Spittal - Playing in the Wind - Poking Around Europe 5.0

September 24, 2018

Spittal - Playing in the Wind

Lienz to Spittal

We had a late start to our ride today. We spotted a Handy Doc yesterday (a cell phone repairman) and decided we would be on his doorstep at 10 AM when he opened to see if there was any hope for Keith’s phone. Unfortunately the minor surgery was unsuccessful and the phone is officially kaput. That delay put us on the road at 11 AM.

We headed out of Lienz with a tailwind and were enjoying the beautiful ride. There was some up and down today, but nothing too strenuous. We saw two groups of bike tourers on the path, and other than that and a couple of roadies, that was it. Such a contrast to yesterday.

Beautiful weather and a tailwind...for now.

The first forty km fairly flew by. We went through a number of cute little villages. The surface changed for a time from a paved path to a natural surface, but it wasn’t gravel, it was hard packed and easy to ride. The potholes were easy to see. There had been a real storm front come through in the night, wind, rain, thunder and lightening. As a result all the potholes were full of water and we could spot them and avoid them.

They know how to build cycle path bridges in Europe.

Even the single track was straightforward.

We stopped for lunch at around the forty km mark. The wind had been steadily building all day and while we were eating lunch we realized it had swirled around and now we had a significant head wind. Riding through some of the more exposed areas was quite the feat. We kept on trucking but our speed dropped significantly.

It was in areas like this that the wind could really bite.

We have been keeping an eye out for tractors for our friends the Graham’s. Shortly after seeing the red one we were passed by a tractor...Keith couldn’t get the camera out fast enough. The elderly man driving it looked comfortable enough, but he had his wife standing in the back keeping the apples in place. Neither of us could believe it.

What could go wrong? I was already laughing and Keith turned to me and said “What a woman!”. He is lucky I didn’t fall off my bike. We tried to catch them for a better picture but the head wind prevented that from happening.

The geography of the valley meant that after beating into the wind we were suddenly running with it. The difference was stunning. I glanced down at my GPS and we were doing over 30 km an hour without any effort. That was fun. Then we made a 90 degree left turn and before I could even react the wind blew me right off the bike path and into the farmer’s field. Boom, just like that. I rode back on the bike path and hung on for dear life until it was behind us again. We had a long flat straight stretch and Keith decided to see how fast he could go...he hit 54 kph before he had to slow down for a corner. It was so much fun. We practically flew into Spittal.

You never know what you will see. This place was abandoned but charming.

We are pretty sure that snow wasn’t there yesterday.

We arrived in Spittal and went straight to Tourist Information. We find TI can be hit and miss, but this time we hit the jackpot. The woman here actually bike tours. She has been exactly where we want to go. Out came the maps, the must see villages, fantastic suggestions and she booked us a room. It was the most rewarding TI experience ever.

So that is how we came to be staying in the Hacienda Mexicana, in a completely renovated room. We have had Mexican food for dinner, complete with Coronas. The bathroom is only slightly smaller than our entire room at the B and B in Toblach. It is a great spot and we would never have chosen it ourselves.

We are very comfortable. The restaurant was packed and it is a Monday night.

More adventures to come tomorrow and the weather forecast is fantastic. We are so lucky in every way.

Today's ride: 82 km (51 miles)
Total: 1,269 km (788 miles)

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Scott AndersonWait, come back! We missed you! We’re near Belluno tonight, and will be in Toblach in a few days. So close!
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6 years ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Scott AndersonYes ... too bad! We were hoping you would be riding up the Drau where we would have crossed paths. But you will enjoy the Dolomites. We certainly did. And good training for the Stelvio! No pressure now. I think we may try to get down to Triest and then head up the Alp-Adria route to Salzburg. We fly home Oct 14 out of Zurich so need to be thinking about heading in that direction.
Keith
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6 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesWe have just ordered the Alpe Adria and the Drau radweg Bikelines (from Book Depository). Your photos and descriptions are inspiring!
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6 years ago