We’re in Salzburg; a very beautiful and a very, very wet Salzburg. In a few days we are back on the bikes, heading to the Salzkammergut region and the Hohe Tauern National Park Region of Austria before crossing the border into the Dolomites. If all goes well, the next couple of weeks should bring some serious climbs. Me thinks this is gonna hurt.
When Spiros sees a hill, his mind and body both instinctively go on the attack: “Get aggressive. Stand up. Attack that hill!”. I, on the other hand, see a hill and instinctively think “Aahh! Aaaaahh!! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!” while I desperately try to shift to my beloved granny gear. He may get up the hill faster but both are valid approaches I think.
Seeing that this leg of the trip is unsupported and we are carrying all of our gear, weight is a huge issue. Even though we already drastically down-sized all of gear before leaving South Africa, we feel the need to get rid of more unnecessary luxuries before we hit the serious passes.
- Running shoes? Gone! Shorts, socks and sandals is the new “in” look after all! It’s all over the campgrounds here.
- Casual outfit for dining? Hmm. That’s a tricky one. Let’s try wearing our spandex biking shorts with the leg warmers to a restaurant and see if we get any looks.
- Deodorant? We’re cycling 8 hours a day, who do we think we’re kidding?
- Dishwashing Soap? Bah, who needs dishwashing soap! Just giv’em a quick rinse with the water bottle.
- Body Soap? Bah, who needs body soap! Just give yourself a quick rinse with the water bottle.
Of course the best way to lighten the load on our bikes is to drop a few pounds ourselves but it really isn’t going that way. Everything here is dipped, filled with, or smothered in chocolate or cheese…Oh how I love the Europeans.
Anyway, time to make our way to the campground. We suspect that we will have to bail an inch or two of water out of our tent tonight, so we better get started soon.
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