Stage 9 - Road Trip from Poznan, Poland to Sigmaringen, Germany

After the race in Poland, we packed up the car for the 11+ hour journey to southern Germany. I traveled back with 3 of the Kiwi athletes. It was a much cheaper option than flying back and really, who doesn't want to go on a road trip in a car with 4 bikes strapped to the roof, no air con and a trunck filled to the brim, in the middle of a very hot summer?

Packing up the car.

Honestly the pack job was incredible. We had 4 bikes strapped to the roof. In the back were not only all of our suitcases but also my bike box as well as a tent and bike supplies. There was not an inch of space remaining.

Bags in the boot.

Taryn, ready for the long haul.

We made a few pit stops along the way to refuel the car and our bodies. I was so exhausted having raced the day before as I never really sleep that well the night after a race and I had also gone for an open water swim before we left to try to aid in the recovery process. Of course, along with the usual suspects, there are always interesting things at rest stops on the side of the autobahn. Randomly, we saw a "Cinderella carriage" that looked shockingly like it was taken straight out of the movie. I quite enjoyed this, as I am a big Cinderella fan as far as Disney princesses are concerned.

Taking a break from driving and the heat in the car.

Cinderella carriage at the rest stop?!

We left Poland at roughly 9:15am and arrived to Sigmaringen, Germany at roughly 8pm. It was a very long, hot day and probably a trip I would not sign up for again anytime soon. The company was good, but I don't think I will take having air conditioning in a car for granted again!