Table of Contents
- Final Part ~ The Fixed Horse Petal
- Pedaling to Pasing
- Taking the Train
- The Last Long Line
- The Retrospective
- Bonus: Closing the Cleft
- The Road Ahead
Last year, I tried and failed to do the horse petal, which would have taken me up the Isar valley and the Jachenau, around the Walchensee, and back home again from there. However, a flat tire at the shore of the Walchensee, some unpreparedness on my part, as well as a lack of help from the ADFC forced me to abort it (see Book V ~ Chapter 13 ~ Project Petal Part 8 ~ Alpine Abortion). Now that I have finished all of the other petal, it is time for me to return and finish what I started with...
Final Part ~ The Fixed Horse Petal
Now, since I already did all the work of pedaling up to the Walchensee without the satisfaction of getting to ride my bike back downhill again, I am going to save myself that part today and take the train to a suitable set-out point and cycle back down from there. Now, unfortunately no trains run to the Walchensee, and taking the bus up there with by bike would over-complicate things. However, there is a train line running through the next valley to the south, which is exactly what I'll take advantage of now. As such, the first segment of today's ride should be relatively short, involiving me...
Pedaling to Pasing
Distance: 5.0kmAscents: 20m
Duration: 30 min
Compared with literally any of my other rides, this one is laughably short, taking me south through Untermenzing, then west towards the Würm, and then upstream all the way to Pasing. However, this is really only the prelude to the significantly longer main event that is yet to come.
In order to dodge the busiest hours, I get up early, and with that, I mean really early. As such, I am already out of the door when the sun finally rises by 5:30. Tomorrow is the Night of the Long Shadows, which makes today one of the longest days of the year. Even so, with how long a ride I've planned today, I am still not sure if I'll be able to finish before it gets dark again.
Anyway, this ride is relatively straightforward, taking me down a route that I've cycled time and time again up the Würm. During my college years, I used to cycle this way to Pasing and then once again as far in order to earn some extra money as a math tutor.
Before long, I pass by the Blutenburg, which is beautifully illuminated by rays of Radian rising...
...and shortly thereafter, I am already at the Pasing station.
It is from there that I should be...
Taking the Train
Ride Duration: 1.5hApproximate Distance: 105km
Average Speed: 70km/h
I proceed to buy myself some breakfast and lunch at the station, as well as a ticket for my trusty bike Jycily (I myself already have a Deutschland-Ticket, which allows me to travel by regional trains all over Germany), and soon thereafter my train arrives, pulled by a good old DB111 locomotive, which is actually 9 years older than me and was possibly even built in the Krauss-Maffei factory in Allach where my grandfather used to work.
Now, I do know that these regional trains usually have a wagon for bikes, and I do know that it's usually at one end. However, I do not know which end, so I take a guess... and fail. As such, I end up having to maneuver my bike into an in-between section and keep watch over it for the entire ride since there's nothing to properly secure it with. On the plus side, the conductor is understanding and doesn't give me a hard time about it.
Now, as for the route, this train will take me as far as Garmisch-Partenkirchen ("Spear Swamp-Divide Churches"), passing through Starnberg ("Staring Mountain"), Tutzing ("Doesen"), Weilheim ("Because Home") and Murnau am Staffelsee ("Avalanche Meadow at the Relay Lake") along the way. From there, I actually take a train of the Austrian railway for one stop until the village of Klais ("Track"). Don't worry though, my ticket is still valid all the way until the (very nearby) border... probably.
Anyway, the ride down there takes me south across the fields near Munich across which I have cycled several times by now, and eventually past the shore of the Starnberger See and Tutzing. After that we pass through the hills of the Alpenvorland ("Alps Foothills"), and eventually make our way into the valley in which Garmisch-Partenkirchen is located, occasionally skirting the bank of the river Loisach ("Loess Stream"). And from there, the next train takes me through a forested side valley all the way to Klais.
(Click here to view the video in a new tab if this website fails to display it)
Departing as early as I did, I didn't even eat breakfast yet, figuring that I could comfortably eat breakfast in the train. And while the "eat" part certainly holds true, the "comfortably" part leaves something to be desired as I constantly need to make sure Jycily doesn't fall over. As for what's for breakfast, that would be a Butterbretze ("Butter Pretzel") and a Nussecke ("Nut corner").
In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, I only have a few minutes to change over into the next train, which thankfully is standing right across the platform. However, this time around I am determined to actually make it into the proper bike compartment (even if it is only for a single stop), and also learn of the difficulties of navigating a busy platform with a bike in tow.
Once inside, I can't help but get the feeling that the trains of the ÖBB (Östereichische Bundesbahn = "Austrian National Railway") look somewhat more posh than their German, privately owned counterparts. Anyway, now that I'm in the train compartment, I quickly find a strap to secure my bike with. However, either I'm not using it right, or that thing is a bit of a design fail, because it does not actually firmly connect Jycily to the wall in a way that I would consider safe. So I figure I'd better sit down next to it so that I can grab it if it threatens to fall over.
Oh well, at least it's only for one more stop, and a few minutes later we're already at the small rural station of Klais where I get off along with just a few other people.
So, here I am. It is now just past 8 in the morning, and I stand at the embarkation point for...
