The event was a 2-day ride south of Munich (towards the Alps) and a campout near Bad Tölz. The starting and finishing point was the Guten Biken bike shop near the center of Munich.

We met a day before at Guten Biken shop to register and to get to know the other riders. As I was participating alone I spent quite some time talking to the other riders and checking out their bikes.

The event itself started Saturday morning. It seemed like the perfect day for cycling, with cloudy skies and just-right temperatures (as it rained the night before). We started through the city and passed Wiesn (which is by now half occupied by builders preparing for Oktoberfest). Soon enough we reached the forest heading towards Starnberg lake. The rhythm was great. Soon enough we reached our first “pitstop” at a coffee shop/truck.

After the break we continued towards Starnberg, passed the town, and ended up on the hills west of the lake, enjoying the amazing views of the Alps. As it was getting hot, we passed the perfect lake to cool off (Ostersee).

lake Starnberg with a view of the Alps

lake Ostersee

Now we were hungry, and soon enough we stopped at Starnberg lake to eat some cooked food. As we leave the restaurant, of course, we’re met by an uphill gravel road. 5km to go and the first flat of the group happens (on tubeless, on new tires 😱). We fix it and get moving … 1km in … the same tire gets a flat. This time we happen to be right next to a gas station so as some are trying to fix the flat (in the end a tube solved it) the rest got ice cream and beer. In the end, we reach the camping ground, set up the tent, cold shower and, some well-deserved food.

fixing flat number 2

On Sunday, I wake up at 6.30 am as the sun hits my tent and it gets too hot to sleep. We pack and head over for breakfast. We form a decent-sized group and start. A cool 100+ km awaits us and today it’s sunny and quite hot already. After some nice gravel road right by the Isar, we reach Bad Tölz and soon enough we start climbing. Luckily most of it is through the forest, so we get some shade.

After the much-deserved downhill, we pass Gmund and stop by a river to cool off. After a lot of ups and downs, we notice we’re running low on water and are getting hungry. Unfortunately for us it’s Sunday and we’re in Bavaria … almost everything is closed. In the meanwhile, I manage to somehow slip (while standing still) and bend my rear derailleur. Davo from Guten Biken straightens it up enough for me to have access to the lower gears just in time for the last massive climb of the day ❤️. Thirsty, hot, and tired … we were losing any hope of finding something open. Luckily, at the top, we found an alpaca farm which happened to also have a fridge full of beverages … perfect timing! After the much-needed break, we get going, and soon after we stumble upon a biergarten ❤️ … finally. After A LOT OF FOOD and some chill riding into Munich, we reach back to the Guten Biken shop and end with a well-deserved beer/beverage.

I feel tired but somehow really full of energy. Somehow the city is too busy and agitated (and full of police … “thank you” G7) … someone from the group was already contemplating going back to the mountains 😂

Thanks to everyone who organized this event and to all of the participants, who made it into such a cool event.