June 26 - July 2, 2022: A breathtaking tour of France and Germany

The start of this year's tour was Versailles. On June 25, all participants gathered in the breakfast room of the first hotel and, full of euphoria for the upcoming tour, received their brand new tour jerseys. After a joint dinner on Saturday evening, the 14th summer road bike and e-bike tour started the following morning at the Palace of Versailles. From there it went through the beautiful forests of Fontainebleau. In the evening of June 26, all participants had the opportunity to visit the castle of Fontainebleau independently and indulge in culinary delights - for example in a small pâtisserie in the middle of the city. The second day of the tour had more rain in store for the cyclists. During the first 45 kilometers, it rained so much that everyone put on their spare clothes right at the first stop. Of course, this was quickly done by the energetic support of the total of three escort vehicles. After about 13 more kilometers, the participants reached Provins. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offered all kinds of things to see and places to stop. The destination after 170 kilometers - the longest of the seven days - was Châlons-en-Champagne.

On Tuesday, we continued east through the Champagne region, with Verdun as our destination. There we had the opportunity to comprehensively explore the battlefield, which today is characterized by memorials and museums. We were also able to strengthen our friendship with France once again there. On the fourth day of the tour, after about 60% of the route, there was the opportunity to make a short stop in Metz and visit the impressive cathedral. From there, the tour continued across the French-German border. The destination of the fourth day was Saarlouis.

After the first overnight stay on German soil, the next highlight of the tour awaited us directly on the fifth day. After a long and strong climb, we were rewarded with the wonderful sight of the Saarschleife. From there it was downhill all the way to Konz, the second official stopover. The last 35 kilometers were a short ride through Luxembourg for the cyclists to the penultimate overnight stop, Bollendorf. The penultimate day led along the German-Belgian border, through the beautiful Eifel. The destination in the evening was Monschau. The architecture of the half-timbered houses, which still originate from the Middle Ages, a wonderful concert in the middle of the town and a restaurant directly on the Rur River made the last evening together an absolute highlight. On the last day, the last 120 kilometers to Cologne were very relaxed. There we had the opportunity to wind down at the Geißbockheim, the clubhouse of the 1st FC Cologne.