heard more cracking and so I took the time to examine every pole, and found two more cracks in poles. Bound these with insulating tape as I had the first and hoped they would make it. It was about 10am by the time I properly hit the road.
Zwolle was nothing to write home about and quickly left behind me and the first 30km slipped away most easily, I had eaten tuna for breakfast again (Yeah, takes some doing) and it really seemed to help, I didn’t get the sudden hunger stabs I was used to filling with stroopwaffles or assorted bakery. Stopped for lunch in Amersfort and was caught leaving by the rain. I have a policy at the moment which is to stop under a roof and eat whenever this happens, and as I had just managed to supply myself with milk I sheltered under another modernist office block Te Huir and had a huge bowl of Musli. It was a short lived shower and I was back on the road after half an hour and only 20km from Uterect.
The worst thing about this whole trip has been getting into new cities, going round the centre finding food ect and then not knowing the way out, and so it went with Uterect, dispite having a map. I eventually fought my way through native cunning and with night falling to the western outskirts and I began to get panicy, I saw it happening and could keep on top of it but decided I really had to go for the next camping as the problem was not physical but mental tirednes.
Coming into Voondam{?} there was a big sign saying right for the swimming and camping, then another smaller newer but still official looking sign saying camping of the same name straight on. Bastards. Followed the smaller one but was quickly in the centre and went round a roundabout a few times in a daze. A guy hailed me in dutch, I appologised as usual and he said ‘youre looking for the camping?’ this being the extent of his english. Yes! He directed me down the road I had just passed ‘long, on, on.’ and off I went. This was a long dark road, at least to my mind and after going for some km I had come to the city outskirts and a new cycle sign. I decided to forget it and continue on and was just looking at the map trying to decide the best way to take when two other men stopped to help, they directed me onward but remarked that there was a camping 500m behind me… Woo! They had better english and clearer instructions and I was there. No one up but I camped (without getting the inside damp, but with more cracking noises from the poles) near the other tents, right next to a dyke and the toilet blocks. The familiar eat sleep cycle followed.
Zwolle, distance covered, about 110km.
Woke up in reasonable time packed up and ate a new breakfast. Tunafish. I know its a bit weird but it was there and it felt right and off we went.
It was as exilerating to be back on unseen roads as it was relaxing to be knowing where I was going when I arrived. Assen soon passed behind me and then it was a 40km run to Mepple and then over toward Zwolle. I was really feeling good and hyped and was committed to riding through the night when I came across a campsite. Night was falling, Id done about ten hours riding, no need to be a hero. Camping was also a marina, like a floating caravan park.
Had bench technology. Ate. Slept.
Groningen, distance covered 4km.
This was gonna be my last day here and so I got to the street early but there was mechanical band close to the pitch and so I had to move down to a different part of the square and it really didn’t work. People would hang back and pretend not to watch. I packed wen I couldn’t get a front line of any kind going, or any response from anyone.
This sort of set the theme for the day, I did manage to pull off two more hats later further up the street but they were hard work and for the first time I found mysef really taking the piss out of the crowd, acusing them of having no balls. I even got the feedback ‘charming’ after one show, along with some money of course. Its ok to use provocation, but I don’t really want to go there too much. Not for daytime crowds.
The last show I should never have started, I told myself at the start it wouldn’t work and it didn’t. I finished the day burned out and not-very-rich and decided to sleep before moving on. Another big chili without the chili and then to bed.
Groningen, distance covered 8km.
Despite my early night I also managed a long morning and was not at the street until 2.30pm, except that I had forgotten my plank and had to pack up and go straight back to the camping, arrrrgh! This got me quite fired up and I did two shows on the last of the shopping crowd but like the day before something wasn’t right, I got laughs, I got through the shows but turnover was high, participation was difficult to find and hats were small. Had a good time with some students who were obviously up for a laugh and some other nice faces but just, I dunno, something missing. Its probably me. Still, money in the hat, fuel in the legs.
Have discovered this great thing called Kannon, its 11% beer. Amazing, tho i feel a bit like a Jakey drinking it.
Groningen, distance covered 4km.
Went to work, pretty early really, was there by 11am, rolled up my sleeves and made a show. Not a great show, but it got to the end, did the same again and was offered beer by society girls by about 1pm. super early, on a Thursday! well I had a soapy one and chatted then went to the park to practice some. After dinner the rain came down and I was asleep before I knew what was going on.
Groningen, distance covered 8km.
Woke. Stroopwaffles and Beer for breakfast. Little ride to the shops for toilet paper and soap but come back with neither of these and a LOT of food. Shrug and decide I have my priorities mixed up so sit down and EAT. Everything.
