Day 117: Magdeburg to Bad Belzig

Yesterday was a tough riding day.

I had left Karolin’s place and went to a bakery in Magdeburg for breakfast. As soon as I finished breakfast it started to rain. The clouds must have been going in the same direction I was since it rained the whole day.

Even though I wore my rain jacket, I was soon soaked. My wool socks only prevented my feet from getting wet for a short period of time.

The worst of all is the raindrops that kept on pressing random buttons on my smartphone when I was using Google Maps. Even when I turned off the screen the raindrops would turn it back on again. It was very irritating.

Google Maps also directed me to dirt roads or hiking paths that I didn’t dare to ride on. Maybe I would have if it didn’t rain, but the mud would have made my ride very difficult. I ended up going on the main road, Route 246, after deciding to deal with the cars rather than the difficult road conditions.

I didn’t see any restaurants on the road until around 3 PM. I had a very late lunch consisted of a döner.

The constant rain somehow made me drink less water. By the time I arrived at my Warmshowers host’s yard in Bad Belzig I still had a bottle of water left. I had ridden 58.2 miles for the day even though Google Maps indicated an estimated 47 miles when I checked in the morning.

My host Heidi wasn’t home, but she gave me directions to turn on the water so I can use the sink and the shower in the back of the barn. That was all I needed.

I didn’t even eat dinner and I ended up sleeping in the camper rather than pitching my tent, which was more comfortable.

This morning, I woke up around 7:30. It might rain again today even though it’s not raining now. I’m not sure what route I’ll take to Berlin. I don’t trust Google Maps and the EuroVelo route might also take me on dirt trails. It’s an adventure for sure.

It rained the whole day.

Riding on the road is so much better than the dirt paths.

Hey Google, this is not a road for cycling!

Some roads are not in good condition.

Again, I didn't want to cycle on roads like this.

Cute sheep

I rested in a couple of covered bus stops on my way to Bad Belzig.

Where I slept for the night