Day4, Passau - Wallersdorf; July 22, 2003 (Tuesday)

I am writing with the delay. So far it was the hardest day. They say that 3rd or 4th day is critical. They also say that once you get through this crisis, you should be all right.

So in Bavaria I was :) Left Passau early (as usual), always wanted to make as many kilometers as possiblie before the heat starts pouring from the sky. Very sunny day, you could have already said it would be hot later on.

While still in Passau, had a quick look around the river port. Lots of ships, and lots of bikers :-) Passau is the main starting point for 99% of bicycle tours. Anyway, very nice place.

For my breakfast restaurant I chose one of the petrol stations I found on my way (I will be doing it quite often also later on). Besides food I was also able to buy bicycle map of the region, actually all the way to Regensburg. The map was strange but that was better than something. Later, much later, I was buying different maps, and none of them were any good. Perhaps in Germany people learn how to read them differently.

I tried to follow the "map" and ended up on a bloody Bundesstrasse with two lanes in both directions! Traffic and the noise. I felt that something was wrong and stopped somewhere to ask for where the hell I was. I left Passau all right, but somehow missed another dam and was on the wrong side of the river. End of the story was that I had to go back maybe 10 km.

Found the dam/bridge and crossed the Danube. Finally.

HOT!

Back on the "proper" bicycle route. Huge difference in road quality. In Austria 90% was asphalt, here I hit gravel. Much more difficult - rolling resistance, plus I had neat slick tyres and was worried that I would have another problem with the tube. I had it later but for different reason.

So I kept pushing and pushing. On 25th km I feel that I have to stop. Unbearable heat, no shadow and I cought a flat. No puncture, the tube blew on the inside (2nd time). It was new tube. Everything because of the heat. Under the sun it must have been close to 40, and in the middle of the day asphalt was boling. If I add myself and panniers to it, the result was a flat.

No choice. Unpack, get the tools and to work.

40th something km, I pass small airfield (Vilshofen). Small plane (Cessna like) was on final approach, unfortunatelly by the time I stopped, got out my camera it was on the ground.

Few minutes later I was on that bridge. Up to that point I was riding along the river, no had abandon it. Danube here heads more north than west, and I wanted to make another shortcut. I will see Danube again in Regensburg.

Next hours fields, fields, and fields and sun, and .... second flat tyre in one day. Same reason - heat. This time at least I was 500m before small town Ramsdorf...

so I pushed my bicycle to the nearest shadow and again (already depressed) started to unpack... 3 cars stopped (one of them was police car) and people offered help. A guy living in a house near by came up and gave me water, and later let me wash.

18 km later I reach Wallersdorf. You can forget camping in this area. There was nothing but fields. Well, tonight I will sleep like a king at least - local Gasthaus, in normal bed. (€30)

Got the room, nice dinner - that's a must after such a crazy day plus few beers in order to refill lost calories and liquid :)

Start to feel the legs, especially right knee and right hamstring. I think tomorrow I have to take it easy. (Should have practiced more before the trip...) Started to reconsider the route....