After a long break from cycling, I get my bike out of the garage again. It’s been over six months since my last ride. I fancy a bit of a change, not just walking and running, but cycling again. Checking the air in the tyres, pumping them up and the ride can begin.
The chosen route is almost on my doorstep, just on the opposite bank of the Danube. The short journey time makes it particularly attractive for me, as I don’t have much time left until sunset. A hike with a longer journey time is therefore out of the question. The weather services are also predicting unsettled weather for this afternoon. I’m more likely to find a shelter in the forest when it’s raining, and I can reach one more quickly by bike. So I cycle the short distance to Persenbeug, where the Kaiser route starts.
First, the Kaiser route is excellently signposted and there are large signs at every road fork that can be recognised from afar. The Kaiser route is also not the only mountain bike route in this region. There are the Sulzberg route and the Granittrail, which leads from Gmünd on the Czech border over 150 kilometres southwards to the Danube in Persenbeug right through the Waldviertel. A tour like this would also be worth considering in the future.
Over forest and fields to Hofamt Priel#
The circuit of the Kaiser route starts at the main square in Persenbeug. From there, I briefly cross the federal road. It’s only about 100 metres on this busy road before I turn right and immediately find myself on the first short climb of this loop. Initially on tarmac, the route continues on gravel into the forest and over a dirt track, where the ascent flattens out again. On the slight hill, I immediately enjoy the panoramic views over Ybbs and Persenbeug.
There is a lot going on in Ybbs on this day. A town festival is being celebrated, which I pay a visit after completing the tour to enjoy a delicious Bratwurst. But after the short photo break, I quickly continue on my way. The first rumble of thunder can already be heard in the distance.
On steep trail#
The route first leads through the centre of Hofamt Priel and from there into a inconspicuous, small road to Straßlmühl. The turn is marked by a small memorial stone, which commemorates a cruel massacre. Towards the end of the war, 228 Hungarian-Jewish forced labourers were murdered in Hofamt Priel by members of the SS. However, the perpetrators could never be traced and a cloak of silence was kept over this massacre for decades. It was not until 1993 that a Holocaust survivor, the Viennese doctor Ernst Fiala, initiated the erection of this memorial stone for the victims of the massacre.
In Straßlmühl, the route turns onto the first steep forest trail. I can still pedal for the first few metres until a couple of walkers come towards me and force me to dismount. The path is too narrow for oncoming traffic. The trail is still too steep for me to get back on. I push my bike for the time being. It only flattens out after a bend and I try to get on my bike. I succeed. From now on, I slowly, and with a lot of sweat, manoeuvre myself over angular stones and thick tree roots.
Shortly before Am Reithern, the forest opens up and I can see the Danube and Ybbs. However, I feel a little queasy. The sky has darkened noticeably. I can see lightning and hear thunder in the distance. The change in the weather has remained hidden from me in the dark forest. The only thing I can hope for now is that the wind doesn’t blow the storm in my direction.
Ostronger forest#
At Am Reithern, I pass the Friedenskreuz, an 18-metre-high cross, and then briefly follow the federal road again until I reach the Ostronger forest, which means plenty of forest road for the next section. Rough, sharp-edged gravel makes progress difficult. I am now on the granite and gneiss highlands of the Waldviertel. It also gets a little muddy occasionally. The rainfall of the last few days has left large puddles in its wake. But riding through them is fun. Maybe I should do a mountain bike tour like this more often.
It’s not far to the high point of the route and from then on it’s a brisk descent across the scattered farms of the hamlet Feldmüllerstall. Only now do I notice the first drops of rain falling down on me. The thunder also rumbles with terrible force. But it seems to me that I am still on the edge of the storm.
Just before the federal road, a hare hops across the gravel road I’m on. It is not bothered by the approaching thunderstorm or the cyclist rushing towards it. It hops leisurely back into the forest.
Thick rain drops#
As soon as I reach Hofamt Priel, the rain starts to fall. It’s pouring down buckets, but at the same time the sun is still shining. The shower can’t last long, I think to myself. I continue my journey through the villages near Hofamt Priel on the edge of the Ostrong Forest. Only when I come to another wooded area near Rottenhof, I take a break and wait for the rain to pass. It’s easier to wait out the rain, sheltering under trees.
I also have a wonderful panoramic view of the Donauschlinge, Ybbs, Persenbeug and Gottsdorf. I could even see the Ötscher, if only it wasn’t for the weather in the mountains: overcast. Fortunately, the thunderstorm above me quickly disappears and the sun makes its reappearance. It stays with me for the rest of the journey. I keep an eye out for a rainbow - but don’t find one.
Quarry Loja#
The second longer climb follows after Naturfreundestein, first to the quarry Loja and then to Hirschensprung. The last time I cycled here, I had to dismount shortly after the quarry. I slid too much on the rough gravel and I didn’t have the necessary stamina to continue. But today I was able to pedal well. A little pleasing progress.
The kersantite and granite porphyry extracted in the quarry shimmer golden in the evening sunlight. Today, on the weekend, it is quiet. Otherwise, you can sometimes hear the odd explosion as stone is broken out of the hillside.
The gravel road leads deeper and deeper into the forest. At one point, I swerve onto a short, fun track. The water is high on the forest road there and, like so many cyclists before me, I’d better not ride through it. The last part of the climb is now done, from now on it’s all downhill.
Tumlingbachtrail#
I emerge from the forest in Kracking. From here I can easily recognise the nearby Maria Taferl basilica. I briefly follow a flat dirt track before the final trail through the Tumlingbach gorge. I ride down over hill and dale. But I don’t quite dare to release the brakes.
And rightly so. I have to brake sharply twice to avoid crashing into fallen trees. I squeeze it through underneath, bent over. Nevertheless, the descent is great fun, even though I am rather slow.
Along the Danube on the Scheibe#
Once at the bottom, I cross under the abandoned Danube embankment railway (Donauuferbahn). No trains have travelled between Sankt Nikola and Emmersdorf for some time. The line is dilapidated and the tracks have already been dismantled. However, a few remaining viaducts still bear witness to the fact that a railway once ran here.
The last section then follows flat roads and gravel roads on the Persenbeuger Scheibe, always alongside the Danube. At times, the Kaiser route overlaps with the Danube cycle path. In between, you repeatedly switch to gravel roads that are closer to the Danube than the actual Danube cycle path. If you want to and have had enough of the gravel, you can take the Danube cycle path. Both paths eventually lead to the main square in Persenbeug.
The sun is already low, but I still have some time to dawdle along the Danube. Fortunately, I haven’t got far to home, and I’m already looking forward to a Bratwurst. A beautiful tour comes to an end.