Day 37 - Mon 6 Jul: Mannheim to Mainz

Estimated km: 86; Actual km: 103; Total km: 1529; Ride time: 5h58m; Av speed: 17.2 kph 

20-29deg, fine and cooler. 

We were underway at 7:30am this morning to try and avoid the worst of the heat, although it didn’t end up being as hot as forecast, which was a bonus.   Today was so much more pleasant than the 39-40deg of the last couple of days.  We immediately crossed the Rhein River to be on the left bank for the Rhein Cycle Route. Wendy and Greg did this route from Switzerland (where the Rhein starts) last year, but then left it not far from Mannheim to enter France to tour the WWI Battlefields.  So today we sort of took up where we left off last year. It was just a fantastic ride all day, apart from one short rough section where a flood had washed away the smooth path.  They're usually right onto the repairs however they can't be everywhere at once. 

Our first stop was Worms with its huge 12th century St Peters Cathedral and a rather strange name. However, Worms originated from a Celtic name so it's nothing to do with the wriggly things that live in the ground.  The cathedral was sort of dark and gloomy, but in a nice cozy sort of way.  The inside is massive, 110m long x 36m wide x 40m high!   There was a fair amount of archeological activity going on in the courtyard when we visited and by the look of it a heck of a lot of ancient buildings were being uncovered.  

While we were in Worms we had mornos at the Back Factory ("Bread Factory").  The food was good and reasonably priced.  Not long after exiting Worms we crossed the Rhein by ferry, which is always fun. On we went, through a lot of farmlands, (saw many crops, wheat, barley, canola and peas which are primed and ripe for harvest) forests and the occasional village, but we didn't go through any substantial towns till we reached Mainz.  And then we veered off before the city to go to our hotel, Park Inn by Radisson, which is about 5km out of town away from the Rhein. 

We were all pretty stoked on arrival as we had cracked the big 100km for the day.  It was a great effort as some were not used to those sort of distances, however it was a rather flat course.  In addition everyone felt pretty good afterwards. 

Dinner was Asian at a nearby shopping centre and it was fresh and quick.  On the way home, we picked up some wine at the supermarket and had after-dinner-drinks (instead of pre-dinner) in the very pleasant sitting area of the foyer.  Despite our big effort on the bike we were all pretty much awake till 9pm!!!   Then we started to fade so we called it a day.  One of the best days on tour.




#206 Park Inn by Radisson



Mannheim is the only city in Germany built on quadrants. It has numbers one way and letters the other, so it is quite easy to find your way around once you get the hang of it


Inside the massice Wormser Dom


Mornos at Worms

'Cruisin' beside the Rhine

Watchin a container barge on the Rhine

A memorial to German sailors

A very nice cycle path

Don't pay the ferryman

On the ferry


Photo-bombed by a European stork

Dirst path but easy to cycle on

A smooth, cobbled path

Wormser Dom (Cathedral of St Peter)



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