Day 18 Magdeburg to Tangermunde, Germany

On the Elbe Radweg in Magdeburg

I got up about 7 AM, went down for a meager breakfast at about 8 AM and worked on web stuff till 9:30ish. I planned to take it easy today - yesterday was a good day, but it was a long day at 85+ miles. Today will be more like 50 miles.

I figured it would be easy to find the Radweg, and, except for dealing with city traffic, it was. I just rode down to the Elbe and looked for it.

Looking at the Elbe Radweg and one of the Elbe channels from a bridge over the Elbe

Then I had to figure out how to get to the Radweg, which wasn't trivial, but wasn't too hard either. Finally, I had to out how to follow the Radweg out of Magdeburg and that was a pain to do. I knew it went over the the other side of the Elbe channels - just two of them here - at the next bridge north, and I was able to follow Elbe Radweg signs that far. Then a sign or two was missing. I was headed east, no longer on the Radweg.

I did what any sensible cyclist would do. I stopped to get something to eat ;-}. Then I looked at the roads and I saw where a lot of bicyclist were coming south, so I headed north on that road. Sure enough, a few hundred meters later, I saw a Elbe Radweg sign. After that I was able to follow the signs for the Radweg in Magdeburg.

The Elbe Radweg near Magdeburg
Note the brick bike path

The asphalt bike path outside the city, smooth except where there were tree roots

After 15 minutes of riding on the bumpy brick bike path in Magdeburg, I was contemplating leaving the radweg on the first available road ;-{. Fortunately, after the city ended the pretty brick path was replaced by a, much smoother, asphalt path. The radweg was usually pretty smooth after that, but there were sections on cobblestone roads and asphalt sections though the forest that were very hard on my body. So were some of the roads. I ended the day with both my crotch and bad knee hurting. Even my hands, protected by a Softride stem, were feeling bruised.

I did lose the radweg one other time when it had to divert a good ways inland to go around a channel built to allow ships to get to a town near the Elbe. The signs were confusing and, following them, I climbed away from the river and, eventually, found myself on a road next the channel with the bike path - I could see lots of folks riding - on the other side of the channel. I decided just to keep following the road and, five km later, the radweg came back into the road to cross a bridge over the channel.

Lunch!

I hadn't eaten for about three hours - there are very few services on this part of the Elbe Radweg - and was getting worried that I might have to ride for several more hours before I found anything to eat - when I came upon a hotel with a restaurant right on the radweg. This was a very popular place. While I was eating, which took about an hour, I'd estimate that half of the riders that came by on the radweg, stopped to eat. I had a very good lunch for 13 E. Tomorrow, I will carry food with me.

Cattle near the river

I crossed the river on a ferry at Grieben, and got badly overcharged for the crossing. There are two routes for that part of the radweg, one, on the east side, is shorter but rougher. I chose the west side and that was where I found the hotel for lunch.

I decided I would stop at Tangermundi because there were lots of services there. After lunch, there were several, quite pretty but rough, sections of the radweg. Then the radweg was on a smooth road for a long time and I decided to stick to the smooth road when the radweg left it. I rode to Buch and then got on L31 to Tangermundi. I'm not sure if that that was a good decision because there was a lot of bumpy road before I reached L31 on that route. I did see a storks nest, with two storks, in Buch, so maybe that made it the right route for me ;-}.

Storks in Buch

Tangermundi
The banner in the middle of the image is announcing a 1000 year celebration in September

In Buch, I visited with a couple who were on holiday in Tangermundi. It is a beautiful old town, right on the Elbe and obviously a popular resort area. There are six hotels and five Pensions in town, as well as lots of restaurants and shops. I stopped at the information center and they found an inxepensive room at a pension for me. The hotels all seemed a bit upscale and, after spending more than usual last night, I'm spending less tonight. Tomorrow, I will ride another 50 miles or so up the Elbe, possibly to Wittenberge. It is also possible, if the radweg is too rough, that I will leave it.

Previous Page Next Page