Bike Race to Mallorca

On the first day of march 2022 , I started a trip with my selfmade e bike trailer from Linz to Mallorca. The time limit was set to 26th of march.

To find out how me and my team built the music e bike trailer – called Freequencer – together, have a look here.

Day 1 | A hectic preparation

Day 2 | Uphill battle to Haibach

Day 3 | Further up the danube valley

Day 4 | From Vilshofen to Vilsbiburg

Day 5 | 120 km drive over my limit!

Day 6 | Don’t get too comfortable…

Day 7 | Allgäu flatland, not so flat.

Day 8 | Lucky in a worst case scenario

Day 9 | Zick Zack around Bodensee

Day 10 – Day 18

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Day One – A hectic preparation

Mentally ready for a big and challenging trip, I prepared the last details for the start, after I just slept a few hours, working till 3 am on the sound system.

It started quite hectic with a ride in the rush hour in the inner city of linz, finding my way somehow through the non existing bike lanes. 😀 Meeting my friends and family on Alturfahrstrand in Linz to say goodbye and start the journey to Mallorca, heading direction Passau. Later in Ottensheim I met an old school friend of mine and his lovely dog. I found a nice place to rest beside the Danube river and cuddled in my sleeping bag at -5 degrees.

Day 2 – uphill battle to Haibach

What a challenge day… waking up in the cold morning with a wonderful view but freezing hand on the bike. I enjoyed every bit of the sunshine and also the great sunrise beside the Danube at 6:30 AM.

First stop was Feldkirchen. A very lovely family asked me if they can help. After a warm cup of tee the woman gave me a book of a traveler and some snacks as a gift along my way. Thank you for the first positive interaction with foreigners. Situations like this give a lot of energy!

A new and interesting friend passed by with his serious little baby daughter in his car and we enjoyed lunch and had a good conversation of experiences and life decisions. When we managed to fill the tires with enough pressure, we said goodbye and I went on to Aschach.

On the way to Aschach, I had my first uphill challenge on a steep slope to the bridge, when the motor stopped working in the middle of the slope and I had to carry the trailer up with human power. Luckily I figured out later how I can control the bike system when carrying.

Arriving there I met an Glassblower artist, who invited me in his beautiful workstudio righ beside the danube. He offered me a coffee and some food, that made me so happy, and talked a little bit about our lifes and plans and the strange political situation. I loaded my bike and before sunset I left this nice town and the uphill challenge began.

Because the bike way Treppelweg along Danube was blocked, I had to travel 250m up to Haibach. As it was cold and my bike battery almost empty, I tried everything with the system charge to get it up there. There has been also a problem with the gas pedal when going steep uphill. So most of the time on the way up the hill, I carried it on my own with minimum power support of the motor. Puh that was a challenge. Almost at the end the bike light went off too. Then it was too dangerous for me to carry on and I slept somewhere on the side of the road.

Day 3 – further up the danube valley

It started, as the last day ended. I had to make it to the top to Haibach with still no batterie and -5 degrees. With new power from the night I tried it a few hundred meters, but then I had to realize, its too much and I should probably use my solar power for the rest of the hill.

Suddenly a tractor turned around and the man that jumped out of it wanted to take a picture and send it to his music teaching wife. He then told me there is a public battery charge in the center of the town just 500m further. So I took all I got left in me and carried the bike the last meters to Haibach, all on my own without electrical support. Finally I could reload it up there! During my three bike batteries were loading, I enjoyed the time in Haibach. Talking with the people in town about my project and travel. It seemed like everybody already new me, because they spreded the news. 😅

After a great lunch in the sunshine i headed to Passau. Of course I always take the chance when eating or resting, to pull out my solar panels. : )

This was the first day I was motivated to travel further fast. The flat way in comparison to the last day, was an easy for body and mind. On the way through passau, I had to choose the main street for a while, which was a bit stressful but ok. I turned on the maximum power of my motor mode 5, to ride with a speed up to 40 km/h.

Later I met two friendly guys at the danube and we talked about the journey and the crazy girls in Linz 😆. One of them sent me to the cafe / bar of his father. I drove there and loaded the bike again. In the meantime I played a little for the regular’s table and had a lot of fun. A fellow of the group was also a musician and he talked with shiny eyes about his days with the band around the world. Another fellow gave me his adress for meeting there later, because it was on my way.