The Last Long Line
Distance: 111kmAscents: 520m
Duration: 10.25h
6/9 (+3 passed)🎁︎
This should be one of my most epic bike tours yet. With 111km in length, it is second only after the Circadian Century Circuit (see Book III ~ Chapter 13 ~ Corona and the Century Circadian Circuit), and with 520m of ascents all in all it claims 13th place of all my rides. Anyway, the route takes me overall north, first along the west coast of the Walchensee and then the east coast of the Kochelsee. After that I cycle north across the Loisach-Kochelsee-Moore ("Lugus Stream Simmer Lake Bogs") to the southernmost tip of the Starnberger see, and then skirt its west coast for a while before cycling up into the hills dividing it from the Ammersee. From up there, I head northeast towards Munich and eventually keep following the run of the Würm back home.
As far as the ascents are concerned, although this ride should be overall downhill, there's still a bunch of bumps that quickly add up to several hundred meters. First, there's the saddle between the valley of the Isar (where Klais is located) and the Walchensee, followed by the Katzenkopf ("Cat's Head") which on account of having circumcycled it (and gotten that infamous flat tire along the way) the last time, I choose to cross over this time around. Next is the saddle separating the Walchensee from the Kochelsee, which is followed by the most intense downhill segment since Mt. Fuji (see Book II ~ Chapter 22 ~ Nutty Numazu). After that, there's a pretty flat bit with only a few minor ascents along the way, until I get to Tutzing, where I did get it into my head that I wanted to scale the hills separating the two lakes. Once that last big ascent is conquered, the hilltop ride is actually pretty okay, with a few last bumps at Perchting ("Shinen") and Hadorf ("Hair Village"), and from there, it's pretty much downhill all the way home.
But that is then. Now, I am still at my set-out point in the mountains, beneath a sunny blue sky and comfortably warm temperatures.
And to add to these optimal conditions, there's even a small bike road running parallel to the main road through green pastures, which makes for comfortable and carefree riding.
On top of that the day starts with a downhill segment during which I race the little Kranzbach ("Wreath Stream") downhill through a beautiful forest.
Coming out of the trees again, I get a great view of the surrounding mountains, such as the massive Wetterstein ("Weather Stone") or the jagged peaks of the Karwendel ("Ker-Coil"), both of which also mark the border to Austria.
Completing the alpine idyll package is the fact that my way soon leads me past pastures where cows lie lazily on the lush grass...
...as well as an alpine town of Wallgau ("Rampart Meadow"), which is definitely modern, yet still manages to preserve the old alpine character.
It is at the border of that village that the first uphill segment begins, taking me up the saddle between the Fahrenberg ("Driving Mountain") and the Krepelschrofen ("Crippled Crag"). One ascent later, I find myself crossing a bridge across the Obernachkanal ("Upper Past Channel"), which flows from here all the way down to the Walchensee.
So downhill it is again, this time through the forest by means of a gravel road that saves me the trouble of having to cycle on the main road... not that its terribly busy here and now, mind you.
What follows thereafter is the climb across the Katzenkopf by means of the main road, which is not particularly interesting since it's just a rural main road cutting through the forest. Much more rewarding is the sight of the Walchensee immediately thereafter. Incidentally, see the lower road there? That's precisely where I had my flat tire the last time around. Good thing I'm safe up here now.
As such, this time around I actually get to ride Jycily through Walchensee, going quietly to save noise, of course.
However, there's a distinct difference compared to my last visit: The Viking village backdrop from the "Vicky the Viking" movie has since been deconstructed, and now all that remains is the elaborate entrance gate and... whatever you call a Viking totem pole.
Finally, on the far side of town, there's the bus stop until which I pushed poor Jycily the last time around, taking the bus down to Kochel from there-
This time it's different! Today I proudly ride Jycily along the shore of the lake glittering in the sunlight...
...all the way to Urfeld ("Ancient Field"), the town on the northern tip of the Walchensee.
From there, I take a look south across the Walchensee, noticing how the flanks of the Soiernscharte ("Wetland Notch") in the distance - rising up to over 2200m - is still covered in snow.
After that comes the third major climb for today, taking me up the Kesselbergpass ("Kettle Mountain Pass"), thankfully from the more pleasant side.
Along the way, I look back to get one last good look on the Walchensee and the snow-covered mountains beyond...
...and then it disappears from view as I reach the Kesselbergpass, which although at an impressive 859m of altitude is still lower than my set-out point of Klais, which was at 935m. Now if only I could convince road builders to build their roads along isolines, then I could have saved all ascents up until now.
What follows is a mad rush downhill where I need to fully focus on taking the turns at speeds that I'm not really used to. Barely 10 minutes of high-speed turn-taking through a winding forest road later, I am already down at the shore of the Kochelsee.
Shortly thereafter, I cycle past the Berg Blick Hostel, where I spent one of the worst nights of my travels following last year's debacle...
...and this time around I also very happily give the train station a miss. This one is one of these definite terminal stops.
Immediately past the station, I come across a house with a very creative mural. Now, how many of these windows do you reckon are real, and which ones are just painted on?
From there, I enter the Loisach-Kochelsee-Moore, which are, in fact, one of Germany's largest contiguous wetlands. Fortunately for me, there are reasonably good paths across the wetlands...
