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CYCLISTS’ REUNION SEPT ’08
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| To celebrate our 12 months off-the-road, we decided it was time to have a little get-together of cyclists we had met while touring. There was a good turn out with Switzerland, Germany, Holland and Liechtenstein represented, and a late arrival from Slovenia! |
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International cyclists in Stein, Appenzell
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| We met at St. Gallen station and cycled along quiet bicycle trails up into the Appenzell hills. |
Leaving St Gallen
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At times it was steep…
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But we did have quite a few pit-stops along the way. The sun shone and it was perfect cycling weather. |
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| Near Weissbad, Johann Dörig had a great welcome for us at his lovely farmhouse, where we stayed the night… in the barn! He and his partner cooked up a storm and after recounting adventures and tall tales from the road, we snuggled up in the straw for the night.
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Johann Dörig
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Grub up! |
Snuggle up!
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Mmmmmn! |
Breakfast next morning was a wonderful sampling of local Appenzell cheese with homemade bread, jams and yoghurts. |
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| Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t so kind to us on the Sunday… but torrential downpours did little to dampen our spirits. Decked out in all our gear, we braved the elements and free-wheeled back down to St. Gallen for a couple of curries at our place. |
Goretex wins!
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Singing in the rain!
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Tandem power! |
By mid-afternoon we’d all dried off, filled the bellies and the sun was back! It was time for farewells and boy voyages as everyone headed their separate ways. |
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| And now for the stars! Who they are, where we met and a few useful and entertaining links to their websites, recounting their experiences on the road. |
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| We met Thomas and Birgit (Germany) in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile while they were on their world trip.We were tackling some serious Patagonian wind in the campground as we tried to pack our tent, when they came to offer a hand. |
Birgit and Thomas |
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Christina and Philippe |
Christina and Philippe (Germany and Switzerland) were members of the mafia de ciclistas that descended on Salta, Argentina in June 2006, all north bound. Our paths crossed on numerous occasions in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru. |
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| Arie (Holland) made contact with us through the warm-showers list and happened to be cycling through Eastern Switzerland that weekend. We were delighted to have him join the happy bunch and share his experiences with us. |
Arie
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Michi and Daniela |
Michi and Daniela (Switzerland) were always a month or so ahead of us on their South American trip… and so we always had very up-to-date information on the road ahead, thanks to their e-mails. |
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| Markus and Elke (Germany) were cycling Nicaragua and Costa Rica when we met. They came armed with a tandem to the rendez-vous and blitzed us all on the Appenzell hills! |
Markus and Elke
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Bernie |
En route to the Mediterranean this summer, Bernie (Liechtenstein) caught up with us outside Grenobles, France. He was on a round-trip to Barcelona. |
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| Marko (Slovenia), otherwise known as the Slovenian tank, managed to cycle Ushuaia – La Paz in half the time of us regular cyclists! We met in Argentina to discover he had adopted our dog Camino, fed him pasta and renamed him Bert!
While we were all lazing over breakfast in Appenzell, Marko was in the throws of the horrendous Duathlon event, aptly known as Powerman. However, he called in the next day full of the joys of the world… in true Powerman form! |
Marko
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| For those of you who couldn’t make our little rendez-vous… 2009 isn’t so far away and will certainly be as good a time as any to have another cyclists’ reunion. We look forward to seeing you all then! |
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