DAYRIDE 2019_05

“AUSTRIA – THE FORBIDDEN LAND”

After more than three years riding sometimes some off-road tracks here in Austria and depending at least on my own fault, I got confronted with a very upset landowner, which threatened me with a civil lawsuit …

I mentioned it a few times before: Austria is a very difficult country for riding off-road. Already riding on a simple gravel road could lead into some serious legal troubles. For most of the woods in Austria, law is generally providing the permission for everyone to enter the woods via feet for recovery, but vice versa, there is also the general prohibition to enter the woods/wood trails via motorized vehicles or with a bicycle.
This general rules are often reinforced from private law, which allows the particular landowner to sue each person, which is disturbing/entering his property. Additionally, there are often also signs mounted, which bans driving generally. In the worst case a double- or triple punishment will be decreed, when get caught on such forbidden tracks. o_0

OVERVIEW:

This days ride out started like most of my other day rides from the city Vienna. It went along some widely known motorcycle-back country roads til reaching the area around the small Niederalpl mountain pass road. There I entered some forest gravel tracks and made my third try in total, for finding finally a run-through route through the mountains there. As you can see on the map above, I called it: “The Missing Link”.

Before this day ride, I already scouted about ninety percent of the intended line. But there were still a few missing short parts to get one long passing through gravel route which runs parallel through the woods of the Niederalpl road. Sadly also the third try was a bummer, due to some troubles with a landowner. I wasn’t able to ride/try the intended route due that incident, so I rode back to Vienna via along some often ridden tarmac. Let’s start with this tragedy of a …

RIDE REPORT:

My black beauty and I left at the afternoon of this promising day the city Vienna …

in the direction south-west. Therefore, we took …

back country roads, which the proofed Austrian motorcyclist surely remembers.

Чернотa and I stopped at a railway station and had a closer look to this, more than forty years old locomotive, Type OEBB 2067. This sorted out, 50 metric ton Diesel-Beast has 600 horsepower and delivers a traction force of 150 metric tons.
Sounds proper but fore sure is probably nowadays barely enough for towing a “Heavyweight-Adventure-Motorcycle” out of a serious mud puddle. ^o^

What a mansion! I followed the tarmac road a few last kilometers til …

we reached the area around the small mountain pass called “Niederalpl“. There nearby …

I entered some easy gravel logging tracks through the woods. As already mentioned above, this was my third try within this area, finding the missing link, which will extend my personal gravel-track library in this corner of Austria tremendously, with one additional long passing through route.

My black beauty and I enjoyed the delivered …

landscape views and pushed on along …

a fern overgrown trail. Shortly after the fun begun, I made a mistake. Because a planned part of the route wasn’t passable due to a fence and the only detour was way too long, I made the decision to enter a short connecting trail. The trail was marked with a very old bleached “Driving Forbidden/Private Property” – sign. A moment of thinking later I gave it an “illegal” try and entered the forbidden land at my own peril. I followed the track, which ended about ten minutes later in a dead end.
Because I generally don’t ride directly through the woods/try to avoid ripping the sensitive forest soil, I turned and rode back.

LET THE TROUBLE BEGIN …

On the narrow trail a lightweight 4WD approached. With a bad feeling I stopped and turned the engine off a few meters before reaching the 4WD. The driver of the 4WD also stopped in a way, that the car was blocking the whole track. Now I was sure that troubles were incoming soon :/.

I took the helmet off and walked to the driver which now went out of his car. While doing this I planned some excuses. I greeted the tall and thin man, which was maybe a farmer, with some friendly words. After reacting with shaking doubtfully his head, he started shouting at me: “Why are you riding here?”; “Are you crazy or have you won your driving license?”; “Don’t tell me you haven’t seen the sign when entering my property!”

Because it was all my fault, I immediately said to him, that he is absolutely right. “It’s my mistake and I will leave the area instantly.”
The first sentence, that he is absolutely right with his arguing, took obviously very fast some pressure out of the verbal conflict. When I said to him, again that I don’t want to have any troubles, he just added, that it’s too late now. He went back to the car and came back with a piece of paper and a pen. He walked to Чернотa. When he saw the plate number, he was raging again verbally, because it was covered with a thin dirty mud layer.

“Thats typical for such rowdies like you!”, he yelled at me, with a bewildered glance. “At least you have a plate number …” he began to write on his paper. Sadly the plate numbers and letters have been readable despite the dirt layer. 🙁

After he was ready with doing his notes, he told me that I’m in serious trouble now. He will make a report because of disturbing his property. He will also inform the responsible ranger, which will also make a report about riding the wood tracks before reaching this private area. o_O

Again I tried to calm him down and said sorry. I told him that I always stay on the tracks and don’t damage the forest soil. I just want to explore some tracks of Austrias huge gravel track network.

He just shook his head and said, that I had should have thought about such problems before riding there. Now I should leave his property. The rest will be managed via the court and prosecuting authority. o_O
After saying that, he went to his car and drove back a few meters til reaching part of the track where the way was broad enough to let me pass. He waited in his 4WD till I had put my helmet on. I fired the engine and rode towards him. When I passed by he also made a photo of me and Чернотa with his mobile. Damn … .

I thought to myself, whilst I rode on:

“Phew, what a self-induced shit I maneuvered myself into!”

Because this days mission, which was finding the missing link, was now surely cancelled, I rode along tarmac roads further southwards and later eastwards.

A few minutes ago my thoughts rotated permanently about this shitty situation and the consequences. Riding a motorcycle with such thoughts in mind is no fun. So I tried to distract myself …

with shooting some nice pictures, around …

the south Niederalpl- Area. Most of the here shown gravel …

tracks are finding their end with a closed beam and/or a “Driving-Forbidden-Sign”. It’s a pitty, so much great gravel here in Austria which nearly nobody is allowed to ride/drive along … .

We followed the tarmac and passed the …

valley …

Hochschwab, close the village Seewiesen; another well known motorcyclist goal. My thoughts often switched back to the former situation. I thought to myself: “May I should skip scouting tracks here in Austria. May …

riding a trial-motorcycle on legal tracks would be more fun.” :-/

Because it was already autumn the sun was sinking fast, and the shadows grew long. Due to the unexpected detour we had to hurry up.

I pushed my thrusty black beauty Чернотa through the bends. We passed some old mine equipment near the village Veitsch and enjoyed the …

nice views along the …

unplanned detour. Despite the troubles before, …

I wasn’t able to stop myself from scouting a few unknown entrances to promising gravel tracks regarding their legality.

Despit the nice curves I found some time …

for inspecting this interesting 3D-monument directly aside the road. It is devoted to “Heimito Doderer” a famous Austrian writer, which was nominated five!!! times! for the Nobel Prize in Literature. I was a bit ashamed about my self for not knowing this famous man.

We went homewards through the well known river valley “Höllental“, …

enjoyed some fresh drawn chemtrails … ^_^

and made a quick round on a well known MX-Track.

The daylight was …

fading fast and the …

moon has risen along our way …

back to the big city.

When I arrived at home, the troubles of this riding day again appeard in my mind. I was speculating about what kind of penalty would be decreed on me.

After doing some web search, it was clear for me, that I will have to wait for a letter from the court / the responsible authority.

Now, more than thirteen months later still no penalty arrived or trial against me was initiated. Hmm. It seems that I was lucky. Maybe the landowner did his notes wrong or didn’t made a report? I don’t know.
But there is one thing, which I always consider on a my rideouts from that day on:

“Don`t violate the Private Property Sign!”

The total covered distance along this day ride was 370 km or 230 mi.