Passau (Germany) to Linz (Austria)

June 19th
103km (593m vertical)

No real news on Neil. Amandene (the trip nurse), Theresa and Shanny (Tour Leaders) visited him in the hospital this morning. Apparently he had been sedated to control is pain, so he was not conscious. He made it through the night, which was supposed to be the most risky time, so hopefully he is going to be ok. They left him a camp chair that we had all signed. I think that one of his relatives is coming over to be with him and take him home.

Beautiful ride today alone the Danube Cyclepath. This is the touristy part of the path, since it is so scenic. Thankfully it is still early in the season, so the path was not busy. Leaving Passau, we entered Austria. Again the border was nothing more than a stone marker in the ground.

As soon as we entered Austria, the sun came out and it was hot. The first really hot sunny day of the trip. The scenery was similar to previous days, but on a larger scale: the river was wider, the tree-covered mountains on either side were taller, and the cyclepath was directly beside the river for most of the day.

Nicole's wheel had been making strange noises for a few days, so she traded it for Shanny's (Tour Leader) at the lunch stop. Olivier (trip mechanic) took apart the hub and found that there were several broken ball bearings and some rust. She'll have to get a new wheel tomorrow.

Small campsite tonight, so the tents are pretty close together. There's free wi-fi though, and a power outlet for my laptop, so I'm happy. They've put up a sign warning us about Austrian ticks, and I've been feeling a bit itchy ever since.