Kitzbuhel

Just back from a week's mountain biking in Austria - apologies for no blogging but I still haven't persuaded my mobile phone to talk to my blog account & I didn't fancy spending holiday in internet cafe!

Husband & I stayed in a basic hotel in Kitzbuhel with mountain bikes & guiding supplied by Mountain Edge - v.impressed! We had new Kona hardtail Hoss bikes, beautifully maintained for the week and I can't believe I wasn't saddle sore despite having a bloke's saddle. Loads of rides withing striking distance of the town so that we only got into a car once (to get to an evening meal arranged in a nearby town). Other than bikes, the transport we used most were the Gondolas which transported us + bikes up mountains.

Beautiful scenery, and the weather improved from showery to glorious sunshine over the week.

We could have occupied ourselves well without the guiding - more than enough well mapped, signed tracks. However, Rob knew all the good bits of singletrack that aren't on the maps. He was also able to give us advance warning of barbed wire barriers, gates & stiles as well advice on good lines to take! The singletracks were terrifying - much steeper than almost all we'd done in Wales - and I walked many. However, I was pleased that by the end of the week, I was able to do one bit that was frustrating me (steep but easy slope that had a much too convenient gravel track chicken alternative!) thanks to encouragement from Rob. Husband did really well, only coming off once & riding bits that I'd written off as unridable!

Company was good too - included an Australian who's teaching PE in Slough, a Swedish student, Rob's fiancee, and a 13 year old Russian kid. Had some good food - especially in the alpine huts we had lunch in. Discovered that schnapps solves everything and that Austrian cider (Most) isn't as good as Austrian beer. In addition to riding, we did a little swimming as the lift pass included free entry to town's Aquarena which had a good 25m pool and epilepsy inducing waterslides (dark bits with flashy disco lights - surreal!).

No mishaps apart from Husband not feeling well enough to cycle on Friday.

My souvenir is tanned arms and white hands, courtesy of my gloves... also feeling quite pleased that my fitness levels are up to 6 days of riding and that I was able to ride up all of a particularly cruel ascent on the last day (going from 1670m up to 1938m to Pengelstein).