Day 4 – from Vilshofen to Vilsbiburg

This day started very nice! First a guy passed by with his shaking cute dog, after I woke up. He offered me some coffee in front of his house, which is always nice for freezing fingers in the morning.

After we said goodbye, I wanted to visit the man from the day before in Vilshofen. He was so friendly and offered me a breakfast and some tea in their comfortable and lovely looking house right beside the river Vils.

I did set my goals high for this day with 100 km. So I started this time at 9 am. First on a wonderful bike way beside the river in the forrest, and then along very beautiful towns on the landside. I stopped for a moment at a kindergarden to tell them about my Blumenkinder songs for kids.

It was the firth very sunny day in a row and so I decided to take a two hour rest at midday in eicherdorf, where the people from the townhall showed me a wonderful place in the sun, where I was all on my own and could relax a bit. They were very interested in my project and we agreed, next time I pass by, I will play a gig there. 😉

The Quote of the day was said by the cleaning lady of the townhall, when she said to me: „Good to see somebody doing something normal, when everyone is doing something crazy!“ 😆😆 And when she later asked me about what I do in real life, I had to answer: „I think I figured out the last days, what the real life is.“

So no time to wast I continued with an almost full loaded bike direction munich. And with just one, two very short stops I arrived in Vilsbiburg when it was dark. This evening seemed to be the coldest day for me. I was proud that I made already over 80 km today and motivated to drive a little more in the cold night, just to find a nice place to park my trailer.

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Day 5 – 120 km drive over my limit!

Even it was the coldest night & morning so far, I set my goal high for this day and wanted to reach the 100 km mark. I was so cold in the morning, that I didn’t turn on the motor, and carried it uphill along the street. After a while I passed by a nice village with a well-attended bakery in the center. I warmed up with a coffee and breakfast and talked with everyone that came in a little about the tour. Next stop was a gas station in velden, where I read a little about the Ukraine news and loaded again for a while. It was a beautiful bike road to Erding in the fields.

Funny that when I passed by horses with my trailer, they all looked very confused and surprised to me. I think they wondered why a man carries his horse and not the other way around. xD

When I arrived in Erding, a still freezing wind in the midday made me hide in a backyard. Loading somewhere at a shop and had a lunch in cover.

I passed by munich and stopped at a farm up the hill. After a nice conversation with the owner he told me that he has to feed his lambs now and I asked if I can help and join!

But I couldn’t stay too long at the farm because I still had the 100 km mark in mind and also wanted to visit a friend of my mother the same day and still had 50 km left. A beautiful sunset on the landside bikeway gave me energy again.

I had to stop one more time at the half way at an inn for a warm liver dumpling soup and a very tasty Altmünster beer, to rest a bit. I fighted the roads up and down and through forrest and fields in the cold and dark to finally arrive at the destination at 9 PM. Over my limit and after more than 120 km on this day, I was so happy to get a warm bath, something to eat and a room to rest. Thank you Ludwina!

Day 6 – don’t get too comfortable …

It was a great place in Unterumbach to regenerate my muscles and wash my body and clothes. I love the smell of the washing powder!

It was so funny when I walked around the house in the morning coat of Ludwina, while my clothes where drying. I looked a bit like Prince. 😀 She also supported me with cremes for my hurting butt and a muscle healing oil, which I used intensely and my body soaked it all up fast.

Even it was a comfortable day in a warm flat, I made a long to do list. I repaired some things on the trailer, wrote friends and family, made social posts and worked on the blog. I checked my route to Basel and cooked scrambled eggs.

After finishing all tasks on my list and talking a bit to Ludwina when she returned from the market, I decided to ride on in the late afternoon. It was a good training again to decide actively and consciously against the warm, comfortable room and toughen myself up outside. After two hours cycling in the dark, I found a nice hidden place beside the river Lech.

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Day 7 – Allgäu flatland, not so flat.

I started with the same morning routine, pushing my trailer uphill for a quick body warm up. I get more and more used to the cold, the routines and the whole lifestyle itself.

It was a sunny but cold day again, like every day so far. I was happy to travel my first week without rain – for sure the cold weather was a different challenge. After one hour ride, a short warm up and classic breakfast to get energy for another long ride! I just stopped at two beautiful cities this day, first was Mindelheim.

