Klosterhof Knechtsteden 85 km (in theory)
Ride start
This was my first international ride, in Dormagen, Germany: 85 km (about 53 miles) in 3 loops; 2x the first 30km (about 19 miles) loop, then one 25km (about 15) loop. The Klosterhof, the namesake of the ride, is in fact a monastery and cloister which, since 1898, have been open as a guest house. We passed by several times during the ride.
the night before the ride
Vet check area
After the vet check the night before the ride.
The morning of the ride started at 5:30. We headed to the ride camp area, after feeding and checking on the horses, and the ride management was selling coffee and breakfast rolls - nice. So we had a good breakfast around a hot fire, then went back to the trailer to tack up and set off on the first loop at 7:30.
Heading out (this is either us leaving on the first or the second loop).
Everything started off well. We were following two other riders at a good trot, through deep green fields and past seas of yellow mustard, windmills standing tall in the distance. The footing was great - some shallow sand and dirt - and the loop continued through and around fields for a while. Our crew (our excellent three person crew) met us on the trail at strategic points with water bottles to dump on the horses' necks, which I'd never done before but is apparently something many endurance riders in Europe do. I think it helps a lot, and I suppose it's the equivalent of getting off and sponging or dumping water on the horses' necks at water troughs as we often do in the US. We passed through the first trot by and pulse check just fine. After the check, we rode out of the fields and through a little foresty single track, which was fun to canter, then across a street, past a stream where we stopped for a drink, and back to fields. We started heading back towards ride camp to complete the first loop. In familiar territory now, both we and the horses could sense the camp approaching.
Still approaching.
Getting closer.
A long cantering stretch.
Seems like it's taking a while.
Any second now.
I think we should be there already...
Are we on the right path?
Oh no. The pulse check again. We had somehow missed the turn back into camp and accidentally gone 16km into the second round of the 30km loop. Oops. The PR crew told us that it was faster to just finish the loop again than to go back, so, with some improvisation and more help from our crew, who we met along the trail again for more water, we finally made it back across the road again, past the stream, back to the fields, and into ride camp, where we vetted in with flying colors and started the 40 minute hold.
riding to meet our crew
The fields we rode past three times.
The forecast was for rain with potential thunder and lightning, but aside from a few brief showers we stayed dry and warm. There was, luckily, no thunder! The ride was almost completely flat, even flatter than my Florida ride (click here for that story!) and mainly through dirt and fields, some grass, some deep mud, and some asphalt. It should have been a relatively quick ride. But, starting the second loop with an extra 20km already behind us, we were running a tad behind schedule. We took the second 30km loop mostly at a canter and fast trot, slowing only when our crew met us with water for the horses' necks and encouragement for us :) It's so nice to have such a good crew, it makes such a difference! We finished the second loop with no problem, vetted through fine again, and headed into the second 40 minute break.
Coming in strong after loop 2 (so 80km already).
Imke and Sadie looking good.
We both passed the second vet check, Woheeda with all A's. She's a great horse, very strong, if a bit lazy, and, once she gets used to the idea of going, she's very willing. She's not spooky, even, as I would soon find out, when she's the only horse around riding in a new place with a (relatively) new-to-her rider. She and I would be continuing alone for the final 25 km as Imke and Sadie were stopping at 60km (or 80km, thanks to our detour). Thanks to our mistake, I was the last of the 11 who started the 85km ride (the last by far, I would soon learn) and so did the remainder of the ride mainly alone. During the break, we consulted the map at length to be sure I would pick the right way this time, and, after 40 mins, Woheeda and I set off. She wasn't too pleased to be leaving her buddy happily munching hay, and to top it off it started raining pretty hard right as we left. When reached the out timers, who should have had my vet card, they didn't have it, so my crew raced back to the camp to see if it was there. I sheltered under a big white tent with Woheeda. The crew were successful in their search and, eight minutes later than we should have been, we set off on the final 25km loop.
