This year, like last, the International Tandem Rally 24 (ITR24) fell closely after TandemTreffen24 (TT24). With only 12 days separating the two, we decided to go to the Black Forest for TT24 then stay in the area for six nights before heading to the Netherlands for ITR24.
On the way we would stay over for a couple of nights at each stopover so we could go for a day ride. That was the plan anyway.
Watch the video (37 minutes) or read about it below.As usual, we booked a relatively early morning ferry and stayed overnight in Dover.Our first overnight stop was at L’Albizia in Libin, Belgium. Very tidy and comfortable, the host welcomed us with a drink and booked a table at a nearby restaurant for us.The ‘Meet and Greet’ at the Schwarzwald Hotel, Gengenbach. Gengenbach is a small town about 35km south east of Strasbourg.The ‘bike store’ for TT24.
The meetings are usually held in large conference hotels and most participants stay in allocated rooms with a few in camper vans. The format is always the same… meet on the Wednesday afternoon, eat dinner together and then move to one of the conference rooms for an information briefing. There are short, medium and long rides organised for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday and we depart on the Sunday. As the medium group is usually heavily subscribed, they split it into e-bike and non e-bike groups.
After eating together in the evenings, there are usually a couple of presentations by members of the group who have been touring, followed by a quick route briefing for the following day.
TT24 Day 1 – May 9th 2024
Rode north-west from Gengenbach anti-clockwise, passing through Offenburg on our return.
The ‘Short’ ride group was on the small side but on another Pino were Jane and John, also from the UK. One of the uprights was ridden by John (a Yorkshireman who now lives in Germany) and Kathrin. As most Germans have a pretty good command of English (better than my German), comms wasn’t an issue.We saw several old tobacco barns where in the past, the leaves were hung to dry out.At Willstädt we caught up with one of the medium groups, as they left after a coffee stop.If Carlsberg did Youth Hostels! Yes, this castle is a hostel.Evening meal in the hotel after day 1.
TT24 Day 2 – May 10th 2024
Heading south along the Kinzig Valley for Haslach then Zell, anti-clockwise. Note the conspicuous lump at the half-way point.
One of the middle groups gets ready to leave. Staggered start times helped to keep the returns closer together.Quick stop for a breather and to read about the Kinzig Ghost – legend has it that greed got the better of a ‘Customs Officer’ responsible for collecting tariffs between the forested areas and as a punishment, he was cursed to become a ghost after his death, and live for eternity. It is said he likes to run past unsuspecting hikers in the forests to scare them.At Haslach we were treated to a little guided tour of the old town.Fools’ Fountain with sculptures by Herbert Maier 1976Haslach. We were stood opposite the town hall and the mayor shouted a greeting from his window.If you look at the height profile below the map of the ride, there’s a very distinct lump in the middle above Bollenbach. We had a steep climb up through the forest and only the e-assist pairs were able to ride it all. We regrouped half-way up and again here at the top. The descent into Bollenbach was a test for the brakes!The view after the only really hard climb of the weekend.Heading back to Gengenbach with Jane and John ahead. Once back, we showered and changed then sat and enjoyed the company over a drink. The local brew was Furstenberg.
TT24 Day 3 – May 11th 2024
Heading north west for Durbach passing through some of the vineyards with a lunchtime stop in Offenburg, anti-clockwise.
On the final day of TT24 our group was added to for part of the ride as Stefan and Anja and another Pino pair joined us.Our ride guides, Thomas and Carmen were both from the area and wanted to show us the old houses in Gengenbach, just over the river from our hotel, so we started there.In the old part of Gengenbach.Approaching Jugendherberge Schloss Ortenberg from the south.Vineyard and Black forest hills.Another short stop beside the vines.Durbach. We managed to find a little café just down from here where we stopped and some had lunch.The Pinonaughts of TT24 – Ruth and Karl should have been here too, but Ruth had managed to break her arm badly the day before and so they had departed. She was operated on to fix the break with a plate but on arriving home, they found their house had been flooded, with about 0.75m in the basement.
The other teams departed on the Sunday, but Karon and I stayed another day and took the Pino around the streets of Gengenbach. In the morning, Carmen showed us a quiet garden at Stadtkirche Sankt Marien and we sat and sketched then went in search of some food and a drink in the town. There was a festival going on and it was busy but we found somewhere to sit and watch the world go by for a while.
Stadtkirche Sankt MarienKaron sketchingStadtkirche Sankt MarienMy sketch
After sketching we moved on into the town. There was a band playing in the town centre with some festivities. In the evening we went to a local restaurant for dinner. Next day we left for Freiburg.
