Thanks so much for the good wishes, fellows.
I am writing this from my hotel about 100 meters from the Black Sea, having arrived day before yesterday and concluding my original planned tour earlier than expected thanks to some high daily mileage despite hills posted as 9-10% grades.
It really is much easier/faster to ride Eurovelo6 west
-to-east with the prevailing winds and gradients than against, as I found from doing it both ways. The return east was so fast in comparison as to be a little disorienting at times.
I have now seen the Danube in its many moods and full length twice, from the source in Donauchingen to the end here in Constanta at the Black Sea and I have ridden both sides. It really took that for me to fully appreciate the role the river has played historically and commercially in the countries through which it passes. It is a border, a highway, a means for commerce and transport and a tremendously powerful force, as I witnessed firsthand during and after some massive storms that resulted in meter-deep flooding of the bike paths around Vienna. I have seen it at its narrowest (Iron Gates I and II) and at its widest, when it could have been mistaken for a huge lake or small inland sea.
Just as the river is dynamic, so is the EV6. It is such a tremendous project of such great scope and international cooperation it is remarkable it exists at all, and I am reluctant to criticize this tremendous resource for extended touring across Europe. However, it does vary widely in signage, development, and road conditions and large sections remain designated as temporary even now and can be expected to change. Some sections can be quite challenging in terms of navigation and conditions and lodging options can be up to the cyclist's own resourcefulness. I never regretted bringing my tent as it always provided a ready option and I generally prefer it over more formal lodging.
Austria has realized and fully grasped the implications of commerce and revenue related to cycle-tourists, and has the best developed infrastructure surrounding and supporting the EV6. It really is a cycle-touring paradise, with all lodging options and services imaginable provided frequently and in abundance -- even very good maps/route books are free, though the signage is so good they aren't required. There are even public and privately funded charging points provided along the way for electronics (phones, batteries, gps) and e-bikes.
Austria from just east of Passau to Bratislava Slovakia would be my recommendation for those wanting the smoothest and most pleasurable and stress free bicycle holiday, whether camping or going by B&B. I'd say this section is a model for fully developed cycle-touring for those of all abilities, but especially those new to the pursuit or less able physically or looking for a first-time experience almost guaranteed to be good except for the possibility of rain.
Serbia is coming on - board as well, though I found the route much less developed in other countries, with signage almost nonexistent in Romania and Bulgaria. Roads range from finely finished asphalt to gravel, dirt, grass, dike tops and sand roads and the shoulders of busy highways. Just as there are many moods to the Danube, there's many official Eurovelo6 routes -- it is not just one path. Usually there are two or three options for travel on both sides of the river, and conditions range from reasonable for a road bike to MTB-oriented.
I now plan to make a holiday of my remaining two weeks or so, riding through rural Romania on my way to return the bike to Andy in Bulgaria.
The bike has been brilliant and never missed a single shift. What I initially took for a worriesome failing bottom bracket was just snatch from the initial chain stretch and has been smooth and silent since I adjusted the eccentric. Everything meshes smoothly and quietly and with no hooking of the teeth on the cog or stainless Surly chainring. I replaced brake blocks twice and changed the Rohloff oil in Germany, allowing me to continue with my spare oil change kit intact. The chain now sports two quick links allowing for tool-free shortening in the future...a change I plan to implement on my own Nomad and would recommend to others. So far the only failure has been a single puncture of the rear tire, caused by a roofing staple. Rather than patch it, I just installed a new tube.
So, things are winding down and pleasantly so. I have found extended touring to be a good match and will miss it terribly until I go again. I wish I could make such travel a semi - permanent lifestyle. First task after returning home will be to create a website to share my travel journal and many photos. It has been quite a ride and I've enjoyed every moment.
All the best,
Dan.
