Osnabrück – Münster (64km)

25 riders. Average speed 15.5km/h. Time pedalling 4h07m

Another chilly start to the day. But although it was cold the sun shone brightly while we ate a vegan breakfast, prepared for us by cheerful comrades at SubstAnz who woke up early to see us off. We were joined by five local day riders- two from SubstAnz, Julian´s parents Gaby & Gregor and a member of ADFC (the German Bicycle club) called Elmar.

Under brilliant blue skies we left Osnabrück with a new and improved strategy for navigating cities. Six of us in hi-vis vest took on responsibility for guiding the group safely through junctions, stewarding those at the back by gesturing to cars to wait. (Legally as a group of +16 cyclists we should be considered as one vehicle but obviously other roads users are not accustomed to large groups of cyclists).

Oscar

Marie

After a morning featuring several challengingly steep slopes and a huge effort from the trailer boys Peter & Gillis, we stopped for lunch at Kattenvenne. The venue that offered us shelter from the cold was an evangelic church community centre where smiling local members of the green party were waiting for us. They received us like the cycling pilgrims that we are, offered us soup (creamy, hot, perfect veggie soup) coffee and cookies, and told us about some of their local environmental projects.

We made easy progress in the afternoon with high spirits inspired by the sunshine and Gaby´s delicious carrot cake. Arrival in Münster at 16h was under a bright pink skies. We rolled into our accommodation at the Umwelthaus – a large terraced house that provides a base for environmental organizations including Greenpeace & NABU – dropped off our luggage and refreshed a little. Those with bike issues were guided by Elmar to the local ADFC workshop to fine-tune their rides, while the rest of us strolled out into town for a demonstration with our Greenpeace allies.

This turned out to be a big success. We gathered a crowd of around 80 people in front of the town hall, displaying banners, holding lit candles and chanting for climate justice. We did a quick lap marching around the very beautiful town centre with more chanting and singing and then reassembled at the town hall. Here there were a couple of short addresses on the megaphone from Greenpeace and Cooperiders and following an interview with the local press, things wrapped up.

Chrismas

Joint demonstration with Greenpeace

At the bike fixing workshop

By happy co-incidence (or was it?!) the Christmas market in Münster opened this evening, so we went directly there for Glühwein, Schmalzgebåck and gebrannte Mandeln. We were then treated to pizza and pasta by Julian’s parents who very generously (!) invited the whole group to an Italian restaurant. It felt like a massive treat to go out to a restaurant.

The fact that tonight we are passed the halfway point gives us a special feeling. We rest tonight knowing that we have now travelled 745kms!

PS: If you haven’t by now, we would be absolutely happy if you supported us via our crowdfunding campaign which will end this week.

Vechta – Osnabrück (70km)

21 riders. Average speed 16.2km/h. Time pedalling 4h20m

We got pretty cosy last night. Celebrating the final day for several of us, we skipped our usual group plenary and instead enjoyed an abundant and delicious dinner cooked with loving care by our food team, had fun painting banners/stencilling t-shirts and danced to disco & electro-swing.

So with our convivial integrity restored, we woke in the Lutheran church hall on a Sunday morning to see dustings of snow outside. As we packed up our bags and got ready to depart, the snow intensified into a blizzard. With chilly fingers and toes, we hugged dear Anni goodbye and welcomed a local called Frank to join us for the day. He navigated – reminding us of the value of local knowledge – the 15km to Dinklage where we were greeted by the mayor, the local press and 3 cycling enthusiasts. At Dinklage Rathus we were served tea and coffee and bid a fond farewell to rider Hauke, who had to head back to Berlin.

At Rathuas Dinklage

The weather brightened up for the rest of the afternoon and the ride was very cold but also sunny. The last 20km featured 3 sharp climbs, making particularly the trailer boys and the Captain on his recumbent sweat but providing speedy downhill rewards.

