August 31, 2022
We're off! (Again...): Salzburg to Böckstein
So, a mere three days after leaving home, it was time to start riding. Also, with grim inevitability, it was time for the heavens to open: after days (weeks?) of lovely weather, yr.no was giving it the full 'five raindrops' for the whole of today.
Sure enough, as soon as I set foot outside the hotel, there was a giant clap of thunder, and the rain started to do that thing where it landed once, then bounced up a bit and then came down for a second time. It seemed a bit feeble, though, to bale on my first 'proper' day of cycling, so I decided I'd set out and see how it went, but keep in mind the possibility of defecting to the train if/when it all got too much.
After about thirty minutes, I'd reached that stage of soakingness where it didn't seem to be possible to get much wetter. On the plus side, it was still quite warm, there was a tailwind, and the cycle route was as pleasant as people said it would be. And the advantage of having read various cycleblazers' accounts of recent trips this way was that I could just imagine the beautiful scenery hiding behind the clouds.
The sharp climb up to the Lueg pass helped me warm up a bit more; as did a coffee break at a cheerful cafe in Werfen. (I stayed on the outdoor seating, to avoid leaving too large a damp patch on the cushions, though...)
Thanks to the Grampies, I was forewarned about the trail detour by Sankt Johann, and managed not only to avoid the 'difficult route' but even to locate the 'easy' diversion.
Coming through Schwarzach, I spotted a cluster of ambulances parked up in a lay-by -- not for an emergency, but so that their crews could all queue up at a roadside schnitzel van. Reckoning that paramedics were probably a good judge of Sustaining Food, I parked up too, and enjoyed a really excellent Schnitzel Burger (a new concept on me, but a good one), sheltered under the edge of the van's canopy -- though in fact the rain was now starting to ease very slightly (perhaps down to a mere 'three raindrops', on the yr scale?).
Stopping to refuel was a good idea, too, because after Schwarzach the hills started to get a bit more serious. By this stage, the storm had completely befuddled my Garmin's altimeter, so I didn't have any real clue how much climbing I'd done or how much was still to come -- though even through the clouds I could see that there was more 'down' in the views than there had been before.
After bouncing over the hills for a bit, I reached the (in)famous tunnels. I really liked these, I have to say -- maybe swayed by the fact that they acted like a giant umbrella! (But they were also pretty quiet, which probably helped too.)
Then it was just -- 'just'-- the climb to Bad Gastein to go. By now the rain had stopped, so the tour parties were back out in the streets. This meant that pride made it impossible for me to get off and push up the Killer Hill -- though I think I'd probably have made faster progress on foot.
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At any rate, I inched my way up to the town centre, where I collapsed into a bakery for hot chocolate and an Austrian Jammie Dodger (I can't remember its proper name. It was delicious, though). This time I did leave a soggy patch on their seat cushions (sorry, nice Bad Gastein bakery). Then it was just a little bit more climbing, and a couple of km of blissfully flat pedalling to my hotel: I was staying the night in the next village up the road, Böckstein, where things seemed a bit less expensive than they were in the glitzy spa town.
This (the Gasthof zur Post: highly recommended) turned out to be a very good choice. The owner came out to greet me as I rolled up, commiserated about the terrible weather, and pointed me towards a big garage where I could stash the bike. The room was huge and comfortable, and (even better) had a radiator just perfectly designed for drying out sodden shoes and other things.
I knew it was their restaurant's Ruhetag today, so had expected to have to seek out a meal somewhere else in the village, but in fact they had 'simple' dinner on offer for residents: just the three courses of dumpling soup, baked chicken, and an ice-cream sundae. Sometimes you have to suffer a bit on these trips...
Today's ride: 110 km (68 miles)
Total: 182 km (113 miles)
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