After 12 days on roller skis, Fredrik Erixon’s journey through Germany is almost complete, even with a broken pole during the week.

You broke a pole this week. How did that happen? 

“I broke one of my poles during the week. I didn’t fall, but I put my pole on one big median strip on the side of the road. I was really disappointed to break a pole, and I didn’t have any solution to find an extra one. I called one of my friends in Sweden to ask for help. The best solution would have been to send a pole from Sweden to Strasbourg, but it would have taken five days, and I would have passed it by two days. It’s not that easy to find a pole when you are in the middle of nowhere in Germany during summer.” 

So how did you find a solution? 

“I was in Marburg, and I was going to my hotel when a guy on a bicycle stopped me and asked what I was doing. I explained my project, and he felt off his bike (laugh). The guy is Nils Weirich, a German cross-country skier, a two-time German champion in the 50km race, and he’s also competing in a Pro Team in Ski Classics (Ski-Willy Marathon Team Austria). He wanted to ski with me, so we exchanged contact and met up the day after. I also asked him for an extra pole that I can borrow for the end of my journey.” 

“He was outside my hotel the next day waiting for me and planned to go with me until my first coffee break. Finally, he stayed with me for 70km and gave me an extra pole. Then I’ve done 15km more on my own to my hotel in Frankfurt.” 

“The day after Nils left me, I had to go all the way down to Heidelberg, and I started to feel that my feet and shoulder were sore. I’ve been doing almost 90km daily for a few days and feel a bit tired. I’ve been out in the city, it’s lovely. I will probably be in Strasbourg by the end of the weekend.” 

How did your week go overall? 

“Those past days, the weather was perfect, I felt strong, I had good asphalt, and I got this new pole by Nils, so I am really happy. One thing I didn’t know as a Swede is that Germans have super cycle roads all over the country. The asphalt is super, and it’s separated from the big roads. I strongly recommend those paths to anyone who wants to roller ski or cycle in Germany.” 

“This is my 12th day on the skis, and to be honest, I see that my body and gear have been out for a while. I need to sharpen the poles more often. All my material is super good, but I can start feeling it’s used.”

And Erixon concludes: 

“Then I’m looking forward to going to France next week!” 

Proxcskiing.com is following Erixon until the end of his journey. Stay tuned on Proxcskiing.com and Fredrik Erixon Instagram for more news!