I should have known better when setting off on ultra-light race tyres that they might not be the best choice for crossing big city streets. I should have known that fast tyres might not handle multiple cuts caused by broken glass, but I was under the impression that Germany is not a country littered with broken glass. It generally isn’t, but after ending up with 4 broken tubes and a new set of tyres (number 3 within a months time) is a sure sign that something went wrong. It was a very black day yesterday, and that I ended up with breaking the 200km mark after all that was impressive, at least. So what happend? After a lovely breakfast with my friend in Hamburg, where I was introduced to the famous Franzbrotchen, I was off for the 310km to Berlin, feeling good and refreshed. I kind of managed to find my way through Hamburg, this time with the help of a map, and I was close to leaving the inner city when I had my first flat. No worries at this point, I changed it and could only spot a few little cuts in the tyre, but nothing worrying at this stage. The rain from the day before had left a distinctive film on the rims, so I had very, very dirty hands, which isn’t ideal when you use white bar tape. However, one flat was fine, but after 5 minutes riding the same happend again. I fixed it again, by this time the little cuts were more severe, imagine how much glass and litter it takes to do that in such a short timeframe. I made the decision to ask for the next shop, which was close by, but I should never make it there. Again, another puncture, I had to walk now, as I could not be bothered anymore and ran out of motivation to fix 3 punctures in half an hour. I always used to laugh at guys at Karapoti with 6 or more punctures in one race, now I was in the same situation. The other thing that added spice to the situation that I couldn’t really walk in my road shoes, not to wear the plates too much, but also it is pretty much impossible to walk in them. So I took my shoes off, shouldered the punctured bike and walked a kilometre to the shop, and was helped very nicely. After getting a new tube, I was still optimistic to get to Berlin in time. I ended up with 3 more puntures on the front, another new tyre and was finally out of Hamburg at 2pm. By that time I just wanted to ride, but I knew that chances were low to get to Berlin. Still managing more than 200k was impressive, and I finally took the train to stay in Berlin. Today I am off to Bad Wilsnack and then to Leipzig, skipping Berlin after that urban cycling nightmare. Show must go on.