August 18, 2017
Vienna
A lazy day. A later start than our last several days. Only 36 miles or so to Vienna. And easy riding, of course. It would have been 28, but we cut yesterday short, which was probably, no, WAS, a good thing given the fun we had last night! Also, given the condition of our butts. We are feeling it!
So we are looking forward to time off in Vienna. And for me, it will be real time off, as I was there last October for a week playing real tourist, sans bike! So there will be no pressure this trip to go sightseeing. Instead, I plan to relax and rest and enjoy several beers at my favorite pubs . . . yes, identified during my last visit.
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So not much to write about today's travels. I got ahead of the boys early on, but only because Jerry was having trouble with his Garmin and Happy volunteered to wait for him. So I went ahead, telling them I would wait up ahead as well . . . but as is my wont, I did not. It's hard for me to stop — sometimes — once I get going. I'm a bit of a solo rider but also like to know others are around, so it suits my style as long as my friends don't mind. I've even been known to just wander off from rest stops without announcing my intention. Mark (see my previous tours) tolerates it, but he's fast enough that he can always catch me. Others just have to live with it, I guess!
So off I went. We were eight miles shy of yesterday's course, which would take me into Tulln. So I, of course, followed it to its logical conclusion. Unbeknownst to me, the course for the next day, into Vienna, required a backtrack over the bridge in Tulln to the north shoreline. Well, this is what I get for not reviewing my course in advance as I bypassed the turn. I wanted to see the town anyway. By the time I realized it, I was well past the turn.
And "well past the turn" for me can mean two blocks! So I decided to stay on the south shore all the way to Vienna. I was already bored with the north shore, and honestly, the ride from Tulln to Vienna did not promise to be inspiring. And it wasn't!
That said, the eight miles between Zwentendorf and Tulln were really nice, mostly through forested wetlands and farmed areas away from the river. East of Tulln, it is mostly along the Danube and fairly typical of other stretches of the waterway.
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So as I continued on my way past Tulln, I realized I had gone "off course" on my last day. Jerry and Happy, behind me by several miles, dutifully crossed the river and were on the north shore. Which really isn't much different than the south shore, and the bike path to Vienna is signed the same on both. Well, there is one minor difference. Because of a bend in the river and the more direct approach to the city, the distance is shorter by several miles.
The only drawback was traversing Kritzendorf, a not particularly pretty city (being a suburb of Vienna) where I lost my way on the trail and needed to ride a busy and unpleasant road for about 1/2 mile. But otherwise, all was fine, and at MP 28 or so, I turned off the Danube and followed a tributary canal to the zentrum, the old city center. And from there, it was easy to get to our hotel.
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So time for a break. Seven days in the saddle is plenty. We also need to discuss our plans for Bratislava. A fourth friend is joining us today for the ride to Prague, and he has suggested we follow the Prague-Vienna Greenway. So we are keen on that but will likely drop the bike excursion to Bratislava and do that as a day trip by train or boat from Vienna. Stay tuned!
Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 1,275 miles (2,052 km)
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