Does any one on here live or ride near Ilmenau / Erfurt in Germany?
I'm spending more or less the whole of December in Germany looking after my parents.
I don't have any friends in the area, never mind anyone to ride with. I'm currently expecting the bulk of my social interaction with people under 70 to consist of turning up in the local bike shop and buying random and increasingly obscure bits of bike bling just to practice my German. They do hire out mountain bikes for 20 euros a day and I've also wondered about just casually hanging around on regularly Strava'd routes hoping to strike up a conversation... that'll work, right?
So if anyone is around for a wintery bike ride in Thüringen between 4 and 28 December (or even just a Bier) let me know.
Get yourself over to the MTB.de forum and ask on the Thuringer section. Write in English and I guarantee you will get plenty of offers to show you around.
You may have to register first of course.
https://www.mtb-news.de/forum/f/thueringer-wald-harz-und-kyffhaeuser.95/
Thanks! It’s very like Singletrack- even down to direct translation of ‘red socks’ for walkers. Maybe we could arrange a cultural exchange.
Anyway, I am desperate to speak German whenever possible just to practise. But do you reckon I will get more offers posting in English?
Quite an adventure.
Middle of Europe, december, normal situation: lots and lots of mud. Very little mountain bike activity - or?
South of Erfurt and south east: if you are lucky some snow in December... Cross country ski time.
Bit travel to the south: with some luck downhill ski in the Alps.
But mountain biking ... ?
Mud? If that's the only problem I'll be in my element... Worst case scenario I'm hoping to fix up an old cyclocross bike I left at my parents' and take it on the Rennsteigweg (which is close to my parents' house).
I've not skied for years (my dad used to take us out when we were kids) but that is a thought if it snows. There are trails nearby. But that's a big if in December.
Mud? it hasn't rained all summer. The rhine ran out of water and the grass died everywhere so the parks are brown, and the streams in the forest little more than residual dampness. I haven't cleaned any of my bikes since March, and they have little more than a patina of trail dust on them.
I'd use German on the mtb-news.de forum if you can, but if your German is virtually non-existent, then English will work.
No idea about MTBing in the Ilmenau region, though. It's a bit of a trek from here.
Das ist Thüringen!
Anyway, I am desperate to speak German whenever possible just to practise. But do you reckon I will get more offers posting in English?
yoo wil be ok riting in ze engliasch. ze germans are liking very much to practiz zier engliasch wifz ze engliasch nartiv speekers.
i owe my german to the guys i used to ride with. three days a week riding up an alp with only one or tow of the guys speaking decent enough english. it was a case of learn or die.
but you are in Thüringen and they speak funny up there. best of luck!
Danke! Hoffentlich ist mein Deutsch gut genug... ich probiere später.
My mum’s heart op has gone ok so that’s a relief - my sister has been there this week and I set off on Monday.
Christmas in Germany? Don't miss the English markt..