On the way: a blog about cycling, scuba diving, and flying…
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Gone with the windy
It seems my gut had a premonition this morning that the day would unfold like a beautifully written joke at my expense, though reality often crafts worse punchlines than any writer could conjure. Mounting the bicycle was an ordeal. It appeared I had finally tapped into some elusive rest, but alas, it was time to…
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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…