Strehla - Presitz 10th July

Amazingly, we managed to start riding without incident today. The quiet roads through pleasant rural countryside were somewhat marred by the cold headwind which increased in intensity as the day wore on.
An hour into our ride the bike path disappeared into the Elbe - had to walk our bikes around it. The rain & floods are at near record levels this year in Europe.

The bike path underwater.

We stopped at the radfahrerkirche (bicyclists church) and prayed for tailwinds - things definitely improved for a while too.

Radfahrerkirche

At Torgau we came upon the memorial that commemorates the spot where U.S. & Russian troops met 'sealing the defeat of Germany´s Nazi dictatorship´.

The memorial at Torgau.

A good local cafe in Torgau provided a hearty lunch & respite from the cold. Doing a quick tour of the town & it´s cenral square, Pat found a dispensing machine of great interest!!!

Statue in Torgau's main square.

A bike tube dispensing machine!

As we were approaching Dommitzsch, we could see a huge storm approaching us. We achieved top touring speeds in a well-oiled display of highly professional drafting and just beat the storm into town. The average must have been pretty high even with a fairly stiff headwind that we are just about over. The ice-cream shop provided warmth & sustenance in the nick of time.

Storm chasers.

When the storm passed we pressed onto Priesitz for a nights lodging at Pension Am Storchenest (Stork#s nest) a special 'bike and bett' (bed) accommodation facility for cyclists on the Elbe Radweg. Nice place, lovely rooms 28 euro single`/46 dble including a pretty good breakfast.
Again we had been hoping to camp but the weather is hardly conducive. 74 km today.