60 miles ridden – 177m climbed – temperature 29C (22C at start, maximum 34C).

It was obvious first thing this morning that we were going to have a much hotter day than we had enjoyed for most of this week but the lighter breeze was much more cooling than some expected. Not me – living in Suffolk I know all about side/head winds!! It was a beautiful days riding although the mix of both excitement and wistfulness that we are nearly at the end of our journey featured throughout the day.

It was a pretty swift 18 miles along the river valley before we stopped at a cafe for morning tea which turned out to be a real treat as they had excellent apple strudel. Spirits were high.

We had a few diversions around dams, locks, and unattractive industrial areas like Krems but went through a number of attractive little towns and villages like Dürnstein but as we got nearer to Vienna the river got wider and and the consistency of riverside cycle path improved.

We regrouped about 8 miles out and split into two slower moving groups to ensure a successful navigation into Heldenplatz (Heroes Square) in central Vienna. My regular riding companion Neil and I joined the faster riders and we actually achieved a fair pace in our peloton until we left the river and the cityscape required a slower more hazard aware pace. Then we arrived to a champagne welcome from our guides Tony, Geraint and James.

Great route, great people, great fun!! We made it!!! 757 miles from Kirsch-Longuich to Vienna. Brilliant ride – now I need to plan the next one!

Epilogue and tour summary will follow……