Outline of our 2006 bicycle trip to Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria.

I’ve been asked to provide basic details of our forthcoming bicycling trip to Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria. The four main components of the trip are Bamberg, the annual hops festival held in Zatec (north of Prague), the Prague-Vienna Greenway ride, and Vienna.

Remember that the dates thus far established were selected for the benefit of the core cycling group, made up of myself, Bob Reed, Kevin Richards and Tim Eads. As has been the case during past trips, we sketch the outline, then fill in the details as we get closer to departure.

Consequently, I'm flying from Louisville on Sunday, August 27, into Frankfurt the following day, and back out from Frankfurt on Sept. 19 (a Tuesday). I intend to ship my bike as before, either in my hard shell case or in a bike box, reassemble upon arrival, and proceed immediately to Bamberg from Frankfurt by train (via Nurnberg, the fastest route, with trains leaving the station beneath the airport).

The others are planning to join me at some point on or after the 28th of August for all or part of the 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st in Bamberg. On Friday morning, Sept. 1, we’ll load up for a pre-arranged train trip to Prague, probably via Regensburg, which should put us in the Czech capital on Friday afternoon.

The current plan is to secure accommodations in the southern half of the city, near to where the Greenway begins, so as to make departure easier. On Saturday, Sept. 2, we’ll take the train to the city of Zatec, located northwest of Prague, and experience the annual hop fest (Zatec is a sister city of Poperinge, Belgium).

Biking can begin either on Sunday, Sept. 3, or the following day.

The Prague-Vienna Greenways is a 250 mile long network of hiking and biking trails between Prague and Vienna. Travelers can walk or bike between historic towns and villages, visit romantic castles, medieval churches and monasteries, discover old Jewish sites and savor some of the most picturesque countryside in Europe. The routes stretch along the Vltava River Valley in Southern Bohemia and the Dyje River Valley in Southern Moravia, the settings of numerous folk and music festivals.

We’ve yet to discuss objectives while traveling the Greenway itself, as visiting Ceske Buejovice or Cesky Krumlov would require a detour from the main path.

I’ll be meeting Diana in Vienna on the 9th or 10th.

The thing to remember is that our group itineraries generally are constructed in such a way that people can come and go depending on their own schedules. We’ll usually be a short distance from rail lines, allowing riders to depart (and join, if we know where we’ll be on a given night and can plan accordingly).

We might decide to devote one less day to Bamberg and arrive in Prague a day earlier. Or not. The plan will develop as the year rolls past.

We’ll be carrying our clothes and belongings in panniers. If you’ve not done this before, it’s not as hard as it sounds to pack lightly.

As for difficulty, Tim and I are guessing that the countryside should be more difficult than Flanders and the 2003 riverside trip from Frankfurt to Vienna, but less intense than the Ardennes in 2004. There will be gravel and some rough patches, more so than in the past, so consider tires accordingly.

In terms of a budget, Germany and Austria will be more expensive, but the Czech Republic less so. My guesstimate would be $125 per day in Bamberg and Austria, and perhaps 30% less in the Czech lands. This does not include airfare, train fare and souvenir glassware, if any (there’s nowhere to put it in packed panniers).

Questions and comments are appreciated.