ECMC Bike Run 1999ECMC Bike Run 1999 |
English version |
| A Tour Report | by Eckart Märkel |
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TripIn my case, Czech was located between my origin and the destination. Maybenot the fastest but the shortest way from Berlin to Helfenberg leads through interesting areas such as the Sächsische Schweiz and Prague. A comfortable trips invites to go via Prague and stay there overnight. The picture shows a photo of the famous Karlsbrücke and the castle in Prague. Warned by tips of collegues about hunting travellers violating the speed limits we took the comfortable way and solved the trip without incident. Many more details could be told here, but I omit them here to keep on topic. But one thing is sure: Prague is worth more than one more visit.
Sunday, 1.8.1999 -
Arrival
Once Helfenberg in the Mühlviertel is located, it is not very difficult to get to the
castle, as large signs lead there also during
"Bike-Run-free" times. A 2.5 km long road leads from
the village to the castle. The parking area - nothing but a large
field - was lit at night and secured by a guard. It is located a
few meters away from the castle which is a little bit hidden in
the forest. This fact required to carry the luggage for these
some meters - depending on the personal comfort needs the luggage
was something in the range between a backpack and voluminous
cases which required a car to bring them here. Not a problem
really - former bike runs required much more transportation
efforts.
Those who
did not bring their own tent to camp on the former castle meadow
became assigned a bed in the castle on registration. Who has ever
slept under a lustre (with a single operational candle) in a
tower with walls meters thick or in a knigth's hall ?
As expected at a well-organised event, merchandising offered a
collection of T-shirts, especially the ECMC Bike Run 1999
T-shirt.
The nature of such events makes meet many well-known
guys. The time remaining to the evening program was used to
celebrate meeting again old friends.
Bead
with cheese were offered at arrival. In the evening, an austrian
specialty "Hascheeknödel mit Saft und warmem
Krautsalat" was served. Although the Austrian language is
German, many special topics required an Astrian-German
translation and made an Austrian-English translation difficult.
As shown by installations and
some posters in the castle, the location is also used for other
events such as rock concerts. A stage was used for the
indroduction in the evening, held in Austrian Englisch. The tour
leaders were presented here. Up to this, there was an opportunity
to visit the Tiberius
shop located above the castle door and to buy leather clothing.
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similar events there was a colour theory: Men were faced to the
difficulty to compare their own driving style as seen by
themselves to the driving style of the tour leaders as seen by
the tour leaders. Afterwards, everyone had to find his colour
respectively the corresponding tour leader in the darkness of the
castle yard to join a group. The 10 groups formed this way were
marked by coloured ribbons and should remain together during the
whole event.
Many partipiciants had a long journey, often for some
days so it was no wonder that there was silence in the castle
relatively early.
Monday, 2.8.1999 -
Mühlviertel
Trotz all
efforts the people of the LMC had spent to furniture the castle:
A ruin is no hotel - some partipiciants did not enjoy the
conditions in the windy and cold ruin, which gave them a touch of
outdoor despite of all renewal measures. Nothing for princesses,
who did now move to to the comfortable and relatively cheap rooms
of the local hotels in the village.
The breakfast buffet was prepared by local professionals like all meals.
Certainly motorcycle tours are the main events of a bike
run. The first tour - for relaxing and meeting - lead through the
Mühlviertel. The groups went via Helfenberg and Haslach
for fuelling towards the first cultural stop Stift Schlägl
on a very nice route. After the visit of the church wax fans had
the opportunity to visit the wax museum located next to the
parking. The tour proceeded viy Ulrichsberg, Peilstein
(near the German frontier), Kollerschlag, Stratberg, Sarleinsbach, Lembach, Untermühl, Niederwaldkirchen, Eichendorf, Neußerling and Bad Leonfelden back to the castle. Other intermediate stops were made
for meals and to enjoy the view to the Danube valley.
View on the passing bikers of a bike run
group enjoyed with an ice coffee:
After the beautiful and very hot weather already during
the journey to the bike run, a thunderstorn was almost
unavoidable. These are the moments, bikers enjoy the bus stop
waiting houses. For the lunch, an entire restaurant was reserved
for the bike run.
Despite the preselection upon the driving style of the
tour leaders, the mixed-up groups compatibility problems of the
driving style in the group came up. Oberösterreich has highlands like the Harz in Germany and therefore is
less pretentious. However, for some drivers from very-flat
countries such as Denmark ans Sweden this was a difficulty. As a
result, some partipiciants from these countries retired.
Dinner: Wiener Schnitzel with potatoe salad, pudding as dessert.
A castle is almost the right
choice for an event like the bike run. Torches and candles
underlined the mood giving a magic touch to the whole area. Dark
corners in the walls and the forest environment invited for night
adventures. A darkroom was installed for all those who preferred
four walls around them.. A camp fire was lit on the camp yard.
Tuesday, 3.8.1999 - Seas,
Salzkammergut
Tired from night activities the men started on Tuesday morning
the longest of the motorcycle tours towards Salzkammergut. After the first stop in the very beautiful Aschach
at the Danube the tour proceeded via Grieskirchen and Vöcklabruck to and around the Attersee
for lunch, afterwards - depending on individual plans of the
group - back on routes of different length. 
After turning around the Attersee the group returned via Lambach; it has a monastery but every, really every café is closed here on tuesday afternoon, so a pub had to be visited for refreshment.