The best bit was the chili with no chili, just meat and beans and garlic and tomatoes. was an entire pot full and then four ham sandwiches, a whole packet of crisps, the rest of the stroopwaffles.. you get the idea. I just ate. I then slept, woke up and went for TP and soap again, came back and ate some more. Sleep for the second time came with sunset.
Groningen. Distance covered 140km?
Didn’t mean it to be such an epic day but things conspired to get me truly back in the groove. Heavy dew in the morning taught me new points about packing down in wet and then it was off into a cloudy day with little wind and the prospect of some good food at the end of it. Despite the early shower I was in good spirits and things were fairly plain sailing till Leer when i shortcut around the town but then started heading north by accident. Fortunately I figured it out pretty quickly and only lost 4km or so.
Crossing the border by bike was fun, you could tell you were in the Netherands as properly marked cycle lanes appeared again. Win! Steven Segal however was not looking so good. I thought it had been a hard summer but it turns out he was drinking till 3am and making breakfasts at 7am, at wich point I felt much less sorry for him and made him cook meat. World of yum.
Full of my second dinner I went to find the camping at Winschoten. It should have been easy but although I had the right block I went right around it before finding it was closed. I hadda wee sneak in as there were obvious paths in through the bushes but I didn’t fancy the idea of a night there on my own.
Looking at the map there were a couple of other possibilities but I didnt trust the map as it was clearly out of date (same map with closed camping at Neiw Beerta) and it was about 7pm and I was full of food. ‘How far to Gronnigen?’ I asked a stranger. After mispronouncing the name a few more times he finally understood and replied ‘about 40km.’ Doable… especially as I had a big belly full of dinner, OK lets do it!
Turned out to be one of the nicest rides of the tur, the wind had gotten up a bit with the clearing sky but the evening light was just superb and I passed no end of crazy architecture and lovely sunset vistas. There was also a stand of beach trees who’s trunks all bore eyes or fannies, tho I think I was getting a little tired by that point. I was happy tho, the legs were turning by brain knew where I was going so no stress and just fizzing along admiring the skyscape.
Arrived about 11pm at the campsite, most disorganized pitch of tent and cook of food ever. Think I heard a tentpole crack. Don’t care. Sleep.
Bad Ziwshan, distance covered 75km.
The blog post is so titled for two reasons, firstly last night I had my first cycling dream, something I had expected to have months ago but had never materialised. In it I was firstly helping a friend move house by bike and then got involved in some kind of race. Good dream, lots of fun.
Secondly before I left I had a daydream that I would cycle intot a town around lunchtime, make a show, have lunch and cycle off. As the trip went on I began to doubt, in fact I was sure it would never happen but today I managed to tick off another ambition. Ok so it was only 8km from the camping into Bremen but still I arrived with all my stuff, made a good show and then set off into the afternoon. At first I wasn’t feeling it and was going to just keep riding but I met a Tasmanian couple from the campsite who were keen to see then show, so what the heck, lets do it. Turned out nice!
After that I had my second pizza in two days then left immediately for Oldenburg. I took a different route this time and it was a lovely day for it, a short shower but otherwise perfect temperatures, little wind and an amazing skyscape to look at. When I arrived in Oldenburg it was late shopping day and I could have concievably made another show but I was more keen to find a campsite and I would have had to ppitch ontop of a group of young cristians singing for Africa. A few miles later I wished I had as their song was firmly stuck in my head and was only disloged by Ice Ice Baby. Also on my way out of town I was double checking the map to make sure I was on the right road when a stunning redhead came up and asked if I needed help, without thinking I said ‘No its fine, I know where Im going.’ and closed the map. She turned away and I audibly cried out ‘what the hell am I doing!’ I should have asked her the way to the nearest nice bar, and maybe she would like to come with me… ach well.
The rest of the ride was just as lovely and the sunset was full of golds and reds. A great day back in the saddle, tomorrow I go to see Steven Segal and get back into the Netherlands. Woo!
Bremen, distance covered 16km
Woke up to the sound of rain hitting the tent (bit of a theme developing here) and got up to pay for my accommodation and get a key to the bathrooms before my important morning business became ‘urgent’ The lady at the desk told me the rain was due to stay all day and looking at the sky I believed her, so I payed for two nights, concluded my negotiations and had a shower. Bit silly really as the next thing i did was set off in a torrential downpour to buy food from the train station (its Sunday and everything is closed) and had a ‘pizza bolognaise’ which although its a travesty was actually a good idea; carbs, protein and fat in good measures.
