Cycling

Over the years I have done the odd bicycle trip. I used to cycle to school and university in Kiel every day from the age of 13. In the Summer holidays and weekends I used go on longer trips with friends. We mainly toured in Scandinavia and I have put more details on a separate page.

In 2000 I took part in the Vaetternrundan after not cycling very much for almost a decade. In the following year I bought a Brompton to commute by train into London. But it took until 2009 to revive my long distance cycling with a trip to work cycling all the way there and back.

I used to commute into London but are now commuting to Newbury, which has the advantage that I get cycle the entire distance very often rather than having to resort to using the train for parts of the journey.

My renewed interest in cycling longer distances was partly inspired by following other cyclists who cycled around and up and down the world like: James Bowthorpe, Julian Sayarer and Mark Beaumont. And after receiving an Audax UK membership as Christmas present I have been taking part in a few Audaxes in the South. Relatives of mine are currently on their way to New Zealand on their tandem

My bikes

I currently own a nice red 2010 M3L which I purchased through the Cycle to Work scheme and my trusty (or rusty?) old Koga-Miyata Randonneur Extra from 1986. We also have a trailer bike for the children. And we have a grown-up tandem that doesn’t get much use at the moment. And there is also an old grey Sparta bicycle and a Koga Randonneur Lady which are kept in Kiel for occasional use.

Previously, I owned another Koga bicycle that was unfortunately stolen, a green Motobecane bicycle, a black Garelli folding bicycle, and before then a “Bonanzarad“, my first bicycle. My first 2001 Brompton (M3L) now roams the streets of Luebeck.