Dortmund to Koeln - Cologne

I used both english and german versions of the name as this is quite a famous city possibly better known by its english name outside of Germany. However before diving into all things Koelsch - I must describe the departure and trip from Dortmund.

The tour of germany (which runs immediately after Tour de France) was in full swing and happened to cut right through my route from Dortmund to Koeln - or maybe it was the other way around... none the less there were also some killer hill climbs out of old DirtMound - 1.5 klms at 12% gradient, loaded with 30 kilos of panniers and a backpack - other cyclists will know what this means!!! There is a serious sense of achievement when these hills have been conquered - and it is important to note there where quite a few hillclimbs between DirtMound and Koeln.

Anyhow, back to cutting through the tour of germany.... this obstacle was placed just after the first big hill climb and by that stage I was in no mental state for apologising or negotiation... nor did I give a shit the roads were blocked and there were politzei everywhere. Luckily for me and other bikers the bike paths were not blocked and regular bike traffic had full thoroughfare through the tour - therefore no police related incidents to report.

I had many people staring at me - note most out there were bike enthusiasts and hopefully the stares were more inquisitive than obtrusive - none the less, I taught some germans some new english swear words if they got in my face and were not keen on getting out of it!!! my temper shortens as the ride gets longer (reaching psychosis point in the last 5 klms).

There were some really pretty places along the way, green and hilly, the only let down being the lack of bike path on the route I chose and where there was path it was crappy. I also encountered my first patch of rain and storm - it bucketed down and the wind was vicious. Luckily this only went on for an hour and my rain gear did a brilliant job considering the environment.

Things flattened out as I neared Koeln and the ride through the city was fun - I tailed a family group on bikes, which was handy as they indicated where I could and could not ride. Crossed the bridge over the Rhine river into the Altestadt and north to my accommodation on Kunibertgasse - not far from the Central station and just as well considering what was going to happen that evening...