To Innsbruck, Austria

July 18, 2025

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I gave Jacinto the pep talk about leaving by 9 AM, as we had a long day's ride. Plus, why would we want to hang out in this room any longer than necessary? Jacinto had his own Nescafè to drink. We ate yogurt with granola, fruit, and walnuts. I included two hard boiled eggs for protein. We were out the door by 9:10. I count that as a win.

It was a couple of short blocks to the bike path. You've got to love that. There weren't as many loaded riders today. More day riders, and most of them were on e bikes.

Overall today we didn't have much climbing. Look at the map. See those spikes? My GPS was saying 15-17%, and I believe it. It's a sad story when 12% shows and the riding feels easy. The climbing between miles 5-7 had the steepest pitches. I told myself I was going to walk the next one, there was far too much riding coming up to use all of my energy already. I had no more than given myself permission to walk, than there weren't any more super steep parts.

Jacinto and I did discuss putting a 36 tooth cassette on my bike. I've done that on one of my other long recumbents. Due to the frame design, going from a 34 to a 36 makes the chain rub on the chain stay when in the granny gear. There's also the fact that I can balance at 3.0 mph with a 34 tooth. Could I even balance the bike at a lower speed?

I was much happier when we hit some downhill. We went through a forested area that had many bumpy spots in the pavement due to tree roots. There were still spots the trail was too narrow, but there were also a couple of places where it had obviously been widen out. There were 3-4 dirt sections total, with maybe 2-3 miles total of dirt. It would be interesting to know why those dirt pieces exist. Outside of Aspen, at home, there's one long stretch of dirt that horse back riders have protested having paved. I happened to know the background on that one.

We were on the bike route the entire day. Almost always that was a bike path, but occasionally, usually in town, we would be on streets for a brief time, before getting back on a dedicated path.

Today was a perfect riding day. The weather was slightly on the nippy side (my favorite), and the sun was shining. Wind did come up after noon, but overall it was an excellent day. Moody skies make for great photos. When I'm touring, gray skies are a cause for concern.

After we got over the shark's teeth climbs, the miles started piling up. I had permission for a 2 PM check in. We didn't get to town until 3 PM, but it was another extra easy entry. We were on the bike path, took a right, and boom! There we were, two blocks into the old town. No cars allowed.

There were restaurant tables everywhere in the street. We did get a couple of looks as we walked our bikes in the front door (as instructed) of the restaurant/hotel. The bikes are in an uncovered interior narrow courtyard. I'm happy it's not supposed to rain tonight.

We are on the third floor. Of course Jacinto insists on walking the stairs. I walk also, except when we have panniers. Then I ride the elevator with the bags and he walks. Almost always he beats me to the top. Do you suppose he races, or goes a normal pace?

We snacked on items Jacinto had carried from Prutz. You know that saying about grocery shopping when you're hungry. He bought way too much fruit -4 apples, 4 bananas, 2 peaches, 2 nectarines. Plus a jar of pickles, granola, walnuts. The list goes on. If tonight were a night without an open restaurant, we would be just fine.

Restaurants in Innsbruck open at 5:30. We've finally become resigned to the 7 PM dinner. Tonight we left at 6 PM. Jacinto wanted to try the restaurant downstairs. I told him it wasn't paying for the food I was objecting to - it was the small servings that you get at fancy restaurants. We are hungry cyclists! We want food. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant. I told Jacinto I was sure it wouldn't be like home. It wasn't. I ordered schnitzel. That's certainly not Mexican, but it was tasty. I didn't know schnitzel comes with cranberry sauce. We had New York cheesecake for dessert. It was served warm. That's a first for me.

We walked around after dinner and looked at the old buildings. Innsbruck is an attractive town. There's an airport here. It could be a good place to start a tour!

Illustrating the tiny bathroom. There is a one foot width, then a pivot and turn to close the door. The trash can has to go in the shower to complete the move. To add to the annoyance, the bathroom light comes on automatically, making night time bathroom runs eye opening.

The bathroom did have an interesting door knob.

We saw wood stack up in multiple places. All of the piles are tidy.

I wonder if the paper boy delivers at the top of the hill.

This field had 8-10 of these buildings. Their use is a mystery.

The mural on the other side of the window.

These are the first deer we’ve seen the entire trip. There was a herd of 7-8. They had far more human admirers.

End of ride view. It’s still beautiful! The valley has opened up. We saw many vegetable crops - carrots, cabbage, lettuce, etc.

Our room at the Weisses Rossl was the most expensive of the trip at $269. They even have a Michelin restaurant.

I’ve never had a feather decorated mirror before.

Jacinto asked for ice and received this fancy bucket.

This kitty was keeping track of activity below from the third floor.

I ordered a snitzel. It came with cranberry sauce.

Jacinto’s burrito was disappointing. He originally ordered wings, but I pointed out our start plate had wings. I should have left him alone.

A church tower as seen from the restaurant area.

An interesting doorway from our after dinner walk.

Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 1,413 miles (2,274 km)

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