04:40 – Turns out getting the bike on the plane was the easiest part of the trip so far. Checked in and waiting to go. Managed to sneak in a 45minute nap on the train that made all the difference.
11:15 – Bike is off the plane, in one piece, and assembled thanks to the helpful guys at the Munich Airport Service Center. He even offered to take my box in to give to someone else in need one day! The train journey to the start point of Donauworth is going to take a few hours, but the German efficiency seems to be making this very straightforward so far!
13:29 – So this train journey to Donauworth is painfully slow…
14:10 – Arrived at the hotel – that 2.7km climb was surprisingly difficult considering what’s ahead, but it probably doesn’t help that I haven’t slept. The hotel is awesome – no staff at all, the entire thing is automated, which is great since I snuck my bike into the room 😉
20:07 – it seems Donauworth is quite a small town. Despite Oktoberfest happening at the moment, and it being a Saturday evening, it’s literally deserted! Time to sleep.

Day 2 (Sunday 11/10/2015) – Distance: 102km

6:45 – ok so getting up at 6:45 for an early start wasn’t the best idea because it’s pitch black outside. Going to wait it out for sunrise. Looking forward to leaving the hotel and starting with a 2.5 km downhill track including about 5 staircases ;D
10:14 – I’m in a German pub about 52km into the route. It’s 10am and everyone here is drinking pint after pint of beer! The first 30km were incredibly easy on smooth, flat road. The next 10 were along an isolated and tiring gravel path through a forest and following the river, with dog walkers, joggers and horse riders. Need to buy warmer shoes though as literally can’t feel my feet! I’m now just above Augsburg, so making pretty good time. I also just got laughed at for asking for Wifi by a large very German man… I’ll go hide now.
10:30 – I stand corrected… It’s a Biergarten not a pub!
19:56 – not many updates today as I’ve been too tired! Plus I met up with Tomas around 1:15pm in Untermeitingen which kept me busy the rest of the day! It wasn’t easy. 107km or so give or take (who knows what the GPS is thinking). He was far too fresh, not to mention on a racing bike, so keeping up was a challenge! The riding was mostly flat, along farmland and rivers. I had my first meal since Friday lunchtime today (24 hrs – not a good idea when you’re cycling!). It was pasta (of course) and literally felt like the best thing ever. The entire morning leading up consisted of carefully rationed Powerade, cereal bars and some chocolate. Being a Sunday in rural Germany, everything was closed! We’re now staying in Landsberg am Lech for the night – airbnb is a wonderful thing. Great little place in the city centre, and the host has been very friendly and helpful.

Day 3 (Monday 12/10/2015) – Distance 99km

7:38am – it seems I overslept. I feel surprisingly ok though – a bit of pain but nothing unusual. Tomas is already up and ready to roll. We’re passing by a supermarket first to buy some snacks since they proved pretty essential yesterday.
18:21 – we have arrived in Reutte, Austria! First blue sky we have seen all trip, and it was worth it! Amazing scenery, and very motivating considering how tired we were by this point. About 92km covered today, which is OK given the more hilly roads we had to do. Cycling in Austria has been pretty amazing so far. We’re going to go find somewhere to eat and explore the town in a sec. On a down note, the weather is forecast to rain non stop from tomorrow morning, so it’s going to be a wet, cold climb tomorrow. Not looking forward to it!!! But I hear Italy is still sunny 😉

11:28 – we are in hotel My Tirol – which is actually very nice. And warm. We are on the Fernpass road. It’s been raining all day, and pretty damn cold (despite wearing 4 layers!). It’s not looking good… The cut off time for making the pass is recommended as 12 noon, and we’re now just working out whether we have the energy to even attempt it.
17:55 – on the train to Zurich from Imst. Despite the incessant rain we made it over the Fernpass (our first, ever, alpine crossing). It was a pretty relentless climb, but with some incredible views and an awesome descent to Imst. It’s a real shame this trip is cut short but the weather just didn’t make continuing possible. Next year (summer) we’ll resume! Everyone is invited to join!

Despite having to back out, it was an incredible few days and I would definitely do it again. The rest of the route must be incredible, and can’t wait to get back out there next year!