In terms of finding a campsite I was limited how far north I was going to go. I couldn’t get as far as Vienna and the nearest campsite most northerly along the route was in Hartberg, only 60km away. So I had a slight dilemma. Do I cycle a short distance and have further to go to Vienna, or do I cycle as far as I can and find a hotel/hostel. The days ride would decide the outcome.
I was cycling through Graz on a Sunday. Perfect day for cycling through city centres. I think I was right not to spend a day here. It didn’t look like I was missing out on much. Every 100 metres I hit a set of traffic lights on red, then again round a bend. In the end I just starting going through them because there was nothing coming. I then hit my first hill. Really steep out of Graz, I was sweating and uncomfortable already.
At the top were more ups and downs and it was getting hotter by the minute. I’d only done 10km out of Graz and it felt like I’d been riding all day.
I got to Hartberg shattered. I checked the campsite out and it looking very welcoming. A friendly Austrian told me that it was too hot for cycling today and I should camp and get up early tomorrow. So that’s exactly what I decided to do. Spent the afternoon lying in the shade of a tree on my sleeping mat. I needed the rest!
This of course meant that I’d now be cycling tomorrow which should be my rest day. I figured that there would be more to do in Vienna on a rest day, so set my alarm for 6am and went to bed early.