My plans to get up early got a bit hampered yesterday. Frank kindly left snacks for breakfest on the table in the hostel, and there was coffee as well, hooray! The thing that got in my way was that I tried to swap sim cards in my phone, which is a bit like changing bottom brackets on the bike. However, around 8 I finally made it out of Helmond and was heading towards the German border. To my surprise there wasn’t even a sign when I passed, but riding onto German soil felt great. So far I had at least made it to here, but there was still a bit to go. With passing through Alpen I cycled a wee bit of lasr year’s route before heading over the Rhine near Wesel. I had made the very sensible decision to avoid the Ruhrpott by any chance, and I was glad I did. By the time it got dark I had done 170km already, and after a final snack in Ahlen I decided to go to Lippstadt to gain as much ground as possible. Almost there, I heard the ever so familiar nose of the tyre losing pressure rapidly, and I was in for another puncture session. I finally made, and after a long search for a place to stay I found a bed above a pub, and got some beers shouted for my efforts. With 1370 km I had now cycled more than I did last year in 14 days, that will make the final very special.