Showing posts with label Austria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austria. Show all posts

June 13, 2015

Davos Wolfgang

“Share the road” takes on a different tone here. We figured it was best to yield to farm equipment,

Cyclist yields to farm equipment along a gravel path, Liechtenstein.
though we passed a carriage drawn by four horses (with care).

Cyclists passing a horse-drawn carriage, Liechtenstein.
With a long day ahead, I could have used an earlier start. We would leave Austria, biking some 53 miles from Feldkirch, Austria to Davos, Switzerland. Our hotel awaited at the top of a climb at Davos Wolfgang.

How much of a climb? Mapping websites tend to be generous when estimating elevation gain, but two of them suggested 5,500 feet. (You get the picture: not flat.)

Paved path along the Rhine River, Liechtenstein.
Except that the route was mostly flat for the first 19 miles, and I was counting on making good time there to compensate for my pathetic uphill pace. But the best laid plans ...

Alte Rheinbrücke, wooden bridge spanning the Rhine at Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
Our slow group left a bit later than the rest (not an auspicious start). Our co-host was leading us today on her electric bike, but she was not planning to ride the entire distance. This made for an uncomfortable mismatch in goals. Instead of zipping along the flats, the group was riding at the leisurely conversational pace of 10 mph. Another rider and I took turns at the front in an effort to pick up the pace, but we were repeatedly thwarted by the electric bike, which kept throwing off its chain.

Lietchtenstein/Swiss border inside the Alte Rheinbrücke, Vaduz, Liechetenstein
Our route essentially traversed the length of Liechtenstein, from north to south. We crossed the border twice: first on the Alte Rheinbrücke, which spans the Rhein at Vaduz. We had a rest break at a gas station near a winery set on a hillside, with a building that looked like a castle.

Balzner Winery, Balzers, Liechtenstein
Around mile 19, as expected, the road kicked up for two miles at an average grade of more than 7%. When I saw Sagan painted on the pavement, it confirmed what my legs were telling me: some sections were steeper.

We passed through the region of Maienfeld—Heidi country. Having just re-read the story, I couldn't help but picture her running through the rolling fields of wildflowers, surrounded by goats. Instead of flying down the other side of the hill, I shadowed our leader into a local park to refill my water bottles at the “Heidi Fountain.”

Heidi Fountain, near Maienfeld, Switzerland
At 1:30 p.m., we were a little more than halfway to Davos. It had taken us 5.5 hours to travel the first 32 miles (with 1,860 feet of climbing), including two hours' worth of stopping.

Golden field surrounded by green fields, mountains in the background, Switzerland.
Time for a reality check: I looked at the route profile. I did the math. The rest of the route would be uphill for close to 24 miles, climbing 3500 feet or more—supposedly with some steep sections. Even if I averaged 6 mph, I would need 4 hours. More likely, my average pace would be slower.

I would have to abandon the first real climb of our tour.

Rather than taking the train, our host fit three of us into the car (with our bikes in the trailer) for the trip to the top; the others would continue by bike. With much sadness, I watched the scenery pass by the car windows.

When they finally arrived, we learned that the guys had a bit of an adventure. They did their best to follow the route, but lacking a GPS and an appreciation for the difference between the icons for mountain bike and road bike routes, they ended up on a steep dirt path—and ultimately watched the scenery pass by the windows of a train car.

June 12, 2015

Feldkirch

Time to move along, into Austria—my first visit.

Sonnenkönigin ship, Bregenz, Austria
We got a close look at the unusual Sonnenkönigin at the harbor in Bregenz, where we waited for the arrival of our co-host (who chose to shave off some distance by taking a boat from Lindau). She's an expert navigator, with a spiral-bound book of cycling routes, but nonetheless led us a wee bit off course. When I pulled out my phone and pointed to the clear blue dot on the map, I won another convert. “You have to show me how to do that on my phone!”

Colorful bike advertising www.fahrradwettbewerb.at, near Bregenz, Austria
Colorful bikes were planted at each end of a bridge, encouraging cyclists to sign up for some friendly competition, racking up the miles this summer.

View of the distant Alps from a bridge over the river Rhein, Austria
For the most part, our route followed the Rhein, crossing it a couple of times.

