So I managed to cycle from Strasbourg to Grenoble within one week, covering about 900 km - albeit with some problems (see below):
Day 10: Strasbourg - Colmar, 68km; day 11: Colmar - Belfort, 100km; day 12: Belfort - Besancon, 150km; day 13: Besancon - Chalon sur Saone: 130km; day 14: Chalon sur Saone - Cluny - Macon, 90km; day 15: Macon - Lyon: 89km; day 16: Lyon visit (0 km); day 17: Lyon - Grenoble, 175km.
The route I took was exceptional up to Macon but turned out kind of bad later on. Between Strasbourg and Belfort I took the "Wine Street" in the Vosges mountains and saw some beautiful villages surrounded by vineyards, mountains, and castle (ruins). Between Belfort and Chalon sur Saone, I cycled along Eurobike route 6 (a bike route that starts in Bulgaria and ends in Nantes/France) which goes on proper bike tracks along the rivers Doubs and Saone. There was also From Chalon to Macon there was also nice bike track coverage, and I included a visit to famous Cluny Abbey on the way. However, I had to take car routes between Macon to Lyon, and from Lyon to Grenoble, too. Sometimes, it is possible to take the little streets (white colour streets in the Michelin maps), but more often than not the big rue nationales are inevitable. The following days and weeks were to prove that cycling routes are seriously underdeveloped compared to Germany :(
Another problem turned out to be a trias of rain, thunderstorms, and my tent - with my tent being on the losing side. I had taken a very cheap tent (you don't want to know the price, I promise..), and when the first heavy rain started in Colmar, I had a night full of trouble and wet clothes, books, etc. NOT NICE!! So I decided to dump the old tent and buy a quality new one in Chalon. I now have a nice, waterproof tent which is also a bit bigger (3 person tent, I had a 1 person tent before) and has been without any problems so far :)
My bike was also great during this part of the journey, even though I had one flat tire between Macon and Lyon - during one of the heaviest rains I ever encounterd. Unlike..
This post might give the impression that I had more problems than joys on my journey, but this is not at all the case, really. I have seen and I am seeing (see later posts, hopefully) stunning nature and great monuments. Moreover, after three years of stressful studying and cramming at Jacobs University, I am happy that academics are indeed far away here ;-) (Which does NOT mean that I did not enjoy Jacobs, with three great years I had and I am also looking forward to diving into papers and books in September again!).
Btw, security has not been an issue until now, I am managing great all alone :). Plus: I often meet very nice and interesting people.
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