Day 8 in bled!

... But not yet ready for. Bed.

Apologies for TW sparred postings. I've had some weird iPhone problems with the ninjas stealing all the Internet and email. Will posture detailed relies in time.

For now I can report we are finally in bled. Alll safe and sound. It's been very hot - 37 deg. 70 km today but that includes a small diversion some of us did this morning. We found a ski lift to take us up to a downhill track. Turned out to be rarely used unmaintained DH from hell! Even the chicken runs were scarcely rideable. Case in point. Chicken run included a north shore section at times elevated to 3 m with missing planks. Black route had NS section that ended in mid air on a banked turn! Eventually we took an escape route down. Some swims en route and finally a train section into town. It's absolutely beautiful here as it was in bovec where we spent the last 2 days. Yesterday afternoon want rafting down the Soca river. Very cool but we were to cocky and anventurous and a rescue emergency had to play it self out. Guide got a serious bollocking out from the boss man.

Anyway it's been another frat adventure and will post more soon.

Sent from my eye phone.

Days 3 - 5: epic, epic days.

Jeez. I dint know where to begin! Right now, Friday morning 10:00, we are on the train to arnoldstein in Austria in order to shorten today's stage a bit. 108 km yesterday; 2200 vertical m 11:47! We finished at 9:15 in total darkness. 2 monster passes but with ensuing singletrack descents that blew our minds.
We ate down to 8 as walter and Aileen have to gap it due to work and other pressures. I have also considered bailing as I have developed ITB and climbing is agony. But for now I'm just soldiering on slowly and working thru the pain barrier.

Will try send this soon as I get connection and post again tonight.

Sent from my eye phone.

Cathedral in bruneck

View over bruneck from schloss

Bruneck schloss

Day 2 - on the road again.

Boy it's great to back an finally on the trails! After a journey way too long and beset by obstacles I finally met up with the crowd today! Joy and hugs all round. Before I continue- errata; I mentioned last time that Mark Brossius was one of the players. Mistake, indeed he could not make it but Maria, Roald's considerably better half is here!

What i did:

Yesterday, train from Munich to bruneck with bike in box. They simply would not let assembled bikes on the train without a pre booking and there were no more bike spaces available. Bloody Germans. Also, the final part of yesterdays route was so hard I would not have had a hope in hell of making it in daylight. So I leapfrogged the others to the town of bruneck with a plan sparsely communicated via occasional connectivity at 11 am today at the bruneck schloss. So I found a small room (more of a cupboard Under a stair really) in a cheap hotel only 35 euro b&b - perfect. Assebled my bike and went for a ride around town and up to the schloss. Then back down and proceeded to get schlossed.
My plan was to post my bike box to bled this morning when the post office opened but to my utter dismay the entire Italy had ground to a halt due to it being the most religious public holiday of the year. What to do now. So I relied on my minimal charm and asked the lady at the hotel to courier my stuff to bled. The nice lady kindly agreed. If you visit bruneck please support the blitzburg hotel.
So I rode up to the schloss again and then followed the route in reverse hoping to meet up with the others. About 12 k along the heavens opened up and I took refuge in a bus shelter in a small village. It never stopped and then I got an SMS from Phil stating they were in bruneck. They took the main road when it started raining - that's how we bypassed one another. Continued in the pouring Rain to bruneck and met Them in a tratoria. So a few coffees and pizzas later we set off again, still in the rain. Getting colder also. Took an alternative easier route as the original route would have been a mudfest. Long hard climb nonetheless. Eventually the rain stopped and the sun came out - glorious. Arrived at fanushutte altitude 2100 m at 6:20. A great hot shower ( solar) a few magnificent beers and fantastic meal. No reception here but surprisingly a bit of wifi.

What I missed:

Apparently not much in the way of great riding but a very tough day yesterday with lots of portaging. Good thing to miss. 10 hr day apparently. Then some hike-a-bike down today. I hate that! But they are really raving about the hutte last night and the food and the chicks that hang out there. Although I strongly suspect they are making up that last bit.

What's lying ahead tomorrow:

A nasty little climb to kick off taking us to the grand canyon of Europe for some spectacular views then back past here for a gnarly downhill followed by a $&@" off climb of 1200 m in 8 km. Ouch. Then not to bad till the end; 80 k's total. Little chance of a report tomorrow.

Sent from my eye phone.

Day 1 plan B swings into action.

Finally arrived in Munich; 1 day and 1.5 hrs late. I'm presently on the train to somewhere in Italy where I change trains to somewhere else in Italy. I will overnight in the Bruneck youth hostel and meet the others en route at the Brunech schloss. Meanwhile the others are somewhere on top of an Alp. I would rather be there, but at least I'm not entirely out of the game.

Let me take this opportunity to introduce the other players. There are regulars aileen "psycho" Anderson, romantic counterpart Walter "bomber" brossius, brother mark "right stuff" brossius, cousin Koen the level headed one, "the lizard" Doyle and flame Iain, frank (the latter 2 are newcomers) and of course route maestro Roald Brossius.

Ok then. Till later. Let's see how this pans out.

Sailorboy, I can't see the blog of course. Please make sure it looks nice.

Sent from my eye phone.