I leave my sleeping place at sunrise. Because I've now slept outside for 3 nights in a row, my powerbanks are empty. So I head straight to a bakery to recharge everything. It feels strange to drink a coffee and eat two chocolate croissants in comfort. Am I still in a race? Normally you try to minimize the time at every stop, but now I'm forced to wait for the charged powerbanks. I can't really enjoy it. After 45 minutes, I continue with half-charged batteries.
During the day, I ride through rural areas of Bavaria. The further south I go, the more beautiful it gets. Near Waging am See, I meet a dotwatcher who's really enthusiastic about the race, but he doesn’t quite seem to know the rules yet. He had offered bars and water to the rider ahead of me and now wants to show me the fastest route around the lake. It’s tricky to explain to him politely that it’s not allowed, and I need to stick to my own route.
On day three, I try again to book a hotel for the night, but it's even harder than the day before. I expect to be deep in the Alps by evening, but all I can find are wellness hotels. I make a few calls, but either check-in is only until 18:00 pm, or the rooms are over 200 euros – Both is no option for me. So, I stock up on supplies in Salzburg, thinking I'll figure out somewhere to sleep later. But then another problem is on the horizon: A twinge in my knee that I've had for the past few days has now turned into real pain. I’m seriously worried.
As the sun sets, I ride into the Alps. It’s getting lonely, with just a few small villages around. At a gas station, I take a break, and Heike overtakes me. It’s the first time I’ve seen her since the start in Roubaix. Suddenly, I realize I’ve forgotten my sunglasses. I ride back down the mountain, and luckily, they are still there.
There are two major passes to cross in the Alps. I decide to cross the Tauern Pass tonight. It’s over 1500 meters high, but at least the weather’s good. Riding through the Alps at night feels almost magical. The descent from Obertauern is freezing, and I’m wearing everything I have. My whole body is cold, and I try to find a place to sleep as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there’s already a rider at the first bus stop. There’s enough space for both of us, but I’m unsure about the rules, so I continue down into the valley.
Around 1:30 am, I find a free bus stop in Mauterndorf. I'm so cold that I just jump into the sleeping bag with everything I've got on. Somehow it's a great and stupid idea at the same time to ride over the Alps at night.
distance // 318 km
elevation // 2.971 m
moving time // 15:30 h
break time // 3:54 h
sleep duration night before // 4:00 h
location // bivouac
highlight // Crossing the Alps at night
problems // none
The entire route is compiled in a collection on Komoot. You can also find the individual stages of the race on Strava!
Komoot: Joschka Völkel Strava: Joschka Völkel Instagram: @joschka_voelkel
by Reasonable-Cup-5324