Today I passed a personal milestone in riding beyond any eastern border in a single trip and onwards towards Kecskemet and Budapest in a north eastern arc – I did some language research before I left and learnt this phrase “Moje vznášadlo je plné úhorov” which as you know means “My hovercraft is full of eels” – useful phase book guidance can be found here…
Riding the Grossglockner enthused me to try the Nockalmstrasse in the pouring rain… this is a ‘lower alpine pass’ which turned out to be a good move as it was a quieter yet much more technical ride and apart from the usual cattle and horse hazards new ones on me were little tubby Marmots and these youngsters oblivious to the traffic…
Riding off the main highway today around the back roads on the Slovenia / Italian border I came across an abandoned fortification which was once part of the great Alpine Wall. This fortification was built in the lead up to WWII at the order of Benito Mussolini to protect Italy from her neighbhours the defences comprises two central areas with bunkhouses and kitchens and two opposing circular machine gun posts with metal fixings for heavy machine guns giving a possible almost circular field of fire. Although the main doors had been removed to this Type A Zone of Resistance fortification I could clearly envisage the determination required to get through the two blast doors and the meters of reinforced concrete.
Rode the infamous Grossglockner today. Well when I say I rode it, I entered the park just after 9 and then for the next eight hours I rode a bit, hopped off the bike to take some photographs then rode on a bit more only to stop and repeat the process all over again and when I reached the end I just turned round and did it all again. It was breathtaking, possibly the best mountain pass I have ridden to-date – not to crowded but cold (2.4 degrees at 2548 meters high). Met some great folks including a team riding some very old machines at a sedately pace to the summit and the ‘rally for heroes‘ teams who were driving the pass having come from Kehlsteinhaus – the erosion of the Pasterze Glacier is startling what ever the cause.
