The repetitive way we cycle this loop between Mannheim and Worms, over and over again, is a bit boring. But it is one of the options for less than optimal weather or if we are in a hurry. And almost every time freak winds or beautiful views or both make it worthwhile.
This time gale force cross- and headwinds (with forecasts warning of gusts beyond 70 kph) ensured extra fun, blew away the rain, while temperatures were up.
Carrying our bikes up and down the stone staircases on both ends of the iconic motorway bridge, the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke, is a set ritual.
A 2+ meters wide path, right between two pairs of motorway traffic lanes of the A6 “Autobahn”, allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross the river Rhine at Frankenthal, with a great view to all sides.
Less than 20 kilometres further downstream to the north, the Nibelungen Brücke (engl. “Nibelung bridge”) is another, similarly iconic bridge with multiple dedicated lanes and carriageways for different modes of traffic. Without either bridge, and the easy access both provide to the extensive networks of roads and cycling paths of all sizes on both banks of the Rhine, cycling in this region would likely only be half as fun.