...which doesn't mean that the water of the heavily saturated soils doesn't occasionally choose to run across the paths, but at the very least I won't have to worry about getting stuck in a bog-hole or such. Incidentally, by now the day is starting to get rather hot, and with me being in the middle of a swamp that means "hot and oppressively humid".
Eventually, I reach the banks of the Loisach, which runs from here all the way to Wolfratshausen, where it joins with the Isar from the next valley over.
Following the river downstream, I come across several crumbling bits of path, where clearly the bogs to the right seek somewhat more direct river access...
...which makes me kinda hesitate a little when I come across a pair of signs that read "End of the hiking path network of Benediktbeuern ("Benedict Farmers")" and "No path maintenance. Enter at your own risk.". If those were well-maintained paths, I wonder what awaits me beyond here.
One failed lunacy check later I find myself going down the "Enter at your own risk"-path. Thankfully, that one turns out to be mostly harmless, with some narrow but basically okay field paths along the Loisach - the biggest danger of which are some stinging nettles - followed by small stretch of forest. I've been through significantly worse over the course of the petal rides.
Eventually I cross over the Loisach by means of the first bridge in over 7km, and looking back I get my last look of the mountains for today. This mountain in particularly is called the Heimgarten ("Home Garden"), which is a kinda funny name for a mountain since I don't know of any gardens quite big enough to fit it.
Having already passed through Urfeld in the valley of the Walchensee earlier today, I now pass through the hamlet of Urthal ("Ancient Valley") in the fields north of the Kochelsee. I wonder if the people who chose these names were trying to confuse anyone in particular.
Anyway, after all these big lakes, here's a small one for a change. This one is the Riederner Weiher ("Reeding Pond").
Moving on from there, I come across a nice sheltered cycling path that gets me off the roads for a bit...
...though before long that one ejects me into the streets of Penzberg ("Behest Mountain"), where things start to get a little bit more hilly again.
But I'm not going to complain about this little bump, especially not when it takes me past what is clearly the most idyllic sight today.
It is also there that I come across a big old oak tree that is already over 200 years old, which is older than the city of Penzberg.
Incidentally, I did already cross over (or rather under) the train line from Kochel shortly before Penzberg, and now I'm following that line almost all of the way to the Starnberger See.
But before I get there, I try to find a Geocache in one of the smaller ponds known as the Osterseen ("Easter Lakes"). At this one - which is known by the name of Kindsbrünndl ("Child's Well") - I shouldn't find a cache. Instead, I find mosquitoes!!! They're everywhere!!! Especially over here!!!!!
What follows is a mad dash through the undergrowth as I try to make my way out of the mosquito-infested forest by the fastest way possible, no matter how many branches I need to break along the way. On particularly pathless parts, I even end up pushing and even carrying Jycily, all in a breathless attempt to get away as fast as possible while I keep accruing more and more stings by the minute, and that's despite me wearing insect repellent, mind you!
In the end, the cloud of mosquitoes does not let off before I reach the town of Seeshaupt and manage to get out into direct sunlight again. By that time, I am reasonably well-perforated, and am desperately trying to resist the urge to scratch my itching... well... everything. My best bet for that is to keep on cycling, because that at least keeps my hands occupied.
Shortly thereafter, I find myself within eyeshot of the Starnberger See...
...and proceed to make my way north up the western shore by means of a wooded lakeside path.
By now it is already past 13:00, and I've been looking for a shady place to have my lunch break at for some time now. The bench at the Kindsbrünndl would have been perfect for that if not for all the mosquitoes, and ever since then I've only come across shadeless benches, such as the ones near the hamlet of Seeseiten ("Lake Sides"), which offer a great view of the lake, but are exposed to the full fury of Radian.
With the day already being quite hot, the last thing I want to do is sit in the sun for lunch during the zenith hour, so I continue on for some time, determined to make my lunch break as soon as I find something that looks even remotely like a bench in a shady spot. Said something soon appears in the form of a fallen log in a partially shady glade.
That's good enough for me, so this is where I settle down for lunch break, enjoying a Nussschnecke, Croissant and Müsliriegel each, while also fending of a managably small number of curious and/or hungry ants.
At this point, I have covered roughly half the distance home. Moving forward from here, the path takes me through a stretch of woodlands that is at the same time blissfully shady and mosquito-free.
When I emerge from the woods in the town of Bernried ("Bear Reed"), I notice a group half a dozen people loafing around on the roof of one of the houses there, and I wonder: Are they actually doing some work up there? Or has someone told them that the drinks are on the house?
Next up, I pass the museum of Buchheim ("Book Home"), which not only features a psychedelically-colored helicopter...
...but also an... uhh... giraffe tree?
Eventually, I reach the city of Tutzing, and with it one of the final stops of the S-Bahn Network of Munich. If something goes wrong from here on out, I can always take the S-Bahn back and continue at a later point.
There, I come across a strawberry stall selling apricots next to a Mitfahrer-Haltestelle ("Passenger Stop"), which is one of those benches where people hoping to hitch a ride can sit.
It is here that I cross over the train line that I took to Klais this morning...
...and immediately after, the final and most brutal ascent for today begins as I start scaling the hills that ensure that the Starnberger See and Ammersee remain two different lakes, passing a cubic designer house along the way.
Once atop the hills, however, I am rewarded with the beautiful panorama of rolling hills that I love so much.