We rolled into Osnabück in crisp twilight to meet our hosts at SubstAnz, an alternative centre and social space close to the middle of town. After a delicious vegan dinner, the guys at SubstAnz co-hosted a public meeting about COP21 composed of Cooperiders and local activists. Julian represented our group by giving a short presentation about our tour, and an explanation of the UN negotiating process, as well as what outcomes are to be expected at the conference. We talked about what was planned from an activist viewpoint and how this has changed since last week´s terror attacks. Julian shared our view of Paris as not an end in itself, but a convergence, where activists will be making plans for 2016 and beyond. Since the mass mobilisations in Paris have been officially cancelled, local action was emphasised as key and this provoked a networking meeting of local activists to plan actions during the COP. Afterwards we screened This Changes Everything in the bar area of the venue.

Delicious soup from our hosts

Input about actions in 2016

Sleepy riders

PS: If you haven´t yet read Naomi Klein´s latest piece on the Guardian, do so immediately.

PPS: We have now pedalled 680km, so after 20km tomorrow we will have [theoretically] reach the halfway point!

Bremen – Vechta (65km)

23 riders. Average speed 16.1 km/h. Time pedalling 4hrs

Many of our private hosts woke early and gathered with us at our meeting point to see us off. We are indebted to those who so generously opened their homes to complete strangers. They were all incredibly sweet and generous to us! As we rolled out of Bremen we felt rested, supported and prepared for the day ahead.

Departure in Bremen

Almost out of Bremen

Having a break

It´s cold! It was 4° as we left Bremen on a grey wintery day and the temperature dropped more during the course of the day. The riders and our pair of hitchhikers felt the crisp air sharpen the tips of our noses and fingers. We´re glad that we are well equipped and will be able to withstand the colder days that will surely come. It was also a visceral reminder of how suspiciously mild November has been so far, complex as weather systems are, we know that unusual weather is no longer unusual.

Our navigation team was excited to get the ride going (like little kids on Christmas morning, really) because it was the debut of our newly acquired walkie-talkies. During the first week we found communication between the front and back of the line is crucial to make the ride smooth, so rather than shouting back and forth, today this was possible with technology. Walkie-talkies avoid one bike having to go to the front and back all the time and filling the gaps (when the second half falls a bit behind) is not a problem at all. And, hot damn, are they fun! But seriously, we are safer as a group to have this additional communication tool.

In Harpstedt

Lunch was in Harpstedt, where we met with the chairman from the local energy agency, Harpstedter Energie Agentur, and the mayor of the town. We were impressed to learn that this village of 800 people produces much more electricity than they need. HEA handed us a letter to take with us to COP21, which demands a legally binding Paris treaty that leads to a rapid transition towards locally owned renewable energy. Their letter calls for strong policies to reduce greenhouse gases, including phasing out coal. HEA´s main point is that local initiatives are essential for a low-carbon society and this should be supported from the global level. As an aside, Harpstedt has the oldest tulip tree in Europe, dating from the 14^th century!

The ride was easier today (again no flat tires, hurrah) and we managed to cover the 65km in a manner that felt almost routine. The only minor mechanical melodrama was Julian R breaking a spoke on our approach into Harpstedt. As the group ate lunch, the problem was compounded by an inner-tube valve malfunctioning and then a wheel nut becoming threaded. With impressive ease, new parts were sourced and fitted and the group set off without stress.

Making Banners

Coffee break

Bike parking

We arrived in Vechta and treated ourselves to cake in a café/bakery before heading to our accommodation in a church hall. We have no public event this evening so we will be banner painting and relaxing as a group.

Tostedt – Bremen (83km)

22 riders. Average speed 14.5 km/h. Time pedalling 6.30

A sunny morning was a great start to a great day. Today’s ride was smooth, navigation was on point and there were no flat tires. Aaaand… we hit the first 500 km mark today!

Hurray for renewables!

