Biking from Brussels to Mainz (May 15-17) after World Harmony Run at the European Parliament (14/15 May)

World Harmony Run enthusiasm at the primary school Claire Joie



Making friends with Daniela, with her German flag



The reception of the World Harmony Run at the European Parliament in Brussels and a visit to a local, very multi-cultural primary school with the torch was a great opportunity to pack my bike into our rented car in order to bike back from Brussels to check out the main part of the biking route for August.

After a few inspiring and impressive hours in Brussels, including an exhibition of paintings by Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the World Harmony Run, on Wednesday at the European Parliament and a meeting with local school kids who did a great performance for us on Thursday, I said good-bye to my friends around noon and took off on my bike with not more than a backpack with some fresh clothes, rain gear, toothbrush, maps and mobile phone.

My plan was to check out the major part of the bike route for August in reality, not just on a map, and it proved a very good idea, since particularly in Germany things became much more complicated than the map would suggest.

Biking from Brussels towards Aachen via Tervuren, Tongeren, St. Truiden, Maastricht and Vaals, along the beautiful park landscapes and alleys with majestic old trees and huge rhododendron bushes, with softly rolling hills that I like so much more than just plain flat surface, was a great experience. Bike paths along the Belgian national roads and in the towns all the way to Aachen made it very easy. With its little neat houses of dark brick, interspersed with some white patterns, reminding of northern Germany and England at the same time and very little industrial zones compared to Germany, it felt very "cosy". Only when I looked up the history of Belgium at home, and its involvement in Africa and the Congo (passing by the Royal Museum for Central Africa near Tervuren and the "Aligator-Fountain") did I realise how much violence was still going on here only some 100 years ago!

I reached Aachen around 9 p.m. (about 137 km), after a longer ice-cream and vegi-burger stop in Borgloon to take schelter from the 5 p.m. thunderstorm with thunder and lightning and heaviest downpour, and only after I had checked in did the rain come back.

Next morning, Friday, I started around 10 a.m. from the Place of Europe in the city center of Aachen via Düren and Bonn towards Koblenz (another 135 km). This part became considerably more complicated due to less perfect bike paths in Germany and the need to take to "village roads" quite often with main roads tending to turn into dangerous highway-like speedways for cars only.

With many stops to ask for a safe way without too much extra mileage and hills, I made it in sunny weather to Bonn, where the first adrenaline rush set in when I suddenly found myself - without lights - in a long city tunnel. I learned to avoid the federal road B9 which at first was great to bike and make good headway on, until the safety side strip disappeared and cars thundered close by me at 120 km/hour (second adrenaline rush). When I stopped at an exit of the B9 at Sinzig to figure out if I should rather turn to the village roads, a police car stopped behind me and a nice police lady supported this idea very strongly.

So down to the bike path along the Rhine, very scenic, but much slower and a bit longer, with a big problem: the helpers' car won't be able to accompany me all the way in August. We will need an extra biker and meet every half hour or so whenever the road and the bike path touch. Hopefully I won't have to bike along this path at night (and fall asleep in the middle of nowhere).

I reached Koblenz still in daylight and pushed my bike up the last few meters to the fortress of "Ehrenbreitstein" on the other side of the Rhine, with its youth hostel and a spectacular evening view over the Rhine valley. It had rained quite a bit here and would be raining again during the night, but Indra - or however was in charge up there - was benevolent and had kept me dry all the way again.



Festung Ehrenbreitstein with youth hostel and spectacular view

Next morning, when I hopped on my bike again around 10 a.m. to speed down the fortress hill, the sun came out through the thick clouds, and again the day would be dry, in spite of the weather forecast.

Only about 117 mostly flat kilometers until Mainz. I enjoyed the rest of the famous scenic Rhine route, which I had loved as a child growing up near Frankfurt, including the famous Loreley at St. Goar. The bike path now stayed close to the B9 for most of the time - no problem for the helpers.

Around 6 p.m., after a last climb before Mainz, I reached the train station with a last downhill speed - happy and a little exhausted, of course. For the last 6 months my bike training had been minimal, so I was extremely grateful and confident after these three days.

I have come to realise more clearly what a challenge is ahead of me. But I know I have biked 560 km at a stretch in two triple-ironmen not too long ago. Of course now there will be more swimming before - but less running afterwards!

I feel like another important piece of the big triathlon puzzle is completed - and it will all come together perfectly at the right time, this is my deep inner conviction. I feel as if there is a guidance behind it, from within.

The next few days will be recovery and some swimming, then the Mannheim marathon on Saturday, and then into more serious swim and weight training, the next long swims and slowly into cold water.