Sunday 17Oct - Saarbrücken to Trier - Saar River Radweg ride

Short notice, but...

Sunday morning I'll be loading my bike on a train for Saarbrücken, with the intent to follow the ADFC Saar radweg north to Trier. The route is about 100km with about 540m of climb overall. It is one of ADFC's top ten, so I reckon it'll be nice.

I'm inviting anyone who would like to ride with me. I'm packing lunch, and plan to stop now and again for cappuchino (at the beginning) and bier (towards the end). I ride a modest pace in the flats, like 30kph, and climb like Pantani (post-mortem, that is). I expect to stop and take in the views frequently, so this isn't a time trial. 4 hours ride time and the train ride from KMC to Saarbrücken and Trier back to KMC should make a day out of it. Depending on who wants to go and your schedules, I think departing at 8am and returning at 2pm or so will be the plan.

If this sounds like fun, and you don't mind being seen with a total Fred in mismatched cool-weather gear and a visored helmet who pedals squares up the hills, then speak up! I'll check in and exchange contact info with anyone interested.

oh, of course- the route!
http://www.adfc.de/ADFC-ReisenPLUS/Deutschland/Alle-Routen/50a-Saar-Radweg/50a-Saar-Radweg#
and
http://www.adfc-tourenportal.de/viewtrackobject.php?trackObjectID=23957

My wife and I are interested in riding, road riding right?
She isn't exactly the pre-doping Contador so if we stay together, you might be going slower than 30k/hr.
Are you riding solo as of now?

Yep, i'm solo, and will be on a road bike. I don't mind laxing the pace a bit, but 20k as a minimum as to keep enough weight off the saddle to avoid numbness and tingling...

I'm really not in top form myself, and it is a metric century. The pace should go to the slower rider and I'm okay with that.

As much as I want to do the ride, and have been planning a ride like this for a while, we are going to have to pass.
With the rain pretty likely, and an hour long train ride afterword, it might not be the most comfortable without the proper gear.
This is exactly the kind of ride I love doing though, so let me know when you plan another one.
Also, if you have GPS, can you post that so I can upload it to my garmin?

BrianLas-

No problem, there's always a next time with bike rides. Proper gear is a big deal with the winter riding season approaching. A cold weather injury could make for a miserable experience. The rain is a maybe, but it's gonna be a smartwool day for sure.

The ADFC link in post #1 should have the garmin file available for download if you click around. My formerly wonderful GPS software has gone buggy in a recent update, so the last two times I was out it failed to track my ride- but I will certainly try. I'll give a report tomorrow night.

Sounds like fun, I'm working tomorrow. If you are up for it try next weekend different route.

This looks fabulous. I had a brunch to go to or I would have joined you. Next time...

It was a very nice ride. With the temp at 2 degrees and a 15kph headwind in the clears, the cold became a real problem. Even with layers, gore-tex riding pants, and a windstopper jacket, it was just too darn cold. I would have had a much better time with booties, a cap, and windproof gloves. But enough on the suffering.

The radweg is completely car-free, and what is not paved with asphalt is pave' blocks. The path is unbroken, which is great. The only warning is that the path is on the west side of the Saar, and being a border river, the Saar has very few bridges. This means the hot coffee, cold beer, train stops, toilets, and all that stuff are on the eastern side making them much less accessible. It was necessary to become aware of the crossings and villages, as they become fewer and fewer as the path moves north. The other issue is the train- no direct route made for a long return trip, and the Saarland Bundesrat breaks the Rhine-Neckar rail discount we enjoy locally.

So, the path is A+, easy to follow, well marked, and car-free. The off-trail resources not so good, and the accessibility by train makes it a bit of a long trip. You could spend as much time on trains or waiting for trains as you spend riding, depending on your pace. For what it is, it is definitely worth doing- just not a good weekly training ride. It's worth it just for the car-free part, the scenery is a bonus.

Thanks for the info, we will definitely be doing this next summer, perhaps though in reverse. After a 60+ mile ride the long train ride might not be the best place to recover.

You ever do any of the cycle tours they have listed on the ADFC site?

My wife and I want to do a road cycling tour next summer and they have a few listed. We also thought about doing one in France as well, maybe get some cool climbing in.

Word

I've done some pieces, yes. Ridden lots of the Main Radweg, spent a few days in Altmueltal-Eichstatt, and a bunch of other rides within Bayern on my last tour of duty. It's all good stuff. Also got both coasts of Italy and quite a bit of the Netherlands under my belt based off of Lonely Planet cycling guides, which are fairly good but not as well directed as the ADFC routes. I like picking a direction and riding until I'm tired, and hopping a train home, or doing the opposite by taking the train to a given town and riding back in. Lots to do around here at a touring pace.