The night in Montbéliard was good, the bed comfortable and the sleep restful. After the little clutch thriller the day before, my first thought in the morning naturally went straight to the old lady. But before I checked the hydraulic level, I had breakfast. Unfortunately, the coffee was again not a real flight of fancy. Despite the fully automatic machine, I would only give it 2 out of 5 coffee cups. On the other hand, the croissants were really good, nice and French, with delicious juice and even a small cake at the end. Overall, the selection wasn’t huge, but it was perfectly fine.

The really exciting part came afterwards: a look at the old lady. After all the clutch drama from the day before, the big question was of course what the hydraulic level had done. So we checked – and lo and behold: everything was fine. The reservoir was still full, no drips under the machine, no visible leaks. So it was not incontinent, and it was clear that the journey could continue. However, the mistrust was not completely gone. I didn’t really trust the peace yet and just hoped that the next chapter wouldn’t be opened on the way.

Then we set off in the direction of the Route des Crêtes. And it soon became clear that today was going to be another one of those days where I kept realizing on the way why I was doing this at all. The Route des Crêtes is a historic mountain road that stretches across the Vosges and connects some of the region’s most impressive high altitudes.

My first prominent stop was the Hartmannswillerkopf at an altitude of 956 meters. Even the route there was a pleasure. Hardly any traffic, the road almost to myself, only a few cyclists on the road. That’s how it should be. And a bright blue sky, not a cloud in sight. The only catch: the wind. And it wasn’t just a bit fresh, but sometimes so strong that it really shook you up. It wasn’t warm overall, but still very pleasant to ride – when the wind wasn’t pulling you back and forth on your bike.

At the Hartmannswillerkopf itself, there is a completely different atmosphere. I wasn’t just at a beautiful vantage point up there. It is a place with a heavy historical background. The plaque on site explains the Silberloch-Hartmannswillerkopf national military cemetery. The Hartmannswillerkopf was heavily fought over in the First World War between 1914 and 1918. The mortal remains of fallen soldiers are gathered there, including 1,264 identified and 384 unidentified soldiers. There is also a crypt and a memorial connected to the battlefield. The plaque also refers to the site as the “Mountain of the Dead”. So this is not a place where I just take a quick photo and then drive on again. It automatically becomes quieter.

Then we continued on to the High Vosges. The weather remained fantastically beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. The wind, however, also stayed true and made things really fresh on the heights. In between, the road was so empty that I could simply enjoy the route. Not rushing, not collecting, not eating up kilometers – just riding with a grin on my face under my helmet.

Later, we headed up to Hohneck, the second-highest peak in the Vosges massif at 1,364 meters. Up there, the wind had finally decided to play the leading role today. The view was correspondingly great. The Hohneck is surrounded by the typical High Vosges landscape: open heights, rugged edges, vastness and, in good weather, a panorama that stretches far beyond the Vosges. However, the brasserie up there was so full that it was out of the question to stop for a bite to eat. So the only thing left to do was to take a quick look, enjoy, continue on and postpone eating until later.

The next stop was the Col de la Schlucht at 1,139 meters. There we finally had something sensible to eat: a very tasty tarte flambée. Exactly the right decision at 9 degrees. The Col de la Schlucht is also part of the Route des Crêtes and is one of those points where altitude, landscape and road layout simply fit together perfectly.

In between, the route also took me along the Route forestière du Pré de Raves through the middle of the forest. This was a road where I initially wondered whether I was allowed to drive here at all – or whether I had overlooked a sign somewhere. In Germany, I would probably be pretty skeptical about a route like this, but here it was obviously quite normal.

In the end, I arrived in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. Not a record day, not an orgy of kilometers, but that didn’t matter at all today. The focus was on nature, enjoying the route, the good weather and simply this calm, relaxed riding. And that’s exactly what worked today.

At the end of the day, we naturally took another look at the old lady. And there too: everything was fine. The fluids looked good, no new abnormalities, no bad surprises. So in hindsight, the decision to ride the same way today was absolutely right. And so the plan for tomorrow was set: onwards to Germany.

Conclusion: Today was not about speed, records or as many kilometers as possible, but simply about riding, watching and enjoying. The best weather, great routes, strong winds and the all-clear at the end – that’s exactly what a good day’s cycling should feel like. 🏍️☀️