Following the hilltop path along the tops of the hills is something that I find very relaxing, and I barely ever end up in any dead ends too!
However, one thing that you need to watch out for in the hills is the occasional golf parcour. You definitely don't want to set your bike into one of these sand bunkers.
I also come across a house which has not one, not two, but three humorous signs on its fence. These read (from left to right):
- "Enter at your own risk! I'M standing guard here!"
- "She doesn't mean any harm, she just wants to play!"
- "Never mess with a gardener! We know places where no one will find you."
The horseshoe-butterfly is also a nice touch.
Also, there's a stork-post which indicates a recent birth.
Proceeding across the sunny heights, I eventually reach the town of Aschering ("Ash Ring")...
...where I come across a horse that is woefully plagued by swarms of flies and possibly mosquitoes.
Since I can't see how I can realistically help with that, and since I've already had my share of mosquito bites today (still itching), I quickly hurry on, cycling across the hilltops with occasional ups and downs...
...until I reach a spot just north of the village of Landstetten ("Land Places") from where I can see all the way over to the windmills on the far shore of the Starnberger See. These should also be the only windmills that I get to see today.
Incidentally, this is also when some very welcome clouds appear in the sky to mitigate Radian's relentless photon barrage. So with me long since out of the fens and now also in the shade, the temperature and humidity are actually acceptable.
Next I pass through Perchting, where they have giant straw pigs advertising the past weekend of village festivals, so mark the dates, all ye time travellers!
En route to Hadorf, I pass through a tunnel of leaves that offers a magnificent view on its far exit...
...and shortly after entering aforementioned village, where I spot an artistic wood rack with a porcelain cat sitting in the middle.
That was also the last ascent for today. From here on out, it's downhill all the way. Unfortunately, part of my way takes me down a busy road, so that part is not exactly enjoyable.
Fortunately, the road doesn't stay busy for too long, and although I go straight, the main road takes a left turn, so by the time I reach Hausen ("Housing") and later Königswiesen ("King Meadows") things have calmed down considerably.
The end of my final descent from the hills comes when I reach Gauting ("Areaen")...
...and with it also comes the end of my water. So as a note to myself, it appears that my canteen only has a capacity for roughly 100km of biking. Oh well, at least it's not far now, and if things get too bad I can always hit a supermarket, now that I'm within the extended city area of Munich.
Before long, I reach the Würm right at the site of an old Elektrizitätswerk ("Electric Works" = "Power Plant"), which may or may not be in service to this day.
I cross over the little river at a beautiful spot where the river grass is apparently so thick that ducks can walk on it...
...and then continue along a forested riverside path, which is admittedly just a little bit bumpy.
I make much easier progress on the Miteinander-Weg ("Together-Way") that follows. There, people are asked to be considerate of one another, which I think is a very beautiful concept that ought to be applied in more places.
That way only last for so long, though, and afterwards I am back on a very beautiful riverside path, which thankfully is not quite as bumpy as the last one.
After that I traverse a stretch of woodlands where there's actually still some mud from recent rainfalls...
...and soon thereafter I reach Planegg ("Flat Corner") with its famous blue tower. It's funny how fate has a way of bringing me here every few years: First during the Goat Petal (see Book III ~ Chapter 14 ~ Project Petal Part 3 ~ A Verily Vulpine Voyage), then during my time at CAD Link (see Book V ~ Chapter 1 ~ Cruising to Canada, though I didn't mention the tower in that one), and now once again.
From here on out, I am basically on my home stretch. Back during my time at CAD Link I would occasionally cycle to and from work, so I know the way from here by heart. Even so, every now and then you still end up running into... special things... along the way.
Eventually, I pass back by the Blutenburg...
...and eventually reach the Fox Loft at 18:30, which is not exactly early, but this deep into the summer it's still with plenty of daylight to spare.
And just like that, it's done. Exactly 5 years after I started it, I am finished with the Project Petal. It has been an interesting, enjoyable, and at times challenging experience, and it was definitely worth it, and I'm glad I did it. Now, let's look back on all the petals one by one:
The Retrospective
So here we are. Project Petal is completed, and I have finally made rides in all twelve directions around Munich.
Now, let's take a look at each of the individual Petals that helped make this happen.
Part 1 ~ The Petal of the Snake
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 19-Jun-2019 | Thalhäusl Ride | 83km | 620m | 9.75h |
| 23-Jun-2019 | Thalhäusl Return Ride | 86km | 550m | 8.75h |
Book III ~ Chapter 8 ~ Project Petal Part 1 ~ To The Thalhäusl
My very first Petal Ride and answer to the question "After all I've been through abroad, why should I bother taking the train or hitching a ride to the annual board game meet at the Thalhäusl if I've already proven that I can cover greater distances than this by bike?". I immediately learned a lot about the landscape surrounding Munich on this first ride, and re-learned the hard way how to spot land-forms on a map that just scream "AAAHHH!!! I'M A MOUNTAIN!!!"
