From Sunday to Thursday, I took my trusty ’98 Specialized Rockhopper on a little adventure through beautiful France. Starting in Freiburg, we headed towards the Vosges and just kept pedaling:
- Day 1: Freiburg → Stosswihr (73 km, 510 m / pics 1–2)
- Day 2: Stosswihr → Jarménil (62 km, 1260 m / pics 3–7)
- Day 3: Jarménil → Maron (98 km, 360 m / pics 8–10)
- Day 4: Maron → Réchicourt-le-Château (79 km, 110 m / pics 11–16)
- Day 5: Réchicourt-le-Château → Renchen (149 km, 550 m / pics 17–20)
The route took us over the Vosges to Épinal, then along the Moselle down to Nancy, and east via the Canal de la Marne au Rhin towards Sarrebourg. With the rain being relentless during the last two nights and quite heavy on day five, Strasbourg ended up being the early gateway back into Germany.
Sleeping outside ranged from chilly mornings to overheating in the bag, but the one constant was our balanced diet of baguettes, cheese, saucisson, and Orangina.
The Rockhopper? Absolutely solid. No flats, no breakdowns, no nothing, just a smooth ride all the way. The original 3×9 Deore LX gearing was a lifesaver in the Vosges, and with racks front and back it was all about space over pace. Frequent coffee stops and the occasional cigarette break along forest paths and canals made the rhythm complete.
Big up to the homie for matching the Rockhopper’s slow but steady pace and for somehow handling pretty rough Vosges terrain on a road bike, which is honestly quite impressive.
Much love!
by n1ck3r_