Feature | Bon Voyage – Happy New Year
A 4×4, the snow, your mates, your bikes, and a hangover – sound like fun? For sure! Hangovers in tow, we headed out for a ride on New Year’s Day. With fondue still sitting heavily in my stomach, I was rudely awoken from a deep sleep. Goddammit! What kind of an idiot would call me at this time? Slowly, I managed to get myself out of bed, groping blindly for the buzzing phone. My head was throbbing. I looked at the screen in a daze. Ferdinand!
The New Year heralds the appearance of three different types of people. First, there are those who meticulously plan the evening, with every second mapped out from dinner right through to the next day, which they’ll probably spend in bed; then, there are the type twos, those who somehow remain remarkably unfazed by the chaos of New Year’s Eve, casually joining their close friends for the big night. Then, there are people like me – probably the majority of people, in fact. I like to keep my options open until the very last minute. Nothing particularly appeals to me… a chilled out evening would be cool, but a party is also quite tempting. It’s tough to reach a decision. Anyway, here I am, lying in bed, hungover. I try in vain to recall just what I had agreed to last night with Ferdinand before he (your typical type two) headed off to another party. If there’s one New Year’s resolution that shouldn’t be broken yet, then it’s to keep your word. With a sigh, I opt for some industrial strength coffee and a cold shower. It doesn’t help. I pack my bike, and before I know it I’m sat in the passenger seat. While Ferdinand skillfully maneuvers his jeep through the snow, I make a futile effort to regain some energy.
Fog and a brief snowstorm
Thirty minutes and a few snowdrifts later, we reach our destination. Having heard from a few mates that there are supposed to be some cool trails between Calw and Bad Wildbad, we find ourselves in the back of beyond – a place only my grandmother would rave about. A couple of rundown looking Grand Hotels are the only visual reminder of this spa town’s perhaps once glamorous heyday, but today the ice skating stadium and the thermal baths only entertain the town’s pensioners.
To the bewilderment of a couple of OAPs, we use our smartphones to locate ourselves. Thanks to Strava we’ve got an idea of where to go and we follow our nose, making the occasional stop to check the map. The snow doesn’t really help our navigation, as most of the trails are hidden under a coating of white. The cold works wonders, breathing life into my still somewhat numb limbs. Gradually my teeth stop chattering, and a grin takes over. Damn, this is good! After the first trail, it’s a definite: this was totally the right choice.
Racing blind through the snow. Can life get much better?
Rocks, roots, berms, and jumps. It’s quick, winding, and sometimes pretty techy. Why have we never been here before? Just get out and explore, who cares what the conditions are like. That’s definitely a motto we should all live by – this just shows that you don’t have to go halfway around the world to find new trails. Evening falls and we all agree that we’ve got to come back here. Next time without a hangover and with more time. Happy New Year – Cheers to that!
Sometimes, in order to win, you’ve got to lose. We must have got lost countless times on this adventure, but it just meant we found the best trails and had the coolest start to 2015. Spontaneous it might have been, but I’ll drink to that!
Words & Photos: Robin Schmitt
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