Aschach to Mauthausen

It was a bit of a funny day today. For the most part, the riding was pretty easy and we enjoyed long bitumen sections running along the dykes on the bank of the river. It's certainly infrastructure to make any cyclist green with envy, and in addition to the many bikepackers, we saw a bunch of locals out on "more serious" bikes, and dressed in the familiar lycra uniforms.

The scenery was perhaps not so spectacular as it has been to date, and there are fewer photos as a result. We have started to become quite picky (others might say spoiled...).

Morning tea saw us in Linz, where we pulled up in the main square for an iced coffee. The Austrians certainly know their way around cold drinks and they were much appreciated on the hottest day of the trip so far - it apparently reached 32 degrees. Australian readers will be amused to note that there are warnings on the weather websites about heatstroke risk.

On our way out of Linz we passed through a heavy industrial area, the least pretty of the sights we have been treated to so far. In an effort to keep off the busiest roads, we took the back way into Mauthausen and stopped for lunch in the town centre -we had some time to kill as check in wasn't open at our hotel until 2pm.

Rolling another kilometer up the road after lunch saw us safely arrived at the hotel, which also has a beer garden with a pool. After rinsing off, we duly made use of the pool before said beer garden opened.

Dinner was magnificent, essentially a home cooked meal with the feel of being in a friend's backyard. We were inspired enough to order dessert, and in a display of unexpected restraint ordered only one to share between the three of us. Just as well - it was huge! An early night will follow tonight, as we are all a bit tired after 8 continuous days of riding. Happily, we have another relatively short day tomorrow, which promises to be a little cooler as well.

Relive 'Danube day 8'