It was on a valentine’s day that I will always remember. I was exhausted watching yet another steep slope. I was tired, I had calculated that it would be another 60 kilometers. My cycling computer already counted 80 kilometers and I was not there yet. I almost couldn’t cycle anymore. Mentally yes, but my legs were completely soured. I just had to move on because today I wanted to reach the city of Innsbruck.
Michelstadt, the city where I wrote my last blog, I took a night in a room to warm up in a so-called guesthouse. I was at Pension Rosengarten where a nice lady named Mrs. Holschuh helped me -with a small price- to not only provide a warm room, but also with washing my not so fresh smelling bike clothing. And she even accompanied me when peeling carrots during my breakfast!
From Michelstadt it was a race against time to Austria. Because I had seen the infinite high hills of Germany. I wanted the real mountain experience, to feel myself small by nature. With enough packaged food to feed entire orphanage I started to cycle the remaining 500 kilometers in five days to Innsbruck in Austria.
That would be four nights wild camping because of the short days I could otherwise not get to the 100 kilometers per day. And yes, in a thick layer of snow!
The day before valentine’s day I passed a flower shop where I went to buy decorations for Ringo and my bike. I was once again very pleased when the ladies would decorate my bike for free. This was mainly due to Ringo, because he was flirting with one of the ladies.
The result was amazing, a romantic breakfast on valentine’s day in the snow with beautiful decoration.
Cycling, cycling and more cycling. “Why do my legs don’t want anymore cycling?” I thought, when I had just made my first kilometers into the Tyrolean mountains. I had just passed the border of Austria and still had at least 30 kilometers to go before I would arrive in the city of Innsbruck. After a short stop it turned out to be my diet, I was empty and forgot that I had to keep eating nonstop. After two Lions, an energy bar and some Dextro energy I went to push further again.
At 8:00pm in the evening I arrived exhausted. I only had one little problem. I did not managed to arrange a place to sleep in this city and a hostel in the tourist season was far too expensive.
Through Warm Showers and CouchSurfing I had little luck. Fortunately, at the last moment a text message came in from a hero named Logan. I contacted him through Warm Showers and he informed me that in emergency he still has a place in his kitchen. Well, better than nothing! I happily didn’t needed to spend all my hard earned savings to an expensive room.
The next few days I will stay at Logan’s place in the center of Innsbruck. Today a rest day and tomorrow I’m going to give it a try with a snowboard on the slopes. Because from the center of this great city there is a lift going up to the mountains. Hard cycling pays its debt!
