Weeks ago, Renate invited us, to participate in the “seasons end” tour of the ZV of the Austrian automobile- and bike sport club.
The plan was to take a tour starting in Pressbaum, at 9.30 Uhr and overall tour lenght of 260 km
Route:
Preßbaum – Klausen-Leopoldsdorf – Alland – Weißenbach – Pottenstein – Auf dem Hals – Pernitz – Gutenstein – Klostertaler Gscheid – Höllental – Reichenau – Preiner Gscheid – Kapellen – Neuberg/Mürz (approx. 140 km)
Lunch
Mürzsteg – Lahnsattel – Terz – Gscheid – Kernhof – St. Aegyd a.N. – Ochsattel – Kalte Kuchl – Kleinzell – Hainfeld – Laaben – Altlengbach – Eichgraben – Preßbaum (approx. 120 km)
Ok, lets go:
Out of WIMA, Renate, Anneliese, Sue and Chris participated .
We all met at the the meeting point
First surprise: All guys from the ZV are old, I mean really old…
Some of them choose scooters instead of motorbikes, as the are no longer able to lift her leg over a motorbike seat. OMG, I hope its not some kind of joke? 🙁
Renate ist already there, and now Anneliese joins too. But she didn’t bring good news: The petrol lock of Sue’s Versys is blocked in some way ond resist opening.
So, she decided to return home, to switch to her other bike, to intercept us on route.
We were discussing to put our rain gear on immediately , as the weather report shows: max. 17° and temporary rain showers, and, the sky didn’t looked promising: ->
But we decide otherwise and start our tour.
And, surprise!, the “old” guys are really fast on the road. Despite the rain wet road they managed to keep a fast and steady pace.
What a pleasant surprise! :-0
Thats, how we traveled along our southbound route. the most part without rain, ists only after gutenstein, as rain starts to drop, but we arrive at Kaiserbrunn still dry.
Then the rain starts to fall heavy, but we are already in the inn. 🙂
But the rain didn’t stop, so we decide to have our lunch there too. 🙁
But, there is a slight problem, Sue expects us elswere for Lunch so we have to conntact her, but, worst case, no mobile network here!!!
So, we use the fixed line from the inn, to contact her mobile box to leave a message there, and only 30 min later she calls back – from Frein, the supposed lunch place. “Only” 50 km away. :-/
We decide to meet in Gloggnitz, as our men, only want to get on the highway to escape the steady rain as fast as possible.
So, only Anneliese, Michael und I are staying.
We wait at a cafe, and Sue arrives only 10 mins later.
We pleasantly chat fore SOME while and decide to head back through the mountains and not by highway.
The first part of the route is the same, but after Schwarzau we drive – Ramsau – Laaben – Eichgraben back to home.
But fortune turns again:
Sue’s Freewind has no power at all, so a max speed of 60 to 70 km/h, depending on road incline/decline are possible. It lasts a good hour until we find a fix to it and Sue is back to -almost – normal speed again ….
Since our leave in Gloggnitz emperature has dropped to 10°- and the rain still falls heavely (temporary rain showers – what a joke 🙁 ) and we only very slowly closing in to our target: home, where warmth and dryness waits…. .
At least my heated handguards are a slight comfort, but since Laaben the wet creeps into the insides of my trousers, brrrr…..
Close to our destination we loose Michael and Sue out of sight, so Anneliese und I drive together until Purkersdorf, were we too part.
Still, a nice experience, new roads, new guys, BUT now, a very hot bath! 😉