This one is on the western shore of the Neusiedler See, the great steppe lake on the Austrian-Hungarian border, which is about as far in character from the Gesäuse's limestone walls as you can get without leaving Austria. Where the Gesäuse is vertical, the Neusiedler See is horizontal: a shallow lake, rarely more than a couple of metres deep, fringed by one of the largest reed beds in Europe, with the Hungarian plain vanishing into haze on the far side.
The villages along the western shore, Breitenbrunn, Purbach and Winden, are wine villages in the shelter of the Leithagebirge hills. Blaufränkisch and sweet dessert wines are the speciality, and the local growers have been working this sunny slope since Roman times. Purbach in particular has a charming street of low whitewashed houses and cellar lanes, the Kellergassen, where the wine was traditionally stored away from the village houses to reduce fire risk. Many are open for tasting in season, with a bench, a plate and a view of the vines.
Riding here is a different pleasure. The roads are flat, quiet and wide-open, with little traffic outside summer weekends, and the lake often produces strong wind: this is a famous windsurfing and kitesurfing water for a reason. A crosswind on an exposed section can push a lightly loaded bike around, so keep your grip relaxed. The lake itself is a UNESCO cultural landscape, shared with Hungary, and a national park protects the saline pans and shallow ponds of the Seewinkel to the east. In spring and autumn the sky fills with geese, cranes and waders on migration, and the reed edges hold herons and, if you are patient, the bearded tit.
For fuel and larger shops, Neusiedl am See at the north end is the sensible option, about seven kilometres away and with over eight thousand people. The smaller villages have bakeries and cafés but fewer petrol pumps.
If the weather is warm, plan for a late afternoon stop. The light off the water and reeds goes copper in the last hour before sunset, and the Heurigen come alive. A beer, a plate of bread and smoked pork, and the long straight road home make for an easy end to a hard day in the mountains.