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Day 2 Wuppertal - Leverkusen 62km. So, the bloody Garmin told me "lekker plat dag". MAN, what a load of bull! The first 20km had more ups than flat! But man is the area beautiful. This was also the day that I realised that this is not a training ride. "Fahre langsam". Up to Wermelskirchen the wind was still having a go (less than day 1!) but after this it was bliss. Plat se gat! Nee man, die DRIED TOMATO (dis nie pienk nie!) fiets ry lekker. Stop plekke en eet plekke orals langs die pad. Laat ek sit. En die son skyn! Alweer daai lelike ou. Hierdie is hoe die fietspaaie lyk. Die deel word die Balkantrasse Radweg genoem. Die paaie word onderhou en word gedeel met stappers, rollerblade mense en mense wat draf. Dit verminder regtig die moontlikheid vir ongelukke (al is Duitsland se kar/fiets interaksies HEELTEMAL ander as SA sin) Leverkussen. This place made me miss Potchefstroom! Criss-cross over a stream Done and dusted (except for the 9km ride to the sleepover)

I'm back in the Northern Hemisphere, spring has sprung (kinda) and I got the opportunity to take a few days off. So I planned to do a bit of a bike tour with my Dried Tomato (the bike is not pink) Canyon. I did some research and decided to do a 4 day ride. Day 1 and 2 would be on the "old railway tracks". The route was converted from the old railway lines used in earlier years (that's in the 20th century). The nice part of this is that the inclines on the route would be no more than 6-7%. Day 3 and 4 would be along the Rhine river which is also nice and flat (my dikgat like nie van opdraendes nie!). The forum software turns some of my pics upside down. I look better that way, but it makes my bike look bleh. Day 1 Dortmund to Wuppertal 56km. And here I thought it was going to be no more than 7%. My first (and only) klim af en stoot during the whole thing. The bloody Garmin told me it was 18%. Net 'n bietjie te veel vir my dik gat! Most of the ride was on the railway routes which is awesome! No cars, just easy riding. Start. Time to ride.... The Ruhr river Some of the cycling roads. A bit of gravel. In a forest. IMG_0144.MOV Some tunnel riding included! I"m in Wuppertal, with 10km to go to the overnight stop! Mooie Wuppertal All smiles na dag 1

Merino Wool for a base layer. A huge "EUREKA" moment for me.

Wet and cold, but the ride was great!

I am 177cm with an inseam of a few mm under 83cm. During the ordering process I entered these values on the Canyon site and they suggested the size of the frame (first time I ride a small). To do the setup of the saddle height I used the measurements I had from previous bike fittings. I hope this helps.

It is here! Crank based power meter. It is not like the spider based power, so no left/right balance, but I don't care. Now the torque wrench just needs to arrive then I can install!

Ek het nou die dag nogal aan die man en sy maniere gedink. Dankie!

Unfortunately (or is it fortunately) a bit far for a weekday.

Robbie, difficult one. An option, if you want one with a bit more "technical" ability, is to also look at the gravel bikes with front suspension. I saw one while riding on Sunday and the rider took the technical line while I took the chicken run.

CENSOR CENSOR CENSOR. Ek dink Matt jaag my weg as ek nou met die gesprek voortgaan 😆

Have done one ride so far. Still a bit unsure about the setup here AND my SA winter kit is USELESS! Ek kan netsowel net met 'n bib ry! I have to get some decent kit before I spend real time outside. So for now I am chasing higher temperatures. Sunday was 9-12°. Hoping for the same this weekend. I have also ordered a Powermeter for the bike. Waiting (impatiently) and will send further pics when I receive it.

Wanneer laas het jy 'n happiness gehad? 😆

DD, nee ou! Nou moet ek aan mense try vertel hoekom ek sit en lag. En die mense verstaan nie onse taal nie!

DD, sit op jou bril, dis GEDROOGDE TAMATIE!

Saw it on the interwebs at the end of 2023.

Ek like my GEDROOGDE TAMATIE fiets!!!

I took my bike to the Canyon Head Office in Koblenz Germany. Some pics of the experience. The pics really don't do the place justice. Main building. This contains the clothing and accessories shop, a normal bike exhibition, a decent coffee shop, some offices and the service department. Bikes booked in for a service. A lot of the EU citizens send their bikes to Canyon by courier for a service. E-Bike showroom. E-bikes are a huge part of the German landscape. Mostly for commuting. It is not funny to see a family (dad, mom and kids) riding to school and work. Not only in fair weather, rain, snow or sunshine, they ride. One of 3 office building. Some of the display. I couldn't take too many pics as it is frowned upon if you 'catch' someone in your pics. Do these pics give away my preference to bikes? Each area shows some of the Canyon specific parts. A very special area. If you order the bike and you are willing to take on the drive your bike will be delivered to you here. This is a full bespoke service.

So I decided that it was time to get a new gravel due to spending some time in Germany. I ordered the bike online (quick and easy process thanks to Paypal). So some pics of the process. The packed bike Nicely packed and wrapped. NO it is not pink! It is Dried Tomato according to Canyon. I'll just call it rust. The box with the smaller parts, instructions and even a torque wrench. The black box and scissors are mine! Included parts. Wheel reflectors are the law here. A dry bag included, just because. Set of DT Swiss wheels. Tubless still needs to be done. So the assembly begins. Included tools. Bike out, bars on DONE! So full spec: Canyon Grizl Carbon Frame Sram Apex AXS ST Swiss Alu wheels

New gravel. Color is Dried Tomato. Die ou kiekie laat dit pienk lyk, maar is meer roes.

Your nutrition program should be sustainable! Remember, you go out with your family or friends. Being LCHF or banting will become an issue. Work function, major issues. Been there, done that.

Bought a Titan Switch from hayesjohnm.

First one after a long time off.

New bike (for me) day. No more excuses

Very true!