DANISH BIKE TRIP

             A Note From My Diary

Discussion with a granddaughter the other day brought this Denmark adventure to mind. The gal who was going to go with me chickened out close to departure time when she informed me she thought Denmark would be hilly. I didn’t agree with her and off I went. So let me quote my diary from the moment:

 The ferry ride was the easy part of the day. We had  nothing but hills all day, most of which forced me and everyone else to walk the last 1/3 to reach the top. At the top there was always a wonderful downhill ride but then another big hill loomed right up in your face. The hills were so steep you had to break nearly all the way down to avoid going 50 miles an hour. Often there was a curve at the bottom of the hill and one never knows what loose rocks, grit or other hazard, might be waiting on the road for a careless biker.

I’ve never had such an aerobic workout, as I huffed and puffed all day often gasping for what would seem to be my last breath! And I thought Denmark would be flat. Wrong!

At one of the rest stops I was muttering about my discontent when I was asked, “Aren’t you having a good time?”

“No, I’m not. Sweat is running into my eyes, my head is dripping wet, I’m so wet my clothes are clinging to me and I sure don’t need this cardiac workout. I’ve been in first gear all day, in fact for most of the trip so far.”

To make matters worse that day, after the rest stop we picked up a headwind. I’m thinking ‘and I paid  good money to torture myself like this.’

We stopped at a lovely beach for lunch. The area was called the Great Bend as it separated the Baltic Sea from the North Sea. The water was cool and the beach crowded. We observed many topless sunbathers. By then I was about ready to pack it in and ride in the van. One gal did ride the van for a day and a half. She developed severe stomach cramps, probably from dehydration. One of the fellows simply packed up and went home.

I approached our guide, “Be honest with me, is the whole trip going to be like this? Don’t give me any rhetoric! Just tell me the truth because I’ve about had enough.”

He replied, “The worst is just about over. There’s not too much left today and tomorrow will be better. You’re really a much better biker than you think you are. I’d like to see you continue on as I really think you can make it.”

The van driver also encouraged me to continue. They were right and I did end up peddling all the way. I remembered the year before when my #10 was always last. Well, this year #3 started in the middle of the pack and ended up in the middle every day, so I guess that was an improvement. This group were good bikers but not as fanatical or fast and competitive as the group last year in Austria,

After lunch the hills flattened out some and I could at least get into 2nd gear. The wind tempered the heat and made it feel a little cooler, tolerable anyway. It wasn’t too long before we hit a dirt path through a forest. It was very scenic and the tree cover cooled us down a bit more.

Coming out of the woods we rode past a gorgeous large castle. Along the ocean bike path the ocean breeze was behind us offering welcoming relief. It was a treat to bike on level ground!

At the very end of the day two huge steep hills had us all dismounting half way up for a walk to the top, but at the top of the second hill we had a nice long gentle downhill coast through the forest. Suddenly we were in Svendborg. Our hotel was in the center of the square, but it turned out to be quiet. After our bikes were secured our guide said, “It’s been a long hard day so I’m going to treat you to some Svendborg bitters.”

After that day the terrain was much friendlier, the trip was interesting and I was really glad I’d stuck it out to the end.