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DEALER
Day 1
Duration: 4h 47m // Distance: 74.3km // Average speed: 15.5km/h // Elevation gain: 680m
Slovenia’s breathtaking landscapes make the country a popular destination for hikers, bikepackers and nature lovers from across the globe. Valentin’s plan was to spend four days in Triglav National Park exploring the surroundings with our colleague Roman, who was due to join him later. But first, Valentin had to get there.
The journey began one August morning in Marktredwitz, Bavaria. Just minutes after setting off though, Valentin was caught off guard by a downpour – what was to be the first of many. The persistent Petar weather front would turn out to be a very disagreeable travel companion over the coming days. Like it or not, after two kilometres Valentin was forced to take shelter from the pouring rain for an hour. Once the rain had slowed to a constant drizzle, he jumped back on his bike, heading first towards Wiesau before hitting the gravel tracks of the Waldnaab valley along the river to Weiden. An absolutely idyllic slice of nature, even in the rain. After a much-needed refreshment stop in Neuhaus, Valentin was ready to tackle the last 25km of his route for the day.
Base for the night was a tent pitch on a small field next a lovely restaurant in the village of Schnaittenbach. Valentin had been very deliberate about his choice of tent, willingly trading a higher price for low weight and a small pack size. A quick shower and wash of his cycling clothes later, Valentin headed into the village to buy breakfast for the next day and find somewhere to eat. In a local restaurant, happy to finally be sitting somewhere with a proper backrest, Valentin processed the day’s events over a white wine spritzer. Then, after a quick check of the weather forecast and some fine-tuning of tomorrow's route, he hit the sack. Rain expected until 9am.
Daily spend:
- Camp site €10
- Evening meal €18
- Supermarket €10
Day 2
Duration: 4h 01m // Distance: 63.1km // Average speed: 15.7km/h // Elevation gain: 440m
Day two began as predicted with rain. After a breakfast of a cheese sandwich, Valentin put his power bank on to charge while he brushed his teeth. Then it was onto drying off the tent as best he could, before packing everything up and onto the bike. Attempting to reorganise all his stuff, Valentin soon realised that the sleeping bag wouldn't quite fit into the saddle pack. So everything had to come back out and it was back to square one: First the stove and pan went into the PACK PRO 15 bar bag followed by his sleeping bag and then clothes stuffed into the remaining space. Soap and toothpaste filled the last tiny gaps. Thankfully Valentin had done a dry run with all of his bags prior to setting off. With a packing list to hand, he had checked there was room for everything, that the weight was distributed evenly, and that the bags stayed put.
With his electronic items packed in the top tube bag and everything else in the saddle pack, it was time to start pedalling for the day and put some clear air between him and Petar. After a small diversion due to a closed railway crossing, Valentin was back on the route. A strong tailwind pushed him over some incredible cycle paths and past a picturesque wooden bridge to the final climb of the day. But with the gradient hitting 15 percent, it was easier to get off and push. On reaching the camp site, it turned out to be closed for the day. Valentin spent half an hour trying to find shelter from the rain before cycling to the nearest camp site on the shores of Lake Hammersee. Just enough time to put up his tent, have a shower and find something to eat.
Daily spend:
- Camp site €17.50
- Coffee €3
- Evening meal €24
Day 3
Duration: 6h 04m // Distance: 91.1km // Average speed: 15km/h // Elevation gain: 1,150m
Get up, brush teeth, pack tent, repeat. Day three dawned with good weather and Valentin was soon on his way towards Vietach. After just 52km and already at the camp site, he decided to scrap his plans to stay in Perlbach near Rattenberg and kept on pedalling. 35km and 400 vertical metres later he arrived at a small camp site near Deggendorf on the Donau river. It turned out to be a hub for several cycle routes and a meeting place for bike fans from across Europe and the globe. With a short night ahead and an early start in the morning, Valentin headed to bed early.
Daily spend:
- Breakfast €11.90
- Batteries €3
- Espresso and a pastry €4.40
- Evening meal €24
Day 4
Duration: 5h 48m // Distance: 96.7km // Average speed: 16.7km/h // Elevation gain: 340m
Valentin was back in the saddle and cruising along the Donau cycle route by 6am the next morning. His plan was to make the most of the window of good weather and avoid the rain. Petar was once again hot on his heels. After 60km Valentin reached Passau. Away from the crowds of tourists, he found a small cafe where he could replenish his water supplies and enjoy the backdrop of the old town over the best espresso he’d ever tasted. His route then took him along the Inn river via a beautiful but in places steep forest track and then along a wall that ran for miles. Arriving in Egglfing am Inn, Valentin took the opportunity to chill after a strenuous day with a relaxing evening in the camp site spa.
Daily spend:
- Breakfast €15.70
- Camp site €30
- Supermarket €10.30
Day 5
Duration: 4h 46m // Distance: 75.2km // Average speed: 15km/h // Elevation gain: 770m
Day five started with great weather and another espresso. After just 10 minutes of pedalling, Valentin crossed the Austrian border. A steep climb up the R6 cycle route was rewarded with a descent – and lunch was the first of many Wiener schnitzels with traditional lingonberry sauce. After lunch and two more shorter climbs, Valentin caught his first glimpse of the Alps and Lake Attersee. His initial camp site turned out to be another disaster. But luckily some friendly campers were able to point him to another site that was even nicer and had direct access to the lake. Valentin pitched his tent beneath a walnut tree and spent the rest of the day swimming and sunbathing.
Daily spend:
- Lunch €17
- Supermarket €13.34
Day 6
Caught by the Petar weather front. No cycling today. Instead, Valentin used the time for some bike maintenance and spent much of the day in his tent, sheltering from the rain. What first appeared to be just bad luck turned out later to be yet another bad omen.
Daily spend:
- Bread and butter €2.40
- Supermarket lunch €7.82
- Pint of wine spritzer €8
- Wine, peppers, chocolate €10.06
Day 7
Duration: 2h 27m // Distance: 41.3km // Average speed: 16.9km/h // Elevation gain: 270m
Valentin headed out on day seven for what ended up being the last stage of his westbound tour. Cycling along the lovely Lake Mondsee through a tunnel for cyclists and pedestrians, Valentin arrived at his destination of Salzburg by 11.30am. After exploring the town and doing some sightseeing, he then headed to his hotel. With the bike parked up safely and his washing done, Valentin spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in his room before being joined in the evening by our colleague Roman for the start of their joint adventure. The plan was to continue cycling to Slovenia together.
Daily spend:
- Hotel €30.20
- Coffee and cake €7.70
- Washing €4.50
- Coffee €2
- Evening meal €18
- Hotel bar €7.70
Day 8
Cancelled the planned tour
Today was supposed to be the first day of their onward journey together, but after seeing the reports of extreme weather conditions and flooding in Slovenia and Austria, Valentin and Roman conceded defeat to Petar, cut short their tour and headed home.
Valentin's bikepacking accessories