This was actually my favorite loop, even though it started a little badly: the beginning was exactly the same, for about 20 minutes, as the end of the first two loops, so I was re-riding the section I had just completed but in reverse. It didn't feel right and all the trail markers were on the wrong side (left instead of right side - this was a kind of a problem during the ride. Trail markers are meant to be on the right, so you'll know if you're on the right path if the markers are to your right, but often during this ride the markers were on the left). There were some signs, but all in German, so I didn't understand them. I was a little uneasy, concerned about whether or not I was going the right way, and rode back a bit to see if I could have missed something, but there was no place to turn, so I just followed the footprints of the horses before me and hoped I was leading us in the right direction. At least it had stopped raining.
This is what the majority of the trail of the final loop looked like.
About 15 minutes later, I was finally 100% sure we were going the right way, and we cantered off. This loop was mainly through the forest. The trees were thick and bright green with spring, and there were many that were flowering. White petals floated down on us like snowflakes, and there were white flower bells dotting the bright green moss and ferns on either side of the dirt single track. We cantered through it alone, hearing only Woheeda's soft hoofbeats and hundreds of spring birds. It almost felt like a fairy tale.
We kept on, met the wonderful crew a couple times (who assured me I was going the right way!) and cantered or trotted easily down the path. We occasionally passed over deep mud sections, and Woheeda liked to jump over them rather than trot through, which was fun. We passed two other riders, who said the trail wasn't very clearly marked at the next turn and they had gone the wrong way. They told me the right way (luckily they spoke English) and also said that there was no one at the pulse check and trot by anymore - they had all left already. Hmmm. Oh well. We kept on going anyway.
We had almost completed the final loop when we met the crew one more time. They said continue on, but turn right instead of left ahead. Ok, right. We continued, but all the marked turns were going left. Had I misunderstood? I speak no German, and their English was good but a bit limited, so could there have been a misunderstanding? I kept going. The older hoof prints were going both directions, there were markers on both sides of the trail, the signs were all in German, and I was the last rider out. Hmmm. This could be bad, especially since I'm already behind time-wise. I can't really afford a mistake now. I kept going at a trot or canter until I came to the fork in the road that signaled the turn at the beginning of the 25km loop. I was meant to be doing a short final loop near the beginning, but not as far as this turn. So. Wrong way again.
I stopped to let Woheeda graze and consulted the map. I couldn't tell where I had gone wrong. Where was the right turn? I admit I just sat there for a minute, considering. I was extremely short on time. I couldn't afford to either go back if I hadn't passed the turn or go forward if I had. The wrong choice would likely end in a non-completion. I finally decided to go back. We turned and cantered back the way we'd come, and I finally found a place where I could turn right. I had passed it before because the ribbon marker was too far along the turn to see from where I was on the trail, and the sign pointing out that it was the right way was facing the opposite direction down the trail (and, even if i had seen it, it was in German). We turned down that trail, both hoping, I believe, that it was the right way (Woheeda was probably wondering why we were the only ones out). Finally I reached familiar ground and knew it was correct. We passed our crew once more, and they told us we had 10 minutes before the cutoff time .
10 minutes?!?! CHARGE!!
We cantered along the road to the finish (for the 4th time that day) and, finally, after over 10 hours, trotted across the finish line. There was a rainbow over the finish, welcoming us in, and all our crew, the vets, photographer, Imke, and the in-timers cheered as we approached. It was the biggest welcome I'd ever received, and Woheeda seemed to appreciate it as well - she came in trumpeting triumphantly. We vetted in and passed with all As. The vet gave me a big smile and handshake, and everyone pulled me into hugs. We had made it!
Final trot out - see the rainbow?
Or had we?
After settling Woheeda in with food and water, we headed to the final meeting and I was told (although at the time I didn't really understand; another language barrier maybe, or I was just tired...maybe both) that I had finished one minute late. One minute behind cut off time. After much discussion by my crew with the organisers, they decided that since we had been 8 minutes late to start the last loop due to the out timers misplacing my card, that would negate the minute we were late, and so we still had a completion.
Yay! First international ride: success. It was also, as the 85km became about 115km (71 miles), my longest ride to date, and my only ride going completely solo for one loop. Luckily I had an awesome horse and great friends as crew!
