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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Fantastic ride today.<span> </span>The roads and the countryside were very nice and rate a return visit.<span> </span>We saw two nice-looking Logis de France hotels in a particularly nice town called Thannenkirch, which is on D42.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Starting off, we found our way out of town on some flat roads that gradually approached mountains with vineyards growing halfway up their slopes.<span> </span>Just beautiful.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We got into Ribeauvillé and found that a stage of the Tour d’Alsace was getting organized.<span> </span>So, we hustled on hoping to be at the tête de la course.<span> </span>As the riders never passed us, either we’re faster than we think or...more likely...they took another route.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We had a nice picnic lunch in a traffic circle in Lièpvre.<span> </span>As there were many cars, this being N59, we were constantly waving to amused drivers and passengers.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We’d set out today despite the heavy cloud cover and the forecasts of rain.<span> </span>On the last climb of the day (about 550 M to the Col du Haut de Ribeauvillé at 742 M), it started to rain heavily, so we initially took shelter under some trees at a convenient picnic table while putting on our rain gear.<span> </span>After it lightened some, we set out and arrived at the Col.<span> </span>Immediately after taking a picture, it started pouring and we started the descent.<span> </span>Stopping after a kilometer or so, we stopped to put on our rain pants and then coasted carefully the remaining 11 km into Ribeauvillé in relative comfort despite the rain.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Arriving in Ribeauvillé and thereafter, the enormous sky was marvelous to see: heavy clouds of deep grey, some white, and some blue sky.<span> </span>And with the mountains on both sides of the flat valley, we wished we could have captured it on the camera.<span> </span>Unfortunately, the camera stopped working at this point, likely due to the humidity.</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Route:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">D4 into Houssen Centre-ville</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Unnumbered road North to</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">D3 Northeast into Ostheim</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">D416 Northwest into Ribeauvillé</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">D1<sup>B</sup> Northeast to Bergheim</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">D42/D48<sup>1</sup> Northwest through Thannenkirch to Lièpvre</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">D459 Southwest to Fertrupt</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">D416 Southeast through Col du Haut de Ribeauvillé (742 M) and Ribeauvillé to Ostheim</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">D3/unnumbered road/D4 South to Fasthôtel in Houssen</span>
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My wife and I have been doing self-supported tours in Western Europe (a majority in France) since 1993. This series of rides covers our 2009 4.5 month route through parts of France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and then back to France. Our beginning and ending point is near Chadurie (south of Angouleme) where our friends have a farm with Gites and Chambres d'Hotes.
We rode our Dawes touring bicycles purchased in 1993 heavily loaded with 700Cx32 tires. All of our riding was on paved roads, mostly with very little traffic. Pretty much the only unpaved sections were some bicycle paths in Germany and Austria. Sadly, that wasn't so great as Helen fell a number of times on the unpaved paths. Fortunately, though, no serious injury.
If any questions, feel free to email me at jeffkadet@netdiving.com
Jeff
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