We left Tostedt around 9am, cycled through beautiful country roads and arrived for lunch at Waffensen near Rotenburg (Wuemme) where we were offered soup, bread (and a wonderful dessert that seemed like panacotta). Here we were also joyfully greeted by the local press. An ingenious radio journalist had the idea to interview us live while on the bike as we left the town. It seems it worked out and he promised to send the link with the audio. We are looking forward to it because it was a bit windy and also with the sound of our bells it must have sounded very cool. (edit: listen to the report here)

Radio interview while riding

Radio interview while riding II

Flooded bike roads

We arrived in Bremen just as it was getting dark and were greeted by members of attac Bremen who welcomed us with us cookies and apples and helped us navigate into the city center where we had dinner at a peoples kitchen before heading to the next event. Here we had the chance to present our project to the audience followed by an interesting input from Till, also a member of attac Bremen. He gave an overview of Naomi Klein’s Book “This Changes Everything” and related it to opportunities within the civil society to make change happen. These inputs encouraged a vivid discussion amongst the group of attending people and left us with the positive feeling that the the issue of climate justice is broadly received.

Tonight we sleep in private accommodations. Again we are astonished of the hospitality of the people we meet and who invite us into the warmth of their homes.

Hamburg – Tostedt (57km)

21 riders. Average speed 13.2km/h Time pedalling 4.20

We have pedalled a total of 460km. Spirits are high!

In the morning two riders left the group and the emotions evoked in our departure round made many of us recognised that we have created a safe space where we trust and are open towards each other.

After a full day in Hamburg yesterday, departure this morning was a bit more relaxed than the days before since we did not schedule to leave Hamburg before 11 am. We took our time with breakfast generously provided by an awesome assortment of Lukas´ family and headed to the scenic Alter Elbtunnel where four more riders joined us, adding diversity to the team and boasting the average age.

We had a short stage ahead, a little over 50km, so the expectation was that it would feel easy and quick, which was not the case. Wind and rain were intense as we left Hamburg through the industrial area in direction of the Moorburg coal-fired power plant. The team of navigators did an awesome job guiding us through this tricky section (which included train tracks across the bike paths and less than friendly truck drivers) and their task was make greater as we crossed the forest west of Sieversen where we had to push some bikes and trailers up the highest hill of the trip.

We disagree with coal

Moorburg

Forest break

So we took longer than expected because there were, of course, flat tires (three, one of them, Theres exploded dramatically) and a trailer that overturned, needing to be repacked. No lasting harm done, all are in good health, great spirits and our equipment is holding up well.

Arrival in Tostedt was in the dark, which is less enjoyable since communication in a large group is harder with less visibility. However, we are becoming more and more accustomed to riding together and we have pretty much mastered a myriad of hand signals that are needed to get messages across from the front to the back of the line and vice versa. We met with the mayor in front of the town hall for a brief handshake, a photoshoot and an interview with a local journalist.

In our plenary this evening we discussed the French governments decision to withdraw permission for the mass mobilisations in Paris on November 29^th and December 12^th. Our general feeling was one of determination – to continue our journey, to participate in both the People´s Climate Summit in Montreuil on the 5^th & 6^th and the ZAC 7^th-11^th and to wait to see how events unfold before we decide on what we do for D12.

Accommodations tonight is in Todtglüsinger, that opened its doors for us and let us sleep in the gym, provided us with yummy dinner and breakfast tomorrow morning. The best part: they have a sauna!

Lübeck – Hamburg (65km)

21 riders. Average speed 15,5. Time pedalling 5,5 hours

What does it mean to cooperide? – Impressions of a co-rider from Nov, 18th

Of course I remember my first moments joining the group: Arriving in this train of bikes and flags and bags; How it curled into the backyard of this simple foodplace in Sandesneben; and then all of a sudden exploded in to dozens of pieces of equipment and people wrapped in waterproof pants. Sandesneben, Schleswig Holstein a place about 30km south of Lübeck was the spot chosen for lunch break that day.

Happy bikers

Riding through the forest

Proper lunch is a necessity!

I remember how much I felt welcome – warm and at the same time lighthearted when looking into the circle of people munching on bread and muesli bars. My neighbor says: “I am so happy I can actually see faces now.”. The wind is blowing hard that day, scarves wrapped tighter, skin somewhat redder.

I can see what made me follow the very first call to join the tour from Lübeck to Hamburg. Eagerness, honest will and courage to answer to signs which have long been there.

