On the way: a blog about cycling, scuba diving, and flying…
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Day 12: Twist and shout – The final leg
The night was full of dark and terrors, practically synonymous with rain and cold for me. Waking to the chilly air and a spread of food that would put any hotel breakfast buffet to shame, I sipped my coffee, savored my meal, and packed for the day ahead, the final stretch before my own bed…
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Day 11: Chasing highs and lows
It seemed like the weather had peeped at my schedule and decided to wait up for me. Waking up to wet streets bathed in almost sunshine, I decided not to take an extra day off and conquer the last formidable mountain. Deciding that was a stroke of genius. Beyond the initial stretch, gorgeous roads winding…
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Day 10: A series of unfortunate downpours
Never again. What a day. Woke up to rain and seriously considered becoming a hermit until the skies cleared. After obsessively checking the weather forecast and rain radar more times than I’d care to admit, I convinced myself to venture out. I spotted a three-hour break in the clouds, seemingly enough time to tackle the…
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Day 9: Cloudy with a chance of schnitzel
The morning kicked off dark and gloomy, only to be swiftly upstaged by a sun that couldn’t resist making a dramatic entrance. My enthusiasm resurfaced briefly. As soon as I hit Salzburg, a city that’s actually earned a spot on my shortlist of likes, the weather pulled a 180 (360 for those good with math).…
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Day 8: Sun, schnitzel and peaks
I got the latest start yet, but being a bit ahead in the schedule, it hardly mattered. It turns out, parting from family and a hearty breakfast is tougher than leaving a random hotel. From dawn, the sun was blazing, and I was roasting all day, slapping on sunscreen like basting a rotisserie chicken. Today’s…
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Day 7: Fast & Familial
A full week flew by in a flash. Today, the odometer hit a cool 1000 km. So, almost half of the total is done, yet it still feels like I’ve barely begun, like I’ve only posted about 2% of the total. On day 7, I spiced up the route with a few extra kilometers to…
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Day 6: Off-route adventures
Last night, I cozied up with a symphony of rain as my white noise, praying it would clock out by morning. As luck would have it, it did clock out but not without dropping a thick fog as its foggy farewell gift. As predicted, the sun burst through, busy clearing the foggy mess, so I…
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Day 5: Racing rain
Woke up early to wet windows and streets. The rain had finally caught up with me. Checking the weather, I realized I had enough time to reach my next destination before the skies opened up again. If everything had gone according to plan yesterday, I would’ve just dodged the rain. But now, I was just…
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Day 4: Road bike to a gunfight
I am so not a morning person. I wake up early, but it takes forever to get going. It’s as if every blink lasts for minutes, and before I know it, two hours have slipped away. Knowing the start would be tough, I geared up for the day. Little did I know, the road ahead…
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Day 3: Chill thrill
Unfortunately for me, my Turkish friend did not show up in the morning before I left, even though I left late, around 8:30. So, I got all day to think about that special bread with cheese and what it actually is, a Turkish delight. Thankfully, Mondays aren’t always blue, this one came to my rescue.…
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Day 2: The winds of change
I had a head full of cycling epiphanies, but now, as I try to recall them, it’s like trying to catch smoke with a butterfly net. Arriving at hotel, the only obsession was food. I knew they have a restaurant and I was hoping day one kitchen debacle would not happen again, arriving too late…
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One day or day one
To cut short, i would say very boring long day. However, there is so much more to it. Mornings aren’t my forte. It took me almost two hours to muster the energy to actually start biking, before that, I was going at a sluggish pace. Due to that I instantly started worrying that I will…