On waking early I was torn between having breakfast and not wanting to wait for a ferry from Bingen to Rudesheim. In the end, and after packing my bike, I opted for a quick 15 minute all you could eat buffet (with a bit of lunch thrown in) and then made the 8:15 ferry. The forecast was for 28 degrees again today, so I was keen to get some miles in before the afternoon heat. I made good progress to Mainz (25 miles) which is twinned with Watford which has clearly ‘twinned’ above its status and got a good deal. The route reminded me of the River Thames with lots of houseboats, a nature reserve and some urban.

After Mainz, the route traversed some vineyards. Given that I knew that people would ask, the grapes are nice, but small and very pippy.

The length of the Rhine is measured in ‘Rhine-kilometers’ which start from Lake Constance at Konstanz to the Hook of Holland, 1,036km.

I then made good progress until @ 2pm, but intermittent signage around industrial estates and diversions leading into Worms (yes, that is a place name) and Ludwigshafen, cost me time and added miles.

Some of the ride  followed recently
constructed Polders, a response to the extreme  floods in 1995. The good news is that the miles of Polders have been constructed with miles of  tarmac’d access roads, doubling up as cycleways. And without a headwind (and a gradient of only 1 in 10,769) that made things easier.

I passed an out-of-town Aldi at 60 miles and dived in for drink and food, but was also mysteriously lured to the cycle oddments on offer which included gel saddle covers for 7 Euros. Saddle ache was becoming a common afternoon occurrence and hence it seemed like fate…. Following a spontaneous purchase, the first thing I noticed was that it effectively raised by saddle by 0.5 inch, but I was sure that it would sink a bit. And to be fair it did make things a bit more comfortable, transferring the suffering to the next most annoying irritation, as all cyclists will know.

I finally rolled up at Speyer Youth Hostel with 95 miles done and so very grateful to have a room to myself again (the same as Duisburg and Bingen) and finished the day off with a curry and a pint.

So I’m now halfway up the Rhine (420 miles completed) and half way though the trip overall. Tired ? Yes. Satisfied ? Very. Concerns ? Saturday, Sunday and the Queen’s stage on Monday will all be tough, but there is no going back.