067 Zipfeltour2013 Tag07 Meiningen-Ruhla

The form of the day should decide! For the stage, I had set myself two alternative goals: either to Herleshausen, so to speak around the Thuringian Forest, or to Ruhla, the shorter but also steeper stage over the Rennsteig. Initially, however, the Thuringian bike paths forced me to turn back for the first time. The Werratal bike path along the railway line in Schwallungen was impassable - so back and the alternative route via Niederschmalkalden was chosen. In Breitungen the decision was then made, I decided to take the almost 4 quintals (bike, luggage and ME) into the mountains. West of Schweina on Friedhofstraße a first breather, I was actually already exhausted, but turning back a second time was out of the question today - just good that I didn’t know what lay ahead. Onward I went past Arnsberg and around the big Kissel. Not only did the slope seem endless, but the whole way was beautifully “paved” with coarse, sharp-edged gravel - my bike actually hurt more than I did. Finally rode a piece of Rennsteig and then down to Ruhla. I think, even without luggage, this part of the day would have been quite demanding - I, in any case, was pretty worn out at the day’s goal. I spent the night at the Klosterschänke in Thal and also had my own chapel at the hotel ;-)