Part 2 ~ The Petal of the Tiger
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 31-Oct-2019 | Ruprechtsberg Ride | 85km | 400m | 9.25h |
| 2-Nov-2019 | Ruprechtsberg Return Ride | 95km | 400m | 11.00h |
Book III ~ Chapter 11 ~ Project Petal Part 2 ~ The Ruprechtsberg Ride
I had always wanted to cycle all the way out to my grandmother's place in the countryside, and since it happened that her place was just in the right distance for a Petal Ride, I made this second ride all about her. On the way there I should learn about THE BORDER which terminates the nice flat Munich gravel plain to the east, and on the way back I should set a very short-lived record for my longest bike ride yet.
The Century Circadian Circuit
11-Mar-2020Distance: 127.0km
Ascents: 300m
Duration: 13.25h
Book III ~ Chapter 13 ~ Corona and the Century Circadian Circuit
This is the one ride to rule them all. The record that should not be broken, both in time and distance, and the ride on which I pushed myself to the absolute limit. The only category in which this one is not the record-holder is ascents, and good riddance, because if I would have had to top the 900m of the Plucky Paparoa Pilgrimage (see Book I ~ Chapter 29 ~ Mangapai Mania) on this as well, Dragon, I would have died so hard.
Part 3 ~ The Petal of the Goat
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 21-May-2020 | Peißenberg Ride | 75km | 480m | 8.75h |
| 23-May-2020 | Peißenberg Return Ride | 80km | 200m | 8.50h |
Book III ~ Chapter 14 ~ Project Petal Part 3 ~ A Verily Vulpine Voyage
A ride I made primarily to visit one of my furry friends living at precisely the right distance. Also, I've been itching to explore the two big lakes of Munich which I knew existed, but about which I knew virtually nothing. Again, this was a ride which taught me a lot about the land-forms in the area - especially on the way there - and on the way back I even briefly spotted a wild fox before it darted into the woods.
Part 4 ~ The Petal of the Rooster
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 11-Jun-2020 | Klosterlechfeld Ride | 70km | 200m | 8.75h |
| 12-Jun-2020 | Schwabmünchen Ride | 41km | 90m | 4.75h |
| 13-Jun-2020 | Klosterlechfeld Return Ride | 72km | 300m | 9.25h |
Interlude ~ Project Petal Part 4 ~ Lechtal Liveliness
The first Petal Ride where I made rides on all three days, and also the first where I stayed in an Airbnb. Technically, there was even one extra ride to the supermarket, but since the supermarket was right around the corner, I don't think that qualifies. Either way, this was the first time I crossed the Lech, and definitely the farthest out I had been on any of the rides thus far.
Part 5 ~ The Petal of the Boar
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 19-Aug-2020 | Aresing Ride | 67km | 390m | 8.75h |
| 19-Aug-2020 | Schrobenhausen Shopping Ride | 8km | 50m | 0.75h |
| 20-Aug-2020 | Gempfing Ride | 76km | 420m | 8.25h |
| 21-Aug-2020 | Aresing Return Ride | 63km | 430m | 8.75h |
Interlude ~ Project Petal Part 5 ~ The Tri-day Two-hundred Tour
The first Petal Ride on which I beat the 200km mark in 3 days, setting a record of 214km. This was also the first petal on which I had to include an extended shopping ride due to a lack of shopping options near my Airbnb. I tried to reach the place where the Lech flows into the Donau on the second day, but had to stop 10km short because I ran out of time (and also had to cycle back all the distance to my Airbnb).
Part 6 ~ The Petal of the Rabbit
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 13-Apr-2022 | Soyen Ride | 75km | 350m | 7.75h |
| 13-Apr-2022 | Thal Shopping Ride | 5.5km | 70m | 1h |
| 14-Apr-2022 | Wasserburg Ride | 46km | 450m | 6.5h |
| 15-Apr-2022 | Soyen Return Ride | 91km | 500m | 9.75h |
Book V ~ Chapter 4 ~ Project Petal Part 6 ~ The Easterly Expedition
The first time I crossed the full width of THE BORDER, and with it the first time I cycled all the way too and cross the Inn. I also managed to narrowly beat my previous 3-day record by a narrow margin, setting 217.5km the new record. I could probably have beaten it by more by extending the second day ride a bit, but seeing as to how the return ride was rather harrowing, I'm kinda glad that I didn't
Part 7 ~ The Petal of the Rat
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 24-May-2022 | Ingolstadt Ride | 86km | 420m | 8.75h |
| 24-May-2022 | Ingolstadt Shopping Ride | 6km | 5m | 1h |
| 25-May-2022 | Ingolstadt Exploration Ride | 25km | 40m | 4h |
| 26-May-2022 | Ingolstadt Return Ride | 97km | 560m | 9.75h |
Book V ~ Chapter 6 ~ Project Petal Part 7 ~ Into Ingolstadt
The first really rainy ride, at least on the way there, where I simultaneously got drenched and a sunburn. Since Ingolstadt is pretty far away, I did only a pretty short exploratory ride on the second day in order to save my strength for the way back, and good thing I did, because the ride back should set a record for the longest segment of a Petal Ride, and was also quite close to setting a record for ascents at the same time.
Part 8 ~ The Broken Horse Petal
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 12-Sep-2022 | Geretsried Ride | 57km | 310m | 8.5h |
| 13-Sep-2022 | Broken Jachenau Ride | 69km | 540m | 8.25h |
Book V ~ Chapter 13 ~ Project Petal Part 8 ~ Alpine Abortion
My valiant attempt to reach the Walchensee in a segmented ride with two different Airbnbs succeeded, but as soon as I turned around to return it failed horribly. A flat tire that I was unable to fix despite my best efforts marked the end of my ride, and embarrassingly, the ADFC was unable to help. After this level of fail I took a bike fixing course and started to carry not one but two spare inner tubes around on any future Petal Rides.