Climate change is calling us to bond together closer than ever. And it is not only me asking today what kind of ties are needed to hold a society that does NOT rely on fossil fuels anymore. Today, along the route I got to feel what it’s like to travel in a postgrowth society: to COOPERIDE.

Way to go to Paris!

First: No one is left behind: Not me struggling with weak legs and half flat tires. Neither the person who´s chain came off.

Second: Everyone takes care: “Are you doing ok?” is the number one phrase while speeding through landscape and city. Thumb signals accompany our way.

Third: Sticking to the common goal: No matter how beautiful the sun rays on the bark of the trees alongside of the road, no matter how tasty the smell of bakeries in Hamburg. Every single one of us riders knew: we´ve got to arrive there on time.

So, despite the wind, our wheels kept turning and we made it 65km to Hamburg within the time we had to.

What a day!

–

An additional note on other Hamburg activities…

We arrrived at Barmbek and were warmly greeted by cheering Greenpeace activists, sporting their distinctive green coats and countless “Coal Kills” flags. After some words on the mic from local allies, including Hamburg Cycling Club ADFC and NABU Hamburg (Nature Conservation NGO) we set off a brilliant critical mass through the city. Flanked by a police escort, we rolled to a spot in the center of town for further speeches before walking along the main shopping street and holding another public gathering close to the main train station.

Greenpeace Hamburg meets Cooperide

Demostrating in the streets of Hamburg

Cooperide signs in HH

We then went to visit the very snazzy Greenpeace headquarters in the HafenCity, where a huge spread of food had been laid on. One of these Greenpeace volunteers, Ulrich, will be joining us from tomorrow onwards and we´re looking forward to having him in the group.

This evening we screened This Changes Everything in a wonderfully decorated warehouse in the Hoheluft district and a panel discussion followed the movie. We are very grateful to the von Schuckmann family for being such great hosts for tonight!

Panel dicussion

Kellenhusen – Lübeck (65km)

18 riders. Average speed – 15 km. Time pedalling 5 hours

After a nice and relaxing stay in the holiday house, we were rested and ready for the next ride. The weather was actually quite good, which means it was only cold and it was raining. We left Kellenhusen at 9:15 and cycled on the dike next to the wild waves of the Baltic Sea. The wind on the dike was quite strong, but the view and the feeling of the sea made it worth the effort.

Biking with a view

On the streets

Bike fixing break

To the happiness of the trailer boys we had to leave the muddy dike path after 30 minutes and followed the road inland. The land became quite some bit more hilly here, but the wind decreased. After the relaxing stay yesterday, everybody felt energised and the ride was going easy. After incredibly quickly passing 30 km, did we already reach Scharbeutz, where a Youth Hostel kindly offered us a room and hot water for tea and where we could not resist the lure of the ice cream box despite the cold weather.

The Cooperide and friends in front of Holsten Tor in Luebeck

Passing Bad Schwartau, we arrived in Lübeck at 3 o’clock and were greeted once again warm heartedly by someone from Theo’s family, this time his aunt and uncle. The hitchhikers had prepared a great welcome salad, we could all wash our clothes and spend some very cosy time before leaving again at 5 pm to take part in a critical mass bike demonstration through Lübeck. We met right below the famous Holstentor and cycled right through the city with its beautiful hanseatic style houses and impressive churches, ringing our bells for biking and climate change.

About an hour later, we arrived at the Bollwerk, where we hosted our first event today. We screened This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein in front of a small audience and subsequently discussed the problem of climate change, individual contributions and possibilities to change something. It was a nice evening and hopefully we managed to inspire some more people with some new ideas.

Happy riders 

On a last note, it was the first time that a rider left us. Christian from Austria left after the Critical Mass to start his PhD in Lüneburg. It was great to have him and his great humour us! See you soon, Chrisitian!

All in all, today really was a day of “first’s”: the first day no punctures, (which made our techy team very happy), the first day that we had a change in the hitchhiking team; we joined a critical mass demonstration for the first time (a couple more will come throughout the journey), right after that we when straight to our first screening of This Changes Everything, and also we had our first departure ritual, waving goodbye to Christian.