Original text in German by Marie @_k_e_n_i_a
Last weekend, 18 cycling enthusiasts met to celebrate the first edition of the GROW ride series.
Against a fabulous backdrop of colourful leaves, we headed towards the Saxon Switzerland national park on Saturday morning with a mix of drizzle and sunshine hanging in the air. For some cyclists it was their first ride in a larger group, so the excitement at the start of the ride was high! Once we had rolled into the Dresdner Heide, everyone was getting into the groove and could feel that it would be a rad trip! No stress! No pressure! Everyone at their own tempo!
The first half of the tour was adorned with bumps, bad luck and breakdowns. The obligatory flat tire, a fall and a defective derailleur made everyone hold their breath for a moment. But no problem – the mechanicals and mishaps were treated professionally.
In Pirna it was time for a pit stop – coffee and cake for everyone!
Revamped and ready, full of anticipation, the second half of GROW went off without a hitch, and ups and downs of the Saxony “Switzerland” rolled by easier than ever with a group of riders around you.
Our destination was the Hinterland Hostel in Rathen, a newly opened hostel right on the Elbe Cycle Path. After everyone had found their bed and showered in record time, we all had homemade pizza from the pizza oven. Delicious!
In a convivial atmosphere around the campfire, we philosophised about this and that and also which event the participants would like to see as part of the GROW series. Long story short, the consensus is: off-road!
After breakfast Sunday morning, we went back to Dresden via a route that was equally as beautiful as the route to the hostel. Many thanks to Claudi who put these two tracks together with a lot of love and passion, it really showed!
A week later I am still receiving messages about how inspired and inspired the participants were by this event and I couldn’t be happier and more proud of the group. It was all just so great, everything, the people, the tour, the hostel, the pizza, the atmosphere… to not host another round would be a sin.
Thanks to all participants for a weekend for the heart and a clear mind – that felt great!
Also a big thanks to Triple2, Chimpanzee and also Hinterland Hostel for your support.
