Anxious hours before the start

The dead hours before setting off on another bike adventure. Starting with a train journey, means leaving home at a fixed time.  Waiting time.

The mind is in turmoil. Have we remembered everything? Will it all fit in the panniers? Will I manage this load for three weeks? 

Although the Austrian train service is organised for cyclists, we will have to find the right carriage. Unload the bags. Heave the bikes into the train – with luggage mine weighs nearly 30 kg. Hang them in the allotted spaces. Find seats nearby. The trains only stop for one minute.

Why take a train? It would take us five-days to ride this section, most of which we've covered before, some of it many times. More time to cover new territory.

As for the journey ahead: we start from a city station in Italy – how on earth will we find our way out of town? The weather isn’t looking too good. Is it going to be exciting or tedious? It is, after all, generally flat. Are we going to find good places to stay? Is it really going to be an adventure?

It’s nearly time to go. Load the bikes, water bottles, panniers. Maps, tickets, money, camera. Final checks.

Leg over, into the saddle and the turmoil clears. It’s just us, the bikes and the road ahead. No commitments, no worries – they’re all behind us. Adventure ahead. Watch this space.

No need to worry about hills on the route from Venice Mestre station to Jesolo