Part 9 ~ The Petal of the Wolf
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 24-Oct-2022 | Augsburg Ride | 75km | 450m | 7.75h |
| 25-Oct-2022 | Augsburg Crescent | 62km | 500m | 7.5h |
| 26-Oct-2022 | Augsburg Return Ride | 74km | 240m | 7.25h |
Book V ~ Chapter 15 ~ Project Petal Part 9 ~ Augsburg and Around
Another petal where rain ruined my ride through the High Hills, but at least the following two days were good. On my return ride I was mentally prepared for another 400m or so of ascents, but got lucky enough to find The Gap, a low saddle between the valleys of the Lech and the Amper where I was able to cross easily without many ups and downs. Come to think of it, I already utilized that during the Rooster Petal, but didn't think much of it back then.
Part 10 ~ The Petal of the Dragon
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 17-Apr-2023 | Rosenheim Ride | 80km | 270m | 8.25h |
| 18-Apr-2023 | Chiemsee Ride | 73km | 590m | 9h |
| 19-Apr-2023 | Rosenheim Return Ride | 85km | 360m | 9.25h |
Book V ~ Chapter 16 - Project Petal Part 10 ~ The Rainy Rosenheim Ride
Clearly the Water Dragon Petal, because the amount of rain I suffered on this ride was extreme. Also kinda extreme was my distance total on this ride, which at 238km set a new record. I crossed THE BORDER over into the Inn valley one second and last time, and then continued all the way over to the shore of the Chiemsee on my second day. Sadly I did not get any good views on account of the rainy weather.
Part 11 ~ The Petal of the Monkey
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 19-Jul-2023 | Reichling Ride | 80km | 500m | 9.5h |
| 20-Jul-2023 | Fuchstal Ride | 77km | 570m | 10h |
| 21-Jul-2023 | Reichling Return Ride | 81km | 380m | 9.5h |
Book V ~ Chapter 19 ~ Project Petal Part 11 ~ Fuchstal & Further
Ever since I learned that there's a place called Fuchstal in that direction, it was clear to me that this would be the target of the Monkey Petal. I even went all the way to Kaufbeuren on that tour, and although I got diarrhea from something along the way, I managed to match the record of the Dragon Petal with exactly 238km of distance. However, since this petal both took longer and had more ascents, I think it beats the old record.
Part 12 ~ The Petal of the Ox
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 29-Apr-2024 | Zustorf Ride | 60km | 70m | 7.25h |
| 29-Apr-2024 | Isar Channel & Shopping Extension | 15km | 40m | 1.5h |
| 30-Apr-2024 | Landshut, Mainburg & Moosburg Triangle | 100km | 380m | 10.5h |
| 1-May-2024 | Ampertal Return Ride | 87km | 240m | 9.75h |
Book V ~ Chapter 31 ~ Project Petal Part 12 ~ Moosburg, Mainburg & More
Befitting of my final full petal to complete, this was also the most epic. Putting all my learnings thus far to good use, I charted a course that allowed me to cover a great distance with minimal ascents despite all the hilly terrain, and thus set my all-time three-day-record of 262km while simultaneously connecting Moosburg, Landshut and Mainburg and also cycling up the entire valley of the Amper all the way to Ottershausen.
Finale ~ The Fixed Horse Petal
| Date | Ride | Length | Ascents | Duration |
| 19-Jun-2024 | Pasing Ride | 5km | 20m | 0.5h |
| 19-Jun-2024 | Klais Reverse Ride | 111km | 520m | 10.5h |
Almost two year after the Broken Horse Petal, I finally fixed it with this ride, which also marked the grand finale of Project Petal, and exactly 5 years after I began it with the Thalhäusl Ride on 19-Jun-2019 too! It's almost like I planned it that way, and yet it simply happened to turn out that way. And now, with all the petals covered, lets have a look at the...
Final Records
- Longest single ride: Circadian Century Circuit @ 127km in 13.25h
- Longest 3 day total: Ox Petal @ 262km in 29h
- Most single ride ascents: Thalhäusl Ride @ 620m
- Most 3 day total ascents: Monkey Petal @ 1,450m
- Combined distance: 2650.5km
- Combined ascents: 13.2km
- Combined duration: 301.75h
For reference, that is roughly the distance from Huston to Los Angeles, with approximately 3km more ascents.
With that, the Project Petal is now officially over... except there's still one thing that bothers me, which brings us to the task of...
Bonus: Closing the Cleft
Now, if I put all the Petal Rides together on a map, I am left with this unsightly cleft to the southeast between the Horse and Snake Petals that also limits how far out my event horizon (the minimum distance I need to travel to reach territory that I haven't explored yet) stretches.
Fortunately, I have already made the first steps in closing that cleft, namely once with my hike from the Thalhäusl to Fischbachau (see A Hot Hike Home), and second with a hike from the Schliersee to Fischbachau during a company outing that I didn't write about here. And while continuing those two is certainly not the shortest possible connection that I could make (that one would be from Miesbach to Bad Tölz), it certainly draws up an interesting proposition for maybe not a bike ride, but a sequence of two hikes through the mountains to continue that line all the way over to Lenggries.
