08-2016 Cycling to St. Jean Pied de Port

2016 was a year of cycling. My total mileage was 5.600 km and 42.700 m uphill.
It started in March with the Cape Town ARGUS Cycling Race which I had accomplished about 8 times before.
Next came to substantiate a long standing dream end of 2015 to cycle to Rome. We trained hard for it and did it in June.
Cycling with a touring bike and a tent is most enjoyable and gives a great sense of freedom.
To cycle to the Lake of Neusiedlersee in the East of Austria was the proof of the pudding in July.
The cherry on the top the was one my greatest adventures so far.
To cycle from Haag in Austria to the French Pyrenees to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the starting point of the Camino Francais.
Cycling: 1.500 km / 6.500 m uphill in 11 days
Walking: 850 km to Santiago de Compostella and Finesterre in 33 days.

02.08.2016 Cycling to French Pyrenees (Saint Jean Pied de Port)

The sad part of this story is that I did not reach Saint Jean Pied de Port because my Pinarello was stolen in Carcassone. Part of it was fun as I slept at the Police Station in a cell, because the place was 100% booked. So I carried on by train to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I was left with my wallet and my iPhone. All my luggage and the Passport were gone. Much more to tell some other time…

From Carcassone I took the train to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port via Toulouse, Lourdes and Bayonne. All went smooth although I did not speak a word of French.
After I finished the Camino Francais I took a rental car to travel to Santander and Madrid. From there it was by train again to Barcelona, where I met Ingrid. By train we reached Carcassone to fetch my Pinarello, which the Police had found soon. Train to Toulouse and air travel with Brussels Airways to Vienna including the bike. It is all about Logistics…