Came back, got on tinternet and uploaded four days worth of blogs, ate pasta, drank elephants, tried not to go to bed too early. Tomorrow is riding day, whatever the weather, tho it might also have to be new waterproofs day, these are definitely not working.
Bremen, distance covered 38km.
Woke to the rain again but stayed in the tent till it stopped, a bit earlier this time at 10am. Packed up my stuff and used the leftover alcahol in the stove to cook a little more quinoa for breakfast. As I was packing up I had my usual cocktail of a liter of water with an effercent vitamin c, a flaxseed oil capsule and a multivitamin which I usualy have after breakfast as an insurance against my terrible road diet. This time I had it before breakfast and started feeling nausious almost imeadiatly after taking them. Having had just quinoa the night before it wasn’t looking all that apetising anyway and now I was trying to force what I could down on top of an upset stomach, I hope I havent put myself off it for good as it packs light and has a good protien/carb ratio.
I manged to recover enough to get on the bike and was out of there by about midday. The ride into town did me good and I felt fine by the time I arrived and very keen to do a show. I had previosly identified the harbor area as a prime site and when I got there it was hoaching with tourists, perfect! I didn’t even have to pitch on top of anyone and so I set up, started the music and off we went.
It should have been easy, infact it was impossble. One of the worst shows Ive had since thoes days getting nobody in Copenhagen. Only two families stayed the whole way throught, the rest of the crowd recycled at quite a rate and I hatted it at the hat trick without getting to the grand finale, something else I havent done in some time.
I sat there afterward and wondered what went wrong, maybe this section is too narrow? Maybe there are too many people and the flow is disrupting the show… I didn’t think so as daytime shows in Copenhagen have even more people going past and I managed there ok. My thinking is that you should never blame the public, its not their fault if you have a bad show, its yours. However there are always exceptions to prove the rule and this was one of them. I was leaning against the railings pondering what to do next when I turned round to look out over the water, and had to shade my eyes just to veiw the other side f the estuary, then it clicked. I took a few steps back and looked at the pitch from the auidences point of view and realised it was far to bright to look in that direction, the sun being directly infront of me.
I swiched sides so the the sun was in my face and at the audience’s backs and bingo! The show worked. I made two in quick sucession and would have made a third but for the fact I hadnt eaten and had run out of parrafin. It was probibly a good thing as I had a heavy hat already and needed to get out of Hamburg.
I looked for somewher to have lunch but couldnt really find anywhere with an outdor table in the shade that I liked. The only posabilities where an Italian restraunt I had tried before and found wanting or a selection of Portugease restraunts. Portugease cusine doesnt really deserve the name, the only spice they know is salt. I settled instead for a large latte and it being quite late in the day I decided I would take one more train to Bremen.
Yes, I should have learned my lesson. I got to the platform ok after bumping the rig down the stars but I failed to notice a platform alteration and got on another train instead, I was sitting there quite happily for 10 minutes before it twigged, ‘Excuse me is this the train to Bremen?’
‘No, this train is for Uelzen.’
‘Shit! Not again!’
The train was due to leave in two mins and I had a desperate scramble to get everything off again. My bike was the first in and so I had to extract it from all the others plus the trailer. I was terrified I would get one off and leave the other on the train but some local lads helped me. Fortunatly the next train to Bremen was going from the same platform so I just had to wait half an hour where I was.
I was getting to rush hour by now and the platform was getting seriously busy. When the Bremen train did arrive I let everyone get one first and then shoo’d them out of the bike carrage while I got my monster onboard. I sat on my case and tried to ignore the football supporters. No fights this time at least, tho they tried their best, singing ‘Alles Bremen Schtinkers’ as we pulled into the station.
At Bremen I hightailed it to the campsite but failed to get there before the reception shut, I found out later the lady saw me arrive just as she was driving off. No shower for me but I had more pressing problems, I had only had a few spoonfulls of quinoa and a large latte so far that day so I pitched camp quickly qnd headed for the outdoor bar I enjoyed so much last time. There I had two bratwurst and a pint of hefwisen and felt much better. I decided I would take a look at saturday night in Bremen and wandered into town. All my erlier suspisions of the place really being a bit boring were confirmed even tho I did find a few more bars this time it was all very tame compared with Berlin or the Reaperbahn. Things got a little better by 1am but by that time I was ready for bed and was in no state to go dancing having done three fireshows and had no shower. I even had black marks on my face no-one pointed out to me. Ahh well, dont wanna be part of yer boring nightlife anyway. As I got back to the tent it started to rain. Good timing.
Da Ruggcat On Tour 