With that in mind, I ask my best friend Robert if he'd like to join me on these hikes, and before I know it I have two day trips planned to close the cleft. So let's cover these in all brevity, starting with the time when we go...
Trekking to the Tegernsee
18-Jul-2024
Distance: 21.0km
Ascents: 760m
Duration: 6.75h
4/4 (+2 passed)🎁︎
Hike map on Bikerouter (yeah, seriously!)
The plan for today is pretty straightforward: We should take the train to Schliersee, then hike south on the Schliersee Höhenweg ("Streak Lake Heights Path"), and eventually cross over to the west once south of the lake. After that, we follow one valley up, cross over a saddle, and then head down another valley that should lead us to the Tegernsee ("Tea Like Lake"). From there, we head up north the lakeshore until we reach the station, and from there take the train back to Munich. Simple as that.
As for the height profile... if this were a bike ride I'd call it catastrophic, but for a hike that's actually okay. Definitely not relaxing, but manageable. First we head up the mountains to the east of the Schliersee to visit the Burgruine Hohenwaldeck ("Castle Ruins High Forest Corner"), and then we head down into the valley again, passing south of the Schliersee at Fischhausen ("Fish Housing"). Then it's up the valley and down a bit to the Kühzagl-Alm ("Cow Tail Alp"). From there we head down the valley to Rottach-Egern ("Red Stream-Anyhow Like"), which is also where we reach the shore of the Tegernsee, and from there to the Eponymous town the remainder of the way is mostly flat.
Having climbed the mountains to the east of the Schliersee, we get a great view of the alpine lake...
...and here's the view in the other direction, with the eponymous town of Schliersee at the northern lake shore.
Of course, the paths here are quite steep, and since it rained recently, some of them are also muddy and slippery, which adds to the challenge of the hike.
However, soon enough we reach the alpine pastures (or "alps" for short, and yes, I know that makes it confusing), and from there on out the going is pretty easy and straightforward. There's even some cows with us on this pasture.
Eventually, we reach the Burgruine Hohenwaldeck, which sadly is presently closed off for renovations. Originally built in the late 13th century, the castle was only used for a century or so before it was abandoned, and a rockslide around 1500 eventually ruined the castle altogether. It was never rebuilt after that, and the present renovations also only aim to make it safe enough for visitors again.
After that, we head down into the valley by means of a muddy, slippery and winding path, which makes us all the more glad to reach dry and level ground at the bottom again.
It doesn't take us long to cross the lush valley at Fischhausen...
...and then it's up the valley by means of a path that is both long and steep. Exactly the kind you don't want to ride you bike up...
...unless you cheese it by using an E-Bike, of course. And DRAGON should we see a lot of these today! At least we didn't have to bother with those on the Schliersee Höhenweg.
It is near the saddle - which at 1139m marks our highest point today - that we have our lunch. After that, we cross over into the opposing valley, where we soon pass the Kühzagl-Alm.
From there, it's downhill through a forested valley path...
...which eventually ejects us onto a long plain at the foot of the valley.
We follow the valley down by means of a road that takes care to avoid any further forests...
...and also passes the odd inflatable tennis hall.
Eventually, we reach the Rottach ("Red Stream"), which is not very red, but pretty shallow.
That one leads us all the way up to the Tegernesee, and from there on out we should stick to the lakeshore as much as the roads and paths here allow us to.
At times that means walking on a footpath in a lakeshore park...
...and occasionally we even walk short distances across the water by means of a gangplank walkway.
Sometimes, however, we have to stick to the streets. That's not all bad, though, because that's where we should come across this curious old car.
We also pass by the old monastery of Tegernsee with its unusual two-style facade...
...and get to watch a bunch of ducks chilling by a boathouse.
Eventually, it's time to leave the lakeshore behind and head for the train station, which is a few hundred meters further inland. Along the way, we come across a curious round building...
...and then we're already at the station, just in time to catch the train back to Munich.
Now, that's already half the distance covered. The other half should soon follow with another hike that would take us...
Laterally to Lenggries
15-Aug-2024
Distance: 22.0km
Ascents: 670m
Duration: 6.25h
2/2🎁︎
Hike map on Bikerouter (because we can!)
One month later, we continue where we left off. This time we take the train to Tegernsee, and then the bus to Rottach-Egern, because there's no real alternate path that we can take down from Tegernsee that won't immediately add more ascents to what is already going to be a long hike at 22km. Conveniently, the bus stop is right at the bridge over the Rottach, so all I need to take is a few steps back to connect to the hike from Schliersee. From there, we head west along the southern shore of the Tegernsee, and eventually into and up the mountains. This time, we actually climb all the way to the top rather than sticking exclusively to the valleys, though we should still follow a valley down to Lenggries later on.
In terms of the height profile, this is once again every honest bicyclist's nightmare, with steep gradients of over 15% and no respite for pretty much the entire first half after Ringsee ("Circle Lake"). It is only after the Aueralm ("Meadow Alp") that things get a bit more relaxed, but there's still one last climb up to the Neunhüttenalm ("Nine Huts Alp"). After that, however, it's downhill all the way until Lenggries, with nothing to distract from the experience.
