Rødbyhavn – Kellenhusen (58km)

18 riders. Average speed – 16.4km. Time pedalling 3.5 hours

The crew with René from Bindernaes Efterskole

We are now in Germany having departed Denmark today and we are feeling good! A little sore, but high in spirits. This morning after breakfast we had a quick ride from Bindernæs Efterskole down to the harbour at Rodbyhavn. As we waited to board the ferry next to trucks and cars we were splattered by heavy drizzle, but a warm ride beckoned.

A journalist was waiting for us when we reached the other shore, so we should be featured in Fehmarnches Tageblatt soon. Having left the port we found the road was a little stressful, we pedalled along in the narrow bike lane of a fast highway for about 10k with both head wind and rain. We were safe but also felt a certain pressure; cars and trucks were overtaking at high speed and with such a large group of bikers riding single-file, there was difficulty in finding a rhythm suitable for all. Communication between the group was absolutely vital here.

The reward after about an hour of that emotional strain was turning left as the rain cleared and riding south into a winding country road, passing windmills and fields with cattle and sheep. We took a break in this landscape and dug into more of the lovely snack bars that RudeFood http://www.rudefood.se (community food waste project in Malmö) donated to us. We were handed hundreds (literally) of delicious, organic, sweet energy bars. We are so grateful for these. They are keeping us pumped, especially in testing weather conditions.

In our break we also took a minute of silence to reflect on the tragic news from Paris. It feels rather overdue, but this evening we will have a bit of time to focus on how global events are unfolding and what their implications are for COP21.

With only 58km covered, today was the first day that we arrived to destination in daylight, which was great for both morale and our limbs. A delicious fresh salad with loads of nuts, fruit and seeds was waiting for us at our destination for the night: a holiday home on the coast kindly lent to us by a friend of a friend, it´s big and comfy house that feels like quite a treat. The evening offers the chance to cook and eat together, organise the road ahead, contact the outside world (hi!) and play some games.