If you suspect that yesterday I was exaggerating the extend of the cold air, then have a look at this picture I took this morning:
I have a late start due to the low temperature. When I set out at 0930 it still is only five degrees. However, I am wearing my cold weather kit consisting of neoprene over-boots, extra jumper, thick socks and double jacket inner liners. The heated grips and the egg boiler are also working at full blast, so the cold remains bearable. It takes until after noon before the temperature reaches double digits. I find it rather hard to believe that just three days ago I was suffering from heat exhaustion at over 30 degrees.
It should be understandable that I pick a route northwards through the Alps that keeps to as low an altitude as possible - at no stage do I exceed 1300 metres. Here is an impression of the countryside I am biking through - Carinthia, Styria and finally Lower Austria:
The day ends after another 400 km near the town of Zwettl.
The "roaming" I am doing at the moment simply means that I am planning the route for the day in the morning based on the weather. And that weather has most definitely improved if compared to yesterday; instead of 5 degrees it is 13 degrees this morning. I decide on the spot to have a look at some of the Austrian "Quarters"; Lower Austria contains the Forest Quarter, the Wine Quarter and the Most Quarter, while neighbouring Upper Austria features the Mill Quarter and the Inn Quarter. All these quarters have one thing in common; they are sparsely populated, unknown to most tourists (the tourists want to go to the high mountains, which do not exist in the quarters) and excellent for motorbiking. Here are a few impressions of today's ride:
Obernberg in the above image is on the border to Germany - I am in Bavaria now. After 350 exquisite kilometres I call it a day at the town of Aldersbach.
When I am asked about my opinion of Swiss motorbikers, my answer usually depends on the number of Swiss people who believe that they are motorbikers around me. If this number is significant, then my answer to that question is usually "No comment". If none or only a few such Swiss people are present, my answer to that question usually is "there aren't any". Now why is that, you may ask?
Well, here are some facts that might shed some light on my low opinion of Swiss bikers; there are currently about 730000 motorbikes registered in Switzerland. Not bad for a country of just over 9 million people. However, the last Swiss plated bike I saw was in Austria - 12 days ago on my way out. Today I am just riding those remaining 450 km back to Switzerland, and yes, I see the first Swiss plated bike in 12 days; near Lindau, 20 km before reaching the Swiss border. Once back inside Switzerland however, the roads are suddenly full of Swiss bikes.
So those 730000 bikes are driven by about two dozen real bikers, and 729976 people who only believe that they are bikers. I personally call these 729976 Swiss wannabe bikers the "polishers", as their main occupation regarding their motorbikes is to keep them in absolute mint condition, without a spec of dirt - and only ride them for about 2000 km per year.
My dirt-splattered, dusty Marsupilami Mark II with its insect-corpse covered windscreen certainly raises attention from those Swiss bikers. No, not what you think; not "hey, look, a long distance biker", but instead "hey, why can't that guy clean his filthy motorbike - how un-Swiss!".
I ignore those critical looks at my bike. Alas, other than the Marsupilami Mark I it has shown that it can handle a proper long distance ride. By 1700 hours I am back at my place and realise: my 2018 vacation is over.
Below is the usual map with my GPS tracklog.