eleanor.scot

Well over 30 degrees again today, so although not a long cycle, the last hour was quite demanding. There were still cliffs and castles today but fewer, and the valley is broadening out. We didn’t see the geyser at Andernach in operation, but we did see the remains of be famous bridge at Remagen. We also saw Drachenburg castle (19th Century) looking admirably gothic up on the hills across the river, with the ruin of Drachenfels Castle (12th century) sitting higher above it. They do good castle round here. 

We had intended to get to Bonn in time to explore a little, but best laid plans: Bruce has a broken gear and brake lever, so we went on a small tour of local bike shops instead. I bailed out after the second one as the third recommendation was on the other side of the river. Poor Bruce had yet further distance to cycle in the heat, and alas, number three bike shop could not help. All said they would need to order a part. 

We therefore now have one bike and one human suffering from damage: my cold has gone but Bruce still has leg and foot pain. Fortunately Bruce’s bike has a second set of brake levers so it can still be ridden safely, but being stuck in one gear range is not going to be ideal. We shall have to see how this goes. 

We will flex the plan from here to have a short stage tomorrow, partly so we can see a bit more of Bonn and for other practical reasons as well as bike testing.