Starting out at the southern shore of the Tegernsee, we come across a spot where the water is so clear that you can see dozens of tiny fishes darting around inside.
Soon thereafter, we're already climbing a road that make me very glad I'm here on foot today and not by bike.
Now, with today being a high summer day with not a cloud in the sky, it's naturally pretty hot. Now, the good news is that the majority of today's hike should take us either through woods, or be high up in the mountains where it's not all that hot. The bad news is that there's also stretches like this that take us through shadeless pastures - and uphill to boot - which feel like a trip through the hellfire mantle.
Along the way we pass by a paragliding school where one after another the gliders make their way down a relatively harmless slope, and subsequently proceed to fold and lug up their parachutes uphill again. That can't be fun in these temperatures.
Looking back from here, we get one last look at the Tegernsee...
...before we dive into the sea of trees. For starters, we should actually go downhill again for a bit...
...until we cross the Söllbach ("Hole Stream"), which we then follow up the valley for a while.
A short while, mind you, because as I mentioned before, today we're actually headed for the mountain tops, so by necessity that means we soon have to leave the stream behind and take a significantly steeper path up into the mountains.
There isn't a whole lot to see apart from trees for a long time, but every so often there's a open patch that allows for a fantastic view, such as this horse pasture.
After a long climb, we finally reach the mountain ridge and pass by the Aueralm where many other hikers turn in for lunch. The two of us, meanwhile, have our own packed lunches and continue on our way for now.
Naturally, the view from up here is amazing, and since today is actually a pretty dry day we can see up until the horizon and possibly even beyond because apparently that's how optics work. As such, I have no idea how far those most distant mountains actually are. The right one might be the Rofanspitze ("Call Me Peak"), as for the left ones, despite their very characteristic profile I was unable to figure it out. If you're good with mountains and know the names, please write a comment. For reference, this view is from slightly west of the Aueralm and looking south-southwest up the valley of the upper Söllbach.
We also pass a herd of cows grazing in a clearing...
...and then we reach the Neunhüttenalm, which in spite of its name features only five huts. Also, crazy mountainbikers.
Unexpectedly, we also get another last look on the Tegernsee from all the way up here. It's only a tiny corner of the lake near the Fischstüberl am See ("Fish Cottage at the Lake"), but that's already impressive enough. I guess that just goes to show how high up we are by now. Incidentally, we just cleared the highest point of our hike at 1331m, which makes this the highest up I've been ever since visiting the southernmost point of Germany (see Book IV ~ Extra Chapter ~ The Heroic Haldenwang Hike).
From here on out it's downhill, mostly through forested valleys for the majority of the remainder of the hike.
Now, one thing we haven't had yet is lunch, and that is mostly for lack of a good place to have it at. Now, there's certainly no shortage of benches around here, however... for some stupid reason, they're all exposed to the full light of the heavens, and sitting in the sun on a hot day like this is literally the last thing that Robert and I want.
As such, it is only when we finally find a shady bench quite a ways down into the valley that we finally get to sit down and have lunch, well past noon.
Moving down the valley, we follow the course of the Hirschbach ("Stag Stream")...
...which amazingly has little fishes living in its crystal-clear waters. I wonder how they got all the way up here, what with all the little waterfalls and currents the stream still has.
Eventually, we reach the bottom of the valley...
...and not long thereafter, we're already in Lenggries, where we catch the next train to Munich.
Interestingly enough, an insect also catches the train, valiantly sticking to the outside of the glass (and by the looks of it I'm quite thankful that it's on the outside), before "getting off" at the next station down the line. I wonder if it did that on purpose.
But anyway, with that, I have done it! The cleft is now closed, and my event horizon has expanded accordingly.
Of course, the thing with the event horizon is that there's always the next closest extraterritorial point, which brings us to...
The Road Ahead
So, with the Project Petal done and over, what am I gonna do next? Well, for starters, I might turn my eye to the middle circle and then the outer circle next. What are those? Well, the Circadian Century Circuit - big as it was - was only the inner circle. As for where the middle and outer circles are... well... have a look at the map again and take a guess.
For the middle circle, I already have semi-concrete plans of leveraging the S-Bahn service to make sequential day trips starting from one terminus station, then chaining up two or three other terminus stations and then taking the S-Bahn back home again in the same day. Since the MVV network currently has 13 terminal stations, that should take me about 5 day trips or so, during which I'll be able to expand my event horizon again. A very rough estimate puts the distance this will take at approximately 300km.
As for the outer circle... that's the big one. It'll involve me trying to connect the outermost reaches of the individual petals in an attempt to create an event horizon that fills most of the map. I'll still have to think about exactly how I'll do it, but since I still got the whole middle circle between now and then, I've still got time. Again, a quick estimate puts the distance to cover over the course of that at roughly 660km, so that'll take another 10 days or so.
Will I keep writing blog entries for this too? I'm afraid not. For one, it feels like my posts about the Petal Rides were increasingly getting more and more repetitive, but there's also another reason. This book, and with it the Travelling Fox Blog as a whole is now drawing to a close, and I will tell you why at the end of the epilogue, which I will write next month, as usual. So there's one last chapter to look forward to, and in that I'll go over all my travels thus far once again. Until then, stay tuned one last time, and be of great cheer! =^,^=
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