Germany-Austria 2024 Bike Trip, Day 1: Frankfurt to Bad Kissingen

It’s the morning of the first day of this year’s bike trip. I feel a little bit nervous—not because I haven’t done a legit “bikepacking” trip in recent years since I was focusing more on racing—but because I still have to send my bike case ahead to Vienna, where I’ll finish the trip. If all goes well, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get this task done. I got up early and planned to be at the post office right when they open. Today’s ride isn’t a crazy all-day route, so there’s no crunch for time to get this done quickly. However, if any problems come up, I can’t afford to spend half a day running around town trying to figure out a solution, like what happened to me in Morocco many years ago.

Sending My Bike Case Ahead

First stop: a DHL shop a few blocks away, my case taped and tied up tightly, ready to go. The agent there informs me that no matter what, it has to be boxed. I was hoping to ship it without boxing it since it’s already a case itself, but okay, fine. The longest length is confirmed to be okay for shipping. Now, I’m definitely not going to find a custom-sized cardboard box for the Scicon Aerocomfort case that I have, but, as I’ve done before, I can build my own box. At my cousin’s apartment complex, the basement has lots of discarded boxes, and, luckily, I find three identical, folded-up cardboard boxes that will work perfectly. Twenty minutes of taping it all together, and I’ve got a box—it’s a bit clunky, but it works.

Armed with my small dolly, I head over to the regular post office, which is even closer. They measure and weigh it—all good. To my surprise, the total cost is only around €30, much better than I was expecting! I was willing to pay triple that if necessary! The only hangup is their payment terminal rejects three of my credit cards. There’s an ATM next door, so I get cash—problem solved. With the bike case shipped off to Vienna, it’s time to get this show on the road. I say goodbye to my cousin, we snap a photo together, and I set off on my way.

Leaving Frankfurt

The weather today was just about perfect—not too hot, not too cold. Leaving my cousin's home in Frankfurt, I’m west of the city center, and I need to head east. Very early on in the route, I decide to cross to the southern bank of the Main River, avoiding the city streets as much as possible. This is something I've learned over the years to be very helpful whenever traveling in or out of a big city. Most cities are built around or along rivers, and especially in Europe, it’s common to find a pedestrian or cycle path going along it. Germany and Austria, in my experience, are underrated destinations for cycle touring, as France, Italy, and Switzerland get a lot of the glamorous attention in this field.

Anyway, I follow mostly on the bike path east until the town of Hanau. From there, I link up with roads following another river, the Kinzig, which I stay along until just after Wachtersbach. That’s where I head inland a bit to cross the day’s one big climb (not a big climb in general, though).

From Hesse to Bavaria

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My first rest stop of the day was just at a gas station after passing through a town called Gelnhausen. They had some outdoor tables with umbrellas for shade—just what I needed. I've already got snacks in my bag and am not running low on water either. I send some text updates to my friend in Bad Kissingen, and after about 20 minutes, I feel ready to roll again. From here, the route heads east and towards the only real climb of the day—a 200-meter ascent over 4.5 km. Not too bad.
My second rest stop of the day is at a supermarket in a town called Altengronau. Here I again find some outdoor cafe tables with shade. I refill my drinks, have some more snacks, a nice cold ice cream too, and then I’m ready to set off again.
The last rest stop of the day is at Bad Bruckenau, which is along the Sinn River. There’s just a picnic table along the trail, but it’s in the shade and that’s all I need. I take another snack from my bag and set off to finish the entire day's ride from here to the end. I change course to another road heading directly to Bad Kissingen from here. I know the upcoming route is smooth and easy sailing, mostly downhill until the end.

Arriving in Bad Kissingen

The final 14 km was all downhill into Bad Kissingen—a nice cool breeze, easy riding. In Bad Kissingen, I’m couchsurfing at my old flatmate Martyna’s home. We lived together in NYC for more than five years and even traveled together to several countries around the world. It's the first time seeing her and her family in years. Even the local roads into town are all a pleasant, slight descent right until her front door. I’m already relaxed and cooled down a bit as I roll up to her house, feeling pretty good about the day’s ride. After a quick shower and some snacks, we hang out and wait for dinner with her family. A great day’s ride and a successful start to this year’s trip.