We were highly motivated when we planned our tour towards Lüneburg Heath for April 2, and all of a sudden, we had 130 km to cover. Lots of loose ground, but also some tarmac lay ahead of us. We were well aware that we would certainly be hungry on this tour. The only open stores (supermarkets) would be utterly overcrowded because of the Easter holidays. So, I prepared little pizza rolls to take with us the day before. Nothing worse than being hungry on the road. I just like to be prepared.

So we started our day on Saturday morning after breakfast at about 2° Celsius around 8:30.

We drove through the Hafencity - pretty relaxed this morning, because a large part of the streets was closed off and security guards were standing around everywhere. Supposedly a film shoot was taking place here, which we didn't see anything about, but many people took the chance to shoot here for YouTube or for Tik Tok - who knows.

Then we passed the futuristic subway station "Elbbrücken". This looks architecturally really imposing. From there we went over the old Elbbrücken bridges, which contrast nicely with the new subway station and are a beautiful sight every time, both the bridges themselves and the view across the river to the Landungsbrücken.

We rode through Wilhelmsburg along small empty streets and paths, past allotment gardens (of which there are quite a few here) and beautiful old houses. The remains of an Easter fire were still in the air, and we also passed one. The wood was still quite smoky.

To cross the Süderelbe, we had to pass over a highway bridge. The water below us glistened in the sunlight, and we briefly watched the kayaks cruising in the water below us. At the end of the bridge, stairs led into the greenery and along a beautiful path. Convinced I had to ride along there, I carried my bike down, and we took a few photos, only to realize that this was not the right path, and I had to carry my bike back up. Going up a flight of stairs on a bike is always a lot of fun. Not.

Now it was finally time for a break! Of course, I (we) were hungry, but I also desperately needed a place to take a pee break. Luckily we found a perfect spot for both, on a small path, with a pinwheel and no people in sight. We were looking forward to the delicious pizza rolls, but were disappointed to find that they were a bit dry. But still better than having empty stomachs. Relieved and slightly satiated, we continued on our way.

Gradually, more and more nature emerged around us: the Seevetal. The trail led us along the Seeve. The Seeve arises between Handeloh and Undeloh and joins the Elbe after winding 40 km through the Geest. There were several meadows full of horses, and we passed through a small forest with a beautiful wooden bridge, and just behind it, an old stone bridge was waiting for us, the viaduct railroad bridge over the Seeve near Jesteburg.

In the direction of Undeloh, we rode through a beautiful forest area. We found greetings from Udo (whoever Udo was) and an artistically designed rest area. The light and the forest had a magic all their own.

When we finally reached Undeloh, the heath landscape opened up. Although not much was blooming at this time of year, the view over the heath is always beautiful. We wanted to take a break and had targeted a spot for it that was listed as a highlight on Komoot, a bench overlooking the heath. But thanks to the beautiful sunny day, the benches were all occupied by hikers or other cyclists. So no rest for us for the time being. Our food cravings had to wait a bit. And so we continued to follow the path through the heath, which became a small single trail with some roots. A beautiful ride.

Finally we found an empty bench for us and I could finally eat something. A little exhausted from the few meters of altitude that we are just not used to. But that's just the way it is when you live in such a flat region. Every bit of hill becomes a challenge.

Continuing on, we rode over cobblestones and sandy paths. Needed to make good use of our strength; we were at just under 70km and basically already on the way home again, very close to the Seeve on a single trail and through the beautiful Büsenbachtal.

Exhausted and wanting to just go home, we rode through the Brunsberg nature reserve and then through forests near Buchholz and Rosengarten.

Unfortunately, there are hardly any pictures of the rest of the route here. As Björn mentioned (again and again), every single part of his body hurt, and every little hill we had to climb sapped our energy, and I was already dreaming of a delicious meal on the couch at home. We drove on to get home quickly.

At this point, at the latest, we were more complaining than enjoying the surroundings and the beautiful nature. But sometimes, that's just the way it is. We approached the route very ambitiously, knowing full well that we hadn't ridden so many kilometers at a stretch in a long time. We probably also directly felt almost 800 meters of altitude. We are real flatland people.