Salzburg to Bishofshofen: a short stage, gradually uphill with two short climbs Yes, it was “off we go” but in fact the others left ahead of me because of the repairs needed on my bike. We’ve not been staying close to one another so the only one I got to see head off was Di, who was meeting up with the others at a pre-arranged spot just over 2 kilometres from the hotel  where Di and I have been staying.  Before I left I had a little business with a bike shop. While I was waiting to speak with the mechanic I did a bit of browsing and quite liked this little display: a bike frame surrounded by bikepacking equipment. As it turned out I DID NOT NEED A NEW GEAR SHIFTER !! The mechanic was very experienced and had used and worked on my type of group set and seen this problem before: Ekar - the world’s first 13 speed group set , designed especially for gravel - just doesn’t work well with chain waxing , which has become a big thing lately but remains divisive. It has become pop...

We’re off on a new adventure ... Our cycling loop starts and finishes in Salzburg travelling in a clockwise direction ... and yes, we ARE excited! 😁 We’ve even been practising with our new bikepacking gear: On the last day of a three day loop in northeastern Tasmania Di riding with the new Tailfin rack and bag We probably won't see anything quite like this crossing the road in central Europe … Bikes parked at the Purple Possum Cafe in St Marys "Sooo ... what is this 'flashpacking' caper?", I hear some of you ask. Well, it's the lightweight version of bike packing or bike touring, where you carry the least amount of stuff you can get away with. No camping or cooking gear. As few changes of clothing as you feel comfortable with. A credit card to pay for stuff with. That's about it. For much of our journey we’ll be travelling with our friends Tony, Jane, Michael and Louise. Jane (with whom I share a birthday! 😁) is Michael’s younger sister. We met both coup...