Copenhagen – Farendløse Æblemost (73km)
23 riders
Departure in CPH
As a group of 23 bikers we left Copenhagen with a mixed feeling. On the one hand, excited, happy, looking forward to the journey, feeling a lot of support from the folks at the Omstilling Nu conference, but on the other disturbed, shocked and scared about the news coming from Paris. Many of us received messages of concerned family regarding the terrorist attacks. “Did you see the news?” was an often-repeated phrase in the morning as we gathered for coffee, bread, and pictures outside the Economy, People and Planet 2015 conference.
We are unsure what will happen as we approach France and we will do our best to stay informed. That’s as much as we can do now. We are also unsure about what this horrible event means to us, what it does to the movement.
We can choose to take it as a message of the urgent need for voices of peace to come forward. And that’s what we are doing, strengthening peace and standing firmly against deep systemic injustices that in the end create division and hate. Our hitchhiking team got incredibly lucky and got a ride directly to our destination. “In times like these”, the friendly lady who took them said, “we have to look out for each other; we have to stick together”. Which gives us a positive perspective that is definitely much needed.
These reflections come after 73kms of biking through Denmark. We departed at 10am and 7 and ½ hours later arrived to the apple farm that hosts us tonight. A rainbow framed the sky as we left the city (and many more would come during the day), which made us smile; we took it as an encouraging sign. Rainbows meant that there was a bit of rain (and also so much head wind…) but it was mostly sunny and enjoyable. A sunny day in Scandinavia – we should always be thankful for that!
There was two flat tires, a lovely lunch break in the beach in Solrød Strand and the two times that it started to rain heavily and we had to stop to change into proper rain gear the rain suddenly stopped as soon as we got back on the bikes… I guess that’s how it works, right?
Arriving at the farm was not a very funny ordeal because it is in the countryside and the GPS failed to guide us in the last direction for the last 6 kms, so basically we ended up biking in the wrong direction for a bit. Which after seven hours its exhausting. And then a flat tire just 1km before arrival (when it was already dark). But we made it!
cooperide 