I wanted to send some postcards, but the old german post officer there was super correct and didn’t want to help me really, so I got out of the office without saying a word.

In the center there was the cute cafe sisters, with an e bike station on the frontdoor. It’s perfect when I can have lunch in the warm and an eye on my trailer at the same time. A little flirt with the lovely waitress and a very tasty pumpkin creme soup, filled my energy for the rest of the day. A girl made me laugh out loud outside, when she walked against the streetlight while starring at my trailer. xD

On the wonderful road through the fields in the sunset, I found a dead badger on the side of the street. I stopped and burried him. Rest in piece. I don’t know why people have to drive so fast all the time and kill way too many animals for nothing.

The second city was Memmingen. Such an awesome inner city for this population. If it was just a little warmer I d loved to play streetmusic there. Maybe on my way back. I needed to travel on to stay warm, but just on the edge of the city I had to stop at a fuel station to warm up, because I was shaking. Lucky there was a great dude working there to talk to. A visitor also offered me food and that I can sleep at his place, but I wanted to stay tough and ride on in the night. When my front lights turned off, I decided to stop straight away in a little town, because driving on the main street was too dangerous. I asked at a house to stay and met Daniel, who offered me to stay in their garden, a power cable and to use the toilet. Thank you, people are so helpful, if you meet them with the best of your vibes.

Another 90 km, I am done for today… good night!

Day 8 – lucky in a worst case scenario

The last night I parked on the grass instead of concrete, so it was a little bit more frosty. First goal was to reach Läutkirch for a breakfast.

From there of course my strange decision instinct sent me over the highest hills up to the town Vogt deep in the highlands of Allgäu.

And the same instinct choose the most expensive restaurant around up there for a 10 € soup. At least I could load up my bike for a while.

After this the downslope started and the worst case scenario of my travel happend, right after the owner of the restaurant wished me a journey without a brakdown on my way. When I was driving downhill with quite a speed, the threaded rod of my trailer hitch broke in two! I had an active guardian angel there, because this could have gone very very wrong for me. I was so lucky that the rod didn’t came out it’s next layer…

I stopped immediately in the next town and needed to find a solution to repair. After asking some people, I was lucky again to have a metal processing company just a few meters away. Guido from Metallbau Schneider in Obereschach helped me with his welding skills to repair this important structure of my system. Thank you Guido and thank you guarding angel! Because of this accident I lost a few hours of my day, but won maybe a few years of my life. I chose to perceive it as the letter one.

I went on heading to Friedrichshafen. After a sunset pause in Meckenbeuren, I met a nice family on the streets in Oberteuringen. After talking a bit they invited me for a tasty Mekatzer beer and dinner, while my bike loaded. The kids showed me their rooms, talked a lot about every kind of topics and we also played Schnick, Schnack, Schnuck. I really enjoyed my time there!

After the kids went to bed, I still had some energy left in me at 9 pm to ride my bile down to Friedrichshafen, where I parked on a commuter parking slot and enjoyed my sleep after this shock in the day.

Day 9 – Zick Zack around Bodensee

Starting my day in Friedrichshafen, the first move was to get down to the big lake, I have never seen before. I didn’t had made a plan where to go exactly, so I started driving north along the lakeside.

When I came to the super beautiful town Meersburg, I called an old friend and Golf Professional located in GC Konstanz and decided afterwards to visit him there. First with the ferry on the other side, where I had a nice conversation with the officer, who was extremely interested in the construction of the trailer.

Immediately when I arrived at Konstanz, I started to the Golfcourse in the north. In the middle of the way I had to stop and load my battery from the other battery system for emergencies, because the road was uphill for too long… Finally when I arrived at 1 pm, my friend Florian said I can use the washrooms of the club and also he helped me with my postcards! Thank you, next time we play a matchplay there. 😀

Then a cool downhill race to Radolfzell began. I risked a bit, and stayed very concentrated all the way down. With a speed up to 50 km/h with my trailer, this was quite an adrenaline boost.

In Moos I found a lovely bike way around Bodensee and stayed for a dinner in the sunset on the side of the street, where I talked to a lot of people passing by. Then the last step of this day was driving further in the evening close to Stein am Rhein.

I didn’t reach the goal Schaffhausen, but all in all it was a very successful and great day with a little detour up the hill.

Read more … Day 10 – 18