Itzehoe does not have a famous skyline, and that is rather the point. It is a solid town of about thirty thousand on the Stör river in the flat marshland of Schleswig-Holstein, and its job in this ride is that of a gate, the last reliable fuel and breakfast before the open country of the North Sea coast. The town sits some sixty kilometres northwest of Hamburg, and the name goes far back, with a fortress called Esesfeld said to have been built here in the early ninth century during the wars of Charlemagne against the Saxons.
The Stör is small but important, a tidal river that winds toward the Elbe, and it gave Itzehoe a role as a trading and market town in the Holstein region. The old town has several brick churches, a former convent that is still used, and a few quiet squares. It is not a place of must-do sights, but the people are friendly, and the bakeries open early, so a cup of coffee and a roll before the day's ride is a pleasant start.
The riding that leads out is flat, open and honest. West of town the roads cross Dithmarschen, a landscape of dikes, drainage ditches, sheep and wind turbines, and the horizon is huge. There are no hills, no real corners, and the main variable is the wind, which on the North Sea coast can be strong enough to push a bike sideways. Check the forecast, and lean into it. The dikes, built over centuries to keep the sea out, are a quiet and slightly eerie part of the scenery. Roads along them are narrow, and sheep graze on the slopes, so take care and obey signs that restrict access.
In summer the weather is mild but changeable, with sun, showers and cloud sweeping across the sky within an hour. In autumn the wind brings clear light, and in winter the roads can be icy. Ride out early to avoid the traffic heading to the beach resorts at St. Peter-Ording. Itzehoe itself has plenty of fuel stations, supermarkets and a few simple restaurants, and the mix of fish rolls and rye bread is the local taste. Fill the tank here, because stations get thinner as you head toward the coast.