Ride Director: Warner Griswold
Ride Co-Director: Sue Bunten
Report by: Charles Windisch
This year 20 cyclists descended upon Salzburg, Austria, to begin a 15 day journey that would take us on two large loops – one south of Salzburg, and the other north of the city. Each loop was a point to point ride through quaint villages and with spectacular mountain views; the daily distance varied between 40 and 70 Km. This year’s edition was van supported, so only a pannier or two was required on the bike for extra clothing and lunch. Unfortunately, the weather was unseasonably cold and wet, and served as a future reminder to pack raingear and warmer clothes regardless of what the calendar says.
Most riders arrived on Friday, August 24, to begin the bike building process (where necessary) and otherwise to become acclimated to the new time zone and the Salzburg area in general. Accommodations were at the Holiday Inn (about 15 minutes from the airport) and were quite acceptable. Co-director Sue had mapped out an optional Saturday shakeout ride around the Salzburg area.
The tour began in earnest on Sunday. There was a mass start as we weaved our way through city traffic (in a light rain) to St Johann. Most riders were following the route using the RideWithGPS app on our smartphones (we also had a Garmin for additional help). All the daily routes were provided in advance by the ride director and for the most part were accurate and able to get us to the end of the day destination. The rides mostly followed bike paths and avoided heavy traffic roads. The scenery was stunning – mountains rising sharply from the valley floor; beautiful green meadows; charming small villages featuring houses with overflowing window box flowers. The ride is advertised as a 7 lake tour, and it did not disappoint. The lakes (called “see” in German) had a unique aquamarine color that I haven’t seen elsewhere.
Not all days were spent on the bike. After two days of riding, we spent two days in Bruck (near Zell am See) sightseeing. Day 1 was a trip to Krimml Falls via train. The falls are the largest in Europe, and feature a walking trail (fairly steep) alongside. Not to be missed. On Day 2 we took a bus ride up into the mountains (a steep road with many switchbacks) to get a view of GrossGlockner (the highest peak in Austria) and a glacier. There was still snow on the ground at the higher elevations from a snowfall on Sunday!
At the end of each day, around 5:30pm there was Happy Hour. The particulars of the day were discussed (comments on the route, problems encountered) as well as a preview of the next day’s ride – how many kilometers – but more importantly for us – the weather forecast. Since we had a lot of rain on this trip, when to leave the next morning was a big topic of discussion. Sometimes earlier was better to beat the rain; other times waiting an hour or two was the better approach.
Day 9 took us to the lovely town of St Gilgen for two nights. On the off day, we took a ferry ride across Wolfgang See to the village of St Wolfgang, with a lunch stop in Strobl. It was Sunday afternoon, and there was a four piece band playing at the restaurant for our listening pleasure.
On day 12 we pedaled to Obertraun for another two day stay. The next day we ventured to the town of Hallstatt for a tour of an active salt mine. We rode a vernicular lift to the entrance to the mine, and began the guided hour and a half tour. Another attraction not to be missed!
The route back to Salzburg took us through more lovely villages and alongside a number of additional lakes. Once back in Salzburg, it was time to disassemble our bicycle (a tandem) and pack bags for our departure the next day. But, we had one great last dinner together as a group at a local restaurant (FUXN) featuring great Austrian food and drink. After dinner, it was time to say good bye to all the friends and friendships we had forged over the past 16 days. (I have to admit this was difficult – many of the other riders now felt like family at this point)!
Bicycle Adventure Club
PO BOX 23998 San Diego, CA 92193
Telephone (858) 715-9510 office@bicycleadventureclub.org