Pierre writes:

“For 3 years I have been the proud owner of a Pedersen bicycle.
I used to have a normal bike. Due to my age I then decided to look on the internet to buy another one. In fact, I knew more or less what I was looking for, especially gears hub, dynamo, etc.

But while surfing the net, I saw a very specially designed bike called “Pedersen”. The first time I just had a quick overall look but the second time I went further into the details.

I took a trip to Germersheim in Germany to visit the “Spezi” exhibition where they only show special bikes. I had the chance to meet Michael Kemper, who produces the Pedersen bikes in a small village close to Erkelenz and could even test the bike. I then decided to buy this Pedersen, hand and tailor made by Kemper. My bike has hydraulic disc brakes, a SON dynamo as well as a Rohloff hub and a belt drive.

I just love my bike and it’s extremely comfortable: neither my back nor wrists hurt me 🙂 I sit straight, a little bit like on a “Holland bike” which is fun as I am high up and see much better all over. So far I have covered about 8500 km on it.”

In the early 1890s, Mikael Pedersen moved from Denmark to the UK and decided to build a light and comfortable bike on the model of a wooden frame he had designed earlier. He ran his business for some years but he did not succeed in selling the patent. Late last century, another Dane restarted the production in Denmark with the help of a German bike seller. Today there are still two manufacturers in Germany: Michael Kemper and Pedersen Manufactur.

Let’s enjoy the end of the summer and go swimming and cycling this Sunday!

Picture from Visit Luxembourg

We’ll meet at 10:00 on Sunday, August 25 by the Vel’oh! stand and bike pump near the Glacis and the Fondation Pescatore bus stop in Luxembourg City.
Map View

Following nice low-traffic bike routes, including part of the SaarLorLux route, and enjoying the serene countryside, we will ride 30km to Remerschen Lake (close to the Moselle river in the south-east of Luxembourg).

After enjoying water activities, beach volleyball, summer cocktails and ice cream, we’ll ride back to Luxembourg City.

There are a few options for the way back:

— cycle 7km to Remich and take a bus

— cycle directly back to Luxembourg City

— cycle the lovely, flat Moselle bike path to Wasserbillig, 35km; and then take the train or cycle to Luxembourg.

For those who need a bicycle, the Luxembourg City rental service “Vélo en Ville“ is situated in the Grund, next to Scott’s Bar.

Bring a bicycle, water and a snack, a swimsuit and a towel, and some money for the entrance to the lake!

It was an unusual Saturday: wake up early, pack your backpack, check your bike and race to the meeting point. 12 half-sleeping cyclists met in the early morning of Saturday, August 17th at the central train station in Luxembourg City for our bike ride through Saarland.

Once we were sure that everyone managed to get on the train and that our bicycles were stacked safely together, we had another half an hour for a quick breakfast, little chat and a discussion of our route. At 9:45am our train stopped in Wasserbillig. With some excellent team work, all the bicycles were scattered about the platform in a few seconds.

We headed to the Esplanade de Mosel and crossed the river on a ferry, to where our cycling route officially started. Being separated into two groups for a little while, we finally came together again after about 10km at the first shipping lock on the Saar river.

The route map

A nice cycling path follows each river bend, most of the time uncovering lovely spots, beautiful scenery of the riverbank, Riesling grape fields, countryside views, and the old castle ruins of Saarburg, constructed by Graf Siegfried of Luxembourg in 964. After 40km of cycling we were tired and hungry, so we stopped in Mettlach for our lunch.

The second part of this bike ride started with a steep and long slope. After a long, tough climb, us stubborn cyclists reached the top! We were rewarded with an amazing view of the spectacular loop in the the river, the “Saar loop”. Here we began our return to Luxembourg City.

Following Tristan’s suggestion, we took a little road with no traffic, which passes through peaceful wheat fields and lovely villages. We arrived in Remich at 19:00, where most of us decided to take a bus the rest of the way and only Fadi, Guillaume and Tristan, our cyclists with unlimited energy, cycled all the way back to the city.

It was really a great day, with wonderful weather, amazing views, a lovely cycling route and fantastic company! Thank you all for the unforgettable experience and the most pleasant of memories!

See some photos from the day below:

On Sunday, August 11, 2013 we followed the national cycle path PC1, which does a circle around Luxembourg City. Our cycling path ran mostly through the forest with a few little hills which brought to the ride a light spirit of adventure.

The afternoon ride had a bit of everything: a beautiful panorama view of the Old Town, fixing a punctured tire, juggling, laughing and enjoying the sun on the terrace of the Luxembourg youth hostel’s café in Clausen. After 20km of cycling and a long refreshing break at the café, a few cyclists decided to continue on and follow the southern half of the PC1 route.

After 45km in total, everyone had tired legs but happy faces as we watched the sunset fall slowly over the town. Another beautiful sunny cycling afternoon came to an end.

Thank you to all who joined us on that day! Additional thanks goes to Guillaume for guiding us and Tristan for feeding all the tired cyclists!

Check out some photos from the ride below: