There are those rare moments in the year when everything suddenly changes. The traffic falls silent, the noise dies down, and even the most popular trails seem deserted. For many, this is the time when they sit in front of the telly, cheering fanatically, gather in front of big screens or celebrate every goal loudly in the pubs. For me, it’s the perfect opportunity to get on my bike.
I speak from experience. Whilst everyone else was sitting at home or at public viewing events in front of their screens, I was quietly doing my laps during the 2024 European Championships. No honking, because you’re not riding on a cycle path full of thousands of potholes, no cars overtaking you at far too close a distance – just peace and quiet. Or simply cycling along the empty trail in a relaxed manner. It was as if I had the roads and the trail all to myself. A state of affairs that seems almost utopian in everyday life.
The underestimated side effect of football fever
Whenever the German national team plays, something interesting happens on the roads and trails: they empty out. Commuters head home early, weekend trips are postponed, and even the usually heavy traffic seems to have vanished. Suddenly, a window of opportunity opens up that can be worth its weight in gold for us cyclists. At least if, like me, you’re not really into football.
Admittedly, many of the matches in this World Cup are being played late at night, which isn’t exactly ideal if you want to be out and about whilst it’s still light. But Germany’s very first match is this coming Sunday at 7 pm, and the timing couldn’t be better. It’s that perfect interlude between daylight and dusk. Plenty of time to hop on your bike for another two or three hours.
So whilst most of the country is getting ready for kick-off, putting on their shirts and preparing snacks, I’m already heading out of town. Where there are usually lines of cars on the road, all I can hear is the soft whirring of my chain and the tyres on the tarmac.
Freedom of a kind rarely found elsewhere
Anyone who cycles regularly is familiar with the usual challenges: tight overtaking manoeuvres, inattentive drivers and simply an unbelievable amount of traffic. Yet it is precisely during these Games that all of that seems to disappear for a brief moment.
It’s moments like these that make it so appealing. I feel a certain sense of freedom. The smile on my face grows wider.
Bottom line: Just get going!
Of course, there is a certain irony in all this. Whilst millions of people are sharing a collective experience, I am consciously choosing solitude. But for me, that is precisely what makes it so appealing. It is not a sacrifice, but an exchange: noise for peace and quiet, crowds for open space.
So when the next Germany match is coming up and the trails start to empty, I don’t see it as a missed opportunity, but rather an invitation. So if you can easily do without watching the World Cup matches, you should definitely give it a go.
Because when Germany are playing, the trail is mine. And maybe it’ll be yours soon, too.
Leon Weidner
Editor
