Last summer, I went to Vienna to race in the European Cycle Messenger Championships. After having an awesome few days racing, hanging out, exploring the city and actually finishing 16th out of more than 300 entrants from across Europe (let me know if you want me to do a write-up about that experience!) I decided to head off on my own into the legendary Alps.
I didn't really have much of a plan. All I knew is that I wanted to completely immerse myself in the mystical mountains. I had no flight back to London booked so I could have gone any direction I wanted. I did some rough planning as I needed to be back home in about 10 days to do some work. By the looks of the distances, it seemed like Milan would be a good target to aim for. I had never visited there either so it would be a cool place to finish in.
The beginning of the eastern Alps on the horizon
As always, I left a lot later than I was planning to. Fortunately, the ride out of Vienna was relatively simple. I was pretty much following one main road. It was nice and flat too, so I was able to cover a lot of distance quickly and make up for my lost time at the beginning of the day. I wasn't really sure what to expect because I had never actually been to the Alps before so I had a mix of emotions as I saw baby mountains come into view.
Riding through the small Austrian towns that dotted the route was lovely. The architecture of that region is a marvel to look at. It's very pleasing to the eye. This was already one of the prettiest bike tours I had ever done - and I wasn't even into the natural beauty of the wilderness yet!
Austrian architecture is pretty cool
I wasn't carrying too much food or drink on me so I made a stop-off at a store before entering the mountains. I wasn't sure if there would even be any shops and whether or not they would even be open if there were. The future levels of desolation were unknown to me. I soon realised that the selection of snacks I could eat as a vegan in Austria wasn't that expansive. I settled for some ketchup flavoured crisps as it is a strange flavour we don't see in England. Don't worry though, I kept it healthy with some fruit smoothie to wash it down with.
Finding healthy vegan food on the road was sometimes a challenge
I was now noticeably riding upwards. Things were about to get serious. No more easy fast, flat riding. My body was about to get a wake up call. Lucky for me I had been riding and racing so my body was somewhat prepared but nothing really gets you ready for what it takes to cycle up mountains.
I had a pretty epic sight appear before me. A quaint Austrian town high street tapering off and up into a mountain with a highway cutting across the sky. The light was fading. I got my ass moving.
From below then from above...
I now found myself above the highway bridge. It had looked almost impossibly high previously. Perspective. I still had a while further to go before I felt happy with the distance for the day.
The good thing about going uphill is that there is always a downhill that follows. And the bigger the climb, the longer the descent. As the Sun began to disappear, I absolutely flew down, deeper into the Alps. The spirit of adventure began to swell up inside me. I wasn't mucking around in a city with mates anymore. I was now on my own venturing into one of the world's most famous mountain ranges armed with a bicycle and a sleeping bag.
Sunset in the Alps
I actually spent quite a lot of time riding in the darkness. Partly because of how energised I felt but also due to the fact that I had a sense of unease about wild camping. I had been a while since I last did it and, for me, it's something you kind of need to be 'warmed up' for. Add to the mix that everything seems more spooky at night and you find yourself unwilling to pull over and set up shop for a sleep. It was also a bit colder than I was hoping but nothing too serious. I mean, it wasn't raining.
Eventually, I got tired enough and settled into the vibe enough that a local sheltered bus stop in a tiny town seemed like a good place to camp. It had a roof, four walls, a small entranceway and a nice wide bench. Usually I try and stay as hidden as possible when wild camping but in this situation I felt adequately convinced that the population was so low that I would not be bothered by anyone as I slept. I locked my bike to the bench just in case (my London mindset kicking into action) and drifted off to sleep but not before setting an alarm before the first bus was scheduled to arrive!
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Thanks,
Joseph