Two weeks of sometimes emotional riding-fun in Bavaria and Austria

For the past decade or so, my first Ritchey BreakAway had been living in a cellar in Freising, waiting for my occasional visit and outings with Sabine that were not limited to just the immediate local roads but also included other adventures. But with time never standing still, circumstances started to change and recently necessitated repatriating the bike to the US. With a two-week window to fly to Europe in the middle of my busy refereeing schedule I decided to hop across the pond and do what needed to be done.

The bike is a cyclocross-style bike, made of steel, with braze-ons and cantilever brake bosses on the seat stays that anchor a set Paul's Mini Moto brakes; the carbon fork is home to an Ultegra caliper binder. For years I had kept the bike as a single-speed in Berlin with my dad, but after his death I had brought it back to Lubbock and re-converted it back to a geared bike with a Di2 drivetrain. Apart from the occasional cleaning, the bike never required any service in all those years, and the 265 miles I rode over the past two weeks were just as smooth and mechanically sound as always. Good bike! Now I just have to figure out how to use it in the future.

Sabine and I had a rough patch—very rough—during the Pandemic and beyond, but we have been able to once again return to the deep friendship that we started back in the early 1970s in an Education First language course in Bournemouth, England. That's a lot of time to know somebody, and we are both glad that we have been able to salvage this relationship. If it weren't for unrelated external circumstances, my bike could have quite possibly stayed in Freising, but unfortunately our hand was forced.

So much for a bit of background, in case someone was wondering.

Since retiring from her landscape architecture job for the City of Munich early this year, Sabine is no longer bound by strict work schedules. The plan was to go for a few rides on those beautiful roads surrounding Freising before heading for a few days to Austria. We didn't have any exact plans before my arrival, yet we managed to easily decide on the Wachau, an area just west of Vienna, for a short cycling vacation.

The first four days of my stay in Germany were warm, mostly sunny, and pleasant, and our daily rides ended with a refreshing swim in one of the many lakes. There are two of them in the immediate neighborhood that have a clothing-optional area, so one can just get off the bike, strip down, and cool off before riding another three kilometers home. (I had taken my Tailfin rack-pack so we could pack small towels.) Temperatures weren't all that high—mid-70s to low 80s—but the humidity was quite potent, so that post-ride dip was heavenly.

Freising must have some of the best roads for cycling that I have ever seen, Provence excepted. Most of the narrow pathways are paved with the smoothest asphalt you'll ever encounter, and larger roads have dedicated bike lanes or cycle paths. (Gravel options exist as well.) One can choose between climbs (our first ride featured three of them in short succession at the beginning of the ride, damn near killing me) or flat roads, often in forests or through cornfields and pastures. Here in Lubbock we can't even imagine that such a paradisiacal place exists. I had really been missing riding in this terrain for the past three or four years.

On the day of our departure for Austria the weather turned cool and rainy in Freising, so our timing was perfect. Some parts of the Alps were receiving heavy downpours that caused flooding and landslides, but the part of Nieder-Österreich, or Lower Austria, where we were heading was spared any of that for the duration of our stay. We had found a perfect Airbnb, somewhat north of Sankt Pölten and south of Krems, just a few kilometers away from the mighty Danube river. Our place had a large garden that we could use, plus an exceptional pool. It's hard to believe that this beautiful home was not yet booked when we reserved it just three days before our arrival.

I had heard of the Wachau before but never paid any attention to its location or topography or other attributes. In this area, the Danube flows roughly west to east, forming a large valley. It is possible to ride on a paved bike path along its banks all the way from Germany into Hungary and beyond, and lots of bike tourists do just that. Many of them use eBikes that are heavily loaded with panniers, bedrolls, and the kitchen sink (or so it seems), and unless they are day tourists exploring the immediate neighborhood they all do the smart thing and ride downstream. In many areas, the bike route utilizes both banks of Europe's largest river, and there are plenty of bridges and ferries to get to the other side.

The Wachau is home to vast vineyards, producing both excellent reds and whites. Additionally, there are orchards galore, and our arrival coincided with the official start of the Marillen season, a type of large apricot that is oh-so-sweet. The three rides we took stayed either close to the Danube (fairly flat) or took us through undulating hills, almost all of it on dedicated cycle paths or tiny roads. Traffic was almost non-existent, and if there was a car, the driver was courteous and patient. 

On our second day in the Wachau the weather forecast was rather iffy, so we decided to go for an excursion by car that took us through the hills north of the Danube to the historic town of Melk. Located on a hillside above the river is Stift Melk, a Benedictine abbey that dates back almost 1,000 years, to 1089. We went on a guided tour of the impressive building (its west side is 198 meters long!), and of course we enjoyed the immaculate gardens. The abbey is home to the oldest Austrian school in continuous use, and of course it's a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. After that visit we strolled through the small town and enjoyed a tasty lunch. Maybe best of all: The weather held all day while just a few miles back east rain poured down.

A couple of nights we grilled our dinner and enjoyed our backyard, and the other evenings we went out to a local Heuriger, generally a small local restaurant, often family run, that features local specialties. How does wild boar roast sound, or duck in aspic? Local knödels anyone? Blunzen and Gröstl with local Kren (a fatty blood sausage with fried-up potatoes and finely grated horseradish)? Wanna add to that a glass or two of Grüner Veltliner or a red Zweigelt? Prices are not really low, even out in the provinces, but part of the reason is that 20% VAT is automatically included in the printed price of the meal, and the tip is more or less built in as well; one just rounds up the bill from, say, €61,80 to €65,00. It's always fun for me to spend my ITA-earned money without really thinking about what I pay.

After four nights in the small hamlet of Palt we loaded the bikes back into the Skoda and detoured east toward Vienna. I had a hotel certificate that was going to expire in September and had suggested that we'd use it for an extra night in the capital. The certificate is an annual benefit for holders of the Marriott Bonvoy credit card ($99), and we stayed in a nice room in Marriott's Autograph Collection, the Imperial Riding School, a historic building not far from the center. Heck of a deal!

It had been quite some time since I had last been to Vienna, and with only one night in the city we simply walked around the old city center. Under perfectly blue skies it seemed as if the entire world was out for a stroll. Note to self: It might be fun to dedicate a longer stay to this historic city with its magnificent buildings and constant reminders of how important it once was. If you're interested in relocating to Wien, the Economist has ranked it the Most Liveable City three years in a row, and its housing prices are way below the European average. Our detour was definitely a success.

We returned on Sunday afternoon to Freising, in time for more sunshine on Monday and a last ride before I had to disassemble and pack the Ritchey on Tuesday, for my early morning flight on Wednesday. I have to say, it was an emotional ride for me, not knowing when I'll be able to return. Regardless of when that may be, I'll have to lug around another piece of luggage and play mechanic when for the past ten years things were much easier. But then, who knows what will happen, and maybe in a year or two the Ritchey will return to Bavaria or somewhere else to live out its days. 

Thankfully, British Airways and American treated my luggage with care, and when I finally made it to Lubbock Wednesday evening, both the bike case as well as my rolling duffel were in excellent shape.

And now it is Friday evening here in Texas, 48 hours later. After a ride this morning I spent much of the afternoon working on details in regard to next week's task, our USA Cycling Cross Country National Championships in Pennsylvania. Whatever fitness I gained over these past two weeks will once again evaporate. C'est la vie, I suppose.

Jürgen