The 2026 brevet season opened for me this time already on the last day of February, and right away with a tough one: the 200 km brevet by Ara Rheinland, "Talsperren im Bergischen Land" (Dams in the Bergisches Land region). Over the 208 km (129 mi) route, 2,700 m (8,860 ft) of elevation gain promised plenty of steep climbs and just as many rapid descents to shake the body out of its winter hibernation.
"Bergisches Land" translates literally as "mountainous land", and the region certainly lives up to that name on the bike. The irony is that it doesn't actually derive from the German word "Berg" (mountain) at all, but from the historical County of Berg, a medieval principality that once ruled this area. The hilly, rugged character of the region is therefore something of a happy coincidence, though one that any cyclist tackling this route would find hard to ignore.
The weather forecast was cautiously optimistic - it was supposed to stay dry during the day, around 10°C (50°F), with only a few showers possible in the evening. And indeed, apart from a brief drizzle, it stayed dry all day long. However, the icy wind was noticeably colder than expected, which caught several riders off guard.
This time I had prepared everything the day before and managed to get to bed early enough to wake up at five on Saturday morning, make the drive from the Ruhr area to Bonn without any trouble, and be at the start at 8:00 AM. At the first brevet of the year I needed to ease into things first, but that worked out pretty well. I had put in some winter training, just not any rides of this length.
I knew this route from the previous year, though we had ridden it in May back then, not in February. Now all the trees were still bare, and with the grey weather there wasn't much point in taking a lot of photos, so I simply enjoyed being back on the bike and letting my mind switch off.
The first half hour wound out of Bonn, with lots of traffic lights that didn't allow for any real flow, but once we were out of the city it got nicer and we headed into the Bergisches Land, passing the many dams that gave the brevet its name.
I was riding my Cruzbike Vendetta V20 again, and at the start I spotted another recumbent rider in his velomobile (VM).
I ran into him again at km 75 (mi 47) at the Dhünntalsperre dam, where he was taking a break just after a short stretch of forest. Later he passed me again around km 110 (mi 68), and after that I didn't see him anymore. The upright riders and I alike were amazed at how quickly he managed this extremely hilly route on the velomobile.
The first 100 km (62 mi) felt relatively manageable, but after that the accumulated elevation and the icy wind made themselves increasingly felt. I eased off the pace and tackled the climbs very slowly. Pacing is everything. I ended up putting on every piece of clothing I had with me, and with that I just barely managed to keep the cold at bay.
As the day went on, the sun broke through occasionally and rewarded us with stunning sky panoramas. The many dams were equally impressive to look at. It was too cold to stop anywhere for long, but I was still glad to take in these views.
At km 175 (mi 109) a very special viewpoint awaited us, looking down over the Wahnbachtalsperre dam, which I reached around half past five.
The icy wind was especially strong right there, so I quickly rode on. It was slowly getting dark - after all, it was still February - and on the final 30 km (19 mi) back to the start I got to enjoy the sunset and further magical impressions riding through Bonn at night.
Slightly chilled but in good spirits overall, I arrived back at the start. With that, the 2026 brevet season was officially open for me, and it has also been a good way to start Spring.
