Danube - Passau to Linz

60 miles!  This was projected to be one of the hardest days of the trip (and it was, but not for the reasons we expected!).  It was also Liz’s first day - projected to be 2300 feet of climbing, 58 miles and 90 degrees.  Way to put someone off long distance cycling!  

Komoot showed the projected climbing today…and the actual climbing was 900 feet less! Don't know how that happened, but we will definitely take it!

We left Passau early and headed across the river. Didn’t take long before we were across the Austrian border.  Lunch was in Aschach where we had salats - chicken for Steve and gyro salads for Liz and I. Lots of river cruise people about, looks like a fantastic way to travel!  

It was an absolutely gorgeous 55 miles pedalling gently downhill, with a few ups. Lovely breeze off the river, scenic towns / villages along the way, all asphalt and no gravel! The last 16 miles were hotter, but very nice and flat.   Liz was doing a consistent average 11.5mph, which was great with the daily target being 10mph.  The last 4 miles were brutal - hot, hot, hot - 90 degrees and were no longer near the cool river breezes.  Rather than the distance, this was why the day was hard!

Had a great Father’s Day outing in Linz Old Town, our stop for tonight.  Still hot, but found a shady place for beer and wine, and a shady / cool place for dinner - amazing how cool old stone buildings are! Oddly everyone is tired tonight and heading off to bed early!

Comments:

1. Stephen HodgsonJune 15, 2025 at 7:50 PM

   Outstanding day. We got an early start so missed the worst of the heat. Best days cycling of the trip so far. Just lying here listening to the approaching storm, temperature is dropping which is nice. Been a great Father’s Day with nice messages from my now very grown up children and step daughter. Entered into the spirit of the day with an extra couple of Father’s Day beers with dinner 😁. Cheers. Lucky man.
   Ferry across the river towards the end of the day was interesting for an engineer….. the front of the ferry was fastened to a line which in turn was fastened to a pulley which ran on a cable stretched across the river. The process was to untie the ferry, put the helm over in the direction you wanted to go and the current does the rest. Very simple and effective. When you want to come back the other way helm goes over to the other side, brilliant.
   Tomorrow is only 40 miles so I think we will lie in bed until the rain stops 🤔, then make a run for it. Maybe the rain will wash off the dust from the bike. Started thinking about the “ultimate touring tandem”. To be included; couplers so you can put it on a plane, brooks saddles, touring tyres, Rohloff hub gears with belt drive (no messy chains, derailleurs etc), three brakes two of which are disc brakes … still more thinking needed. Maybe cup holders for coffee. 
   Still no sign of the Von Trapp family. Liz said they went to New York. Surely not.
2. 
   BrianJune 16, 2025 at 1:46 PM

   Sounds like a big mileage day...will make tomorrow a piece of cake. At least with cycling, you get a breeze in the heat. Doesn't make it less hot, but you can somehow convince your body it's cooler, right? :-)

   1. 
      KatherineJune 17, 2025 at 4:29 AM

      That does work well when you’re in the country and can get up a bit of speed. In the towns slowly making your way surrounded by hot pavement and concrete requires a more advanced approach - poor man’s air conditioning (wet shirts)!