Black Forest - Day 2 : From Heerlen to Freilingen

We started right away with a difficult part of the route. Twenty kilometers after Heerlen, we arrived in Aken. Getting through that city when knowing the directions is already difficult as a cyclist, but when you don't, it is nearly impossible. There were no cycling paths, the sidewalks were too crowded and narrow, and the main road was filled with cars. We eventually made it out of the city, but it took a long while, and we weren't anywhere near where we had planned to exit.

 

After Aken, we entered a rural area. The landscape became pretty hilly, so we needed to climb a lot. The descent that followed was worth it, however. It was long, with many nice turns, and we continually went around 50 km/h. At the bottom was a touristic village, Einruhr, where we bought groceries and had our first lunch.

​

After the descent, we immediately needed to start climbing again. On top of the hill was a sign indicating an 8% incline for 6 kilometers, pointing in the direction we came from. That explained why we were so tired. We cycled through a military practice area. We again ate lunch after about 40 km. My maximum speed today was 58,5 km/h. All the roads had been small and through nice rural areas. Around eight, we arrived at the campsite, and we were well ahead of schedule. Even though it was a 5-star campsite, we only had to pay 12 euros. There was a large group next to us playing good music. At night it stayed dry.