Hochschwarzwald-Kaiserstul-Freiburg

4 Days Schwarzwald Tour - gently uphill

Day 1: Kaiserstuhl-Freiburg

During the extended Corpus Christi weekend at the end of May 2008, colleagues from Roche and their friends gathered for a 4-day road cycling tour in the Black Forest. The organizer and host was Mathias, who invited us to his home in Rötenbach and who with his family took care of us in the coming days – after all, we had sportily ambitious days ahead of us. After most participants had arrived on Wednesday evening, the fitness level of the others could be discussed over a cozy beer. Some probably went to bed with a rather mixed feeling and doubting questions about the Why - Why didn’t I do more altitude meters - and the How - How can one have already ridden 3000 km in May - robbed one of the necessary night’s rest.

Be that as it may – Thursday's first stage of the Schwarzwald tour began around 9:30 AM. At a fresh 8°C, after it had rained the night before, we set off on a rain-soaked road heading north.

That this tour had a sporty character became apparent quickly: after an hour we had already covered 500m of altitude and a 17% ramp. That's the Black Forest for you: "there are gentle climbs". Most of us were already into lactate territory, and the maximum pulse was also reached. But before the grumbling at the back of the field turned into gentle mutiny, the initial peaks were forgotten, as there was a long descent of more than 800m, past the Schwarzwaldklinik towards Reute. There, after about 3 hours of cycling, we were treated to an excellent meal at the Witzigmann house. Achim had invited us over, and with a fresh hop beer, a hearty soup, and snacks, we were able to continue our stage fit for the further challenges ahead. The goal was now a round in Kaiserstuhl. Germany's warmest location lured us, and after starting at 8°C at an altitude of 800m, cycling in the Kaiserstuhl area at 200m and around 20°C was much more pleasant. It was also there that we met the current German road cycling champion, Fabian Wegmann. At the Texas Pass with an average gradient of 10% over 200m, we had an encounter of another kind, and before some registered the meeting with the German champion at the pass, it was already over – the guy was simply too fast.

After a short rest at the Martinsklause, we continued at a brisk pace on the flat towards our daily goal - Freiburg city center. With racing bikes on the bumpy cobblestones and the openly designed stormwater drainage, riding through the old town was rather tricky. But accident-free and very satisfied with the day's accomplishments, there was a final refreshment in a beer garden near the cathedral before heading back by train to Rötenbach, by the way, free with a guest card and starting at 7:30 PM also with free bike transport.