My first trip to Bavaria was almost 20 years ago. About the same time that Mark Allen was conquering the lava fields. I was at school. I had never even heard of Mark Allen. I was more interested in Marky Mark from New Kids on the Block. I wore stone washed jeans and tie die shirts. The traditional Bavarian costumes – lederhosens for the men and dirndls for the women – were not high on my list of fashionable attire. Never did I think I would come back to southern Germany, as a dirndl wearing triple world champion. But this is exactly what happened.
Last years Challenge Roth was one of the most special days of my life. And returning to this small, sleepy Bavarian town truly felt like coming home. I arrived a week before the race, and made myself at home in my wonderful little apartment. Complete with a little tv. For me to watch the Tour. In German. I understood a few words. Like ‘Lance and Contador’. Sehr Gut. I watched my ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ dvd (a record breaking 7 times) instead.
Fortunately for me (but unfortunately for other road users), I was presented with an amazing Audi A6 from Feser Joachim (www.autohaus-joachim.de) to drive around in. Slightly more upmarket than the tank sized Dodge Caravan that I rent in Boulder. My Audi felt slightly strange in that it didn’t have a metre long crack in the…