Bike racks featuring cigarette ads at a café near Lustenau, Austria
We happened upon a café along the Alter Rhein on the outskirts of Lustenau that really welcomes cyclists. There were few parking spots for cars, but enough racks to accommodate a cycling event. The racks sponsored by a brand of cigarettes were ironic. There was also a standalone building with restrooms, much as you'd find in any of our public parks, with one notable difference: lace curtains on the windows.

I ordered “ein apfelstrudel und ein nusskipfel,” apparently convincingly enough that the server responded in German. (Uh oh.). I kind of got the gist, that it would be a few minutes for my buddy's strudel (probably because they'd warm it).

Biking through the forest, getting closer to the Alps, near Feldkirch, Austria
We made our way south, toward the Alps, reaching our destination early enough to allow for some exploration before dinner.

Katzenturm, Feldkirch, Austria
Feldkirch is a busy city, a curious mix of old and new. Medieval buildings, modern roads with undercrossings for pedestrians and cyclists. A friendly passerby tried to chat with me; we had no language in common, but I understood enough to get that English is taught in school these days, but wasn't during his time.

Schattenburg castle, Feldkirch, Austria
With the opportunity to order tonight's dinner from a menu, I chose a traditional veal schnitzel, with white asparagus and potatoes. For dessert, a luscious Austrian specialty (with a name that rankles modern sensibilities), Mohr im Hemd.

A flat and easy stage today, 33 miles with a mere 520 feet of climbing. Definitely not a calorie-neutral sort of day ...

June 10, 2015

Wangen im Allgäu

The planned routes for today were, for some reason, cast aside. After studying the map, our leader was more inclined simply to follow his nose. This is part of the charm of these trips; chill, and go with the flow. There need not always be A Plan.

Everyone tried to stick together as we wandered about the German (and Austrian) countryside. If you examine our route, it looks like a well-planned loop. In the mind of our leader, perhaps it was. He wanted to visit Ravensburg, but was talked out of it; wisely so, given the distance.

Small and quiet chapel in the German countryside.
It was a longer day than it needed to be, as we would lose one rider or another along the way. Sometimes they would catch up; sometimes they needed to be found. As we waited at one such point, I relied on Google Translate to good effect. There was a dirt path leading down a hill to a small chapel, marked with a warning sign. It looked like a private chapel, and I expected the sign to say as much. Not so! In effect, the sign warned that you would take the path at your own risk. The sign over the door invited pilgrims to pray in the small and quiet chapel; the interior was as lovely as the exterior was plain.

Ravensburg Gate, Wangen im Allgäu, Germany
Our northernmost point was the town of Wangen im Allgäu, where we found a sprawling open-air market. One rider strolled off and returned eating a tasty sausage, which sent most of us searching for the same vendor. I studied what they had to offer, and of course I had no clue what they were. My eye kept returning to one of them, and so I chose “rote”. Best sausage I had during the entire trip. (And not just because I was hungry).

Open-air market in the town plaza, Wangen im Allgäu, Germany
Not everyone wanted a sausage; the group had settled at a table in front of a bakery that has been in business since the year 1505. There was a basket of fresh bread on the table, untouched. Hungry, and imagining that it would go to waste, I broke off a chunk. Then I learned there is a sort of trick to this: They put out the bread without asking, and if you take some, you leave a euro in the basket. [OK.] As far as I was concerned, it was well worth it. The breads are amazing. I totally understand now why a German friend complains that nothing he's found in the U.S. compares.

Bakery in business since the year 1505, Wangen im Allgäu, Germany
We headed southwest, making our way to the shore of Lake Constance, where we were soon biking along the same route that I followed yesterday to Lindau. Close to town, the route zig-zags along some streets. I was briefly delayed on a short hill by a car; when I turned the corner, the rest of the group was gone.

Really? Earlier in the day I made a point of waiting for a rider who was having mechanical issues and had slipped behind. But no one waited for me.

We were on the outskirts of Lindau; perhaps they assumed I knew the way. The trail was busier today, with lots of slow cyclists cruising along. I joined the flow, and ended up popping out onto the island at the train station, near the harbor. This was the sort of place where the group might congregate, post-ride; but I didn't spot them.

Bicycles parked at the harbor, Lindau, Germany
For the day, 42 miles with 1,880 feet of climbing.

There need not always be a plan.