Events
like the power failure causing cold shower in the morning this
day indicated that the castle had not been constructed for the
comfort requirements of the ending 20th century. However, the
writer experienced the the same on a middle-class countryside
hotel.
"Stelze mit Mehlknödel, Sauerkraut und Kartoffel" was served for dinner. Vegetarians had to search for the local restaurants.
Time
after the meal was spent with smalltalk in the castle yard.
Weather was fine, again. The biker buffet was open, later the
biker bar offered over-priced drinks (therefore some got them
from supermarkets). Besides international drinks such as cola
local specialities such as the Almdudler (herb lemonade) and Most
(slightly alcoholic drink).
Wednesday, 4.8.1999 - Rallye
Wednesday started a bit later than the previous days.The
LMC had arranged something special for this day: The rallye took
place in the area of a former race track, but certainly there
were no races at the bike run. Before departure an envelope with
questions and tasks was opened. The first points were gained by
an ordered precisely at 9:36 h. After a briefing with a second
morning coffee in a bar the first question (what was ist ... ?)
could be answered by phoning to the pastorate and the
municipality. Other questions required to appear personally at
the appropriate location - what a motorcycle rallye without
riding motorcycle ? Riding motorcycle is not all, the 101 steps
in the tower of the castle ruin Waxenberg had to be climbed in
order to determine the count. What is the reason for clusters of
motorcycle drivers appearing in the churches of a village (Kefermarkt)
? During lunch in the restaurant at castle Weinberg (in Kefermarkt)
the second questionaire was opened.
On return, the fauna of the Piberstein surroundings were
enriched by the butterflies which had to be caught and brought
live to the castle as the final task (thanks to the good weather,
otherwise a earth-worm had to be taken instead and this had the
be eaten on return).
The route: Helfenberg, Ruine Waxenberg, Reichennau, Neumarkt, Kefermarkt,
Freistadt,
Bad Leonfelden.
Barbecue was the dinner of the last evening in the
castle. The evaluation of the rallye resulted in all groups being
candidates for winner, however as there could be only one winner
group. The winner group members earned T shirts and tickets for
"Wien in schwarz", the second could comfort with 2 T
shirts each, the rest had fun . Live music was presented on this
evening by a local 2 men group.
One of the towers had toilets installed but these were completed
by additional containers placed at the castle entrance. However
the more than 100 guys brought the supply to its limits: The
flushing and shower needs of the princes exhausted the local
water source, so the local fire brigade had to fill up them with
two tank lorrys.
Biker-Parkplatz an der Burg
Thursday, 5.8.1999 - Vienna
This day finished the bike run, however it could be
continued voluntarily by the Vienna add-on. About 80 % of
the partipiciants had decided to continue. Like on the previous
days, the 250 km ride to Vienna was organised in groups.
Excluding highways, the route crossed beautiful landscapes such
as the Wachau and the legendary Wienerwald.
In Vienna distributed accomodations were taken , in my case the Hotel-Pension
Wild (
) well known in the scene.
Vienna is worth a journey: the short time of the bike run
extension is not enough, but enough to get first impressions.
The evening can be spent in the illuminated town with a walk or a
visit of the Vienna scene (which is not very live during the
week).
Wiener Hofburg with Fiaker; Vienna at night
Friday, 6.8.1999 - Vienna,
Biker PartyOn Friday, there was an opportunity to get guided
through Vienna with a motorcycle tour. After circulating around
the town hall which had been disignated the meeting point the
groups got formed to visit the main locations such as the
Stephansdom and the Hofburg - a listing of the Vienna highlights
must be omitted here due to the limited space (finally:
motorcycle parking is no problem in Vienna, however a walk should
be preferred). The tour was finished with a ride throgh the
Wienerwald along the Höhenstraße, which offers a beautifil view
over the town. A thunderstorm terminated the tour. 
Time to explore Vienna by a Fiaker trip for example.
Another must is the visit of a Vienna Kaffeehaus such as the
Vienna institution Café Hawelka: Not for tourists only, the
old-fashioned café keeps alive an old tradition which requires
some explanation to the foreigner. Here, the coffee smells like
coffee ! Never simply order 'coffee' - mind the difference
between Melange, Brauner, Verlängerter ....
 In the evening there was the Biker-Party in the [lo:sch]. Such crowds
of leather guys are very rare in Vienna, so the space of
the rooms of this private club was filled up - overfilled
for the reporter. |
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Saturday, 7.8.1999 - Brunch and
Departure
The brunch ended the bike run with its extension. In the Café
Willendorf, a large buffet was offered in the green yard. Here,
everyone had to say goodbye to old and new friends.
:-) Fortunately, there were no accidents during all the tours (excluding some falling motorcycles). Special thanks to "my" tour leader Franz-Josef - in detail: Josef, my "real" tour leader and his friend Franz, who had to take his place suddenly during one of the days.
The tip back was solved without incidents too,
overlooking a thunderstorm shower on the way from Vienna to
Prague (once again, a bus stop waiting hall ...).
Sunday, 8.8.1999
Upto now, the
Austrian highways were skipped.
The "pickerl", a voucher, is required for these toll
roads; on the way back, these were the fast way back.
|
(c) Eckart Märkel, Berlin 2000 |
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