This is day 2 from our 18 day, 720 mile bike tour through Europe on the EuroVelo 15 bike path. Our route follows the Rhine river from the source of the river (Oberalppass in Switzerland) to Cologne in Germany.

For more photos, video and Strava routes from our trip visit http://etischer.com/eurovelo23/

Biking Day 2 - Biked from 10am to 6pm today, 42 miles, 1,570' elevation gain (with a loaded 68lb bike)! Today's route had the most uphill parts. It was cold, it was rainy, hills were steep, long and sometimes muddy; but we both had an awesome day and are in a happy mood! The day started with a super awesome breakfast buffet with fresh butter, fresh baked bread and all the fixings. After biking along side the highway for an hour, we finally realized something isn't right. We pulled off, and realized the EuroVelo is a dirt path off to the side. A German couple were laughing at us hysterically when we explained we were biking on the highway.
The actual EuroVelo route is fantastic. It felt like we were biking though a rain forest at times, other times it followed the river cutting though rows of corn, and fields of wild flowers. We were pretty covered in mud by the end of the day, especially Jen cause she didn't have a rear fender. By 6pm we were slowing down and it was getting stormy, cold and dark. Checked into a hotel, only $122/night, and it has a balcony for storing our bikes.