On the way: a blog about cycling, scuba diving, and flying…
-
May: How a devastating crack nearly destroyed my ultimate journey
As previously mentioned, May became my official “month off”, which in cycling terms means I barely touched my bike for two weeks and called it “recovery.” After April’s Mallorcan torture session left me questioning both my life choices and lung capacity, my body staged a well-deserved rebellion. The great bicycle boycott of early May Most…
-
Pedaling through pain: My shocking survival of Mallorca’s brutal 312
…nothing went wrong but everything happened. April was meant to be my final training crescendo, but Mother Nature had other plans, hurling snow blizzards at me in Helsinki while my work travel schedule played calendar Tetris with my riding days. My training suffered more than my quads on a 20% gradient, and those crucial long…
-
From Spanish rain to surprise half-marathons
Hello, dear readers! It’s time for yet another monthly recap of my failed successes. But wait, this time I’m actually on schedule with my monthly update! Let’s dive into my past mishaps and the future ones I’m eagerly planning. The Spanish Rain Festival (That Was Supposed to Be a Cycling Camp) I never mentioned my…
-
Happy New Year… If we’re still counting in March
Greetings to everyone I’ve neglected to wish seasonal joy, and yes, I’m aware wishing “Happy New Year” in March is like bringing out the Christmas tree in February – technically possible but generates enough raised eyebrows to power a small village. I’ve finally diagnosed my blogging condition: chronic inspiration deficit disorder. I wait for divine…
-
New bikes, old walls: A winter training story
Ah, winter. That magical season when my cycling adventures primarily consist of staring at my walls while pedaling nowhere on an indoor trainer for 1-4 hours at a time. After a few thousand hours of this riveting entertainment, I can confidently map out every crack in my ceiling. But fear not, dear readers, there’s more…
-
My big fat Greek meeting: chasing sunsets, history, and baklava in Athens
I haven’t ventured much to the south and east, ironic given that’s where I supposedly hail from, though some might argue otherwise. My compass, it seems, prefers pointing west and north. But this time, the skies themselves insisted I head south, mostly for work (because apparently, that’s what I do now). In the few precious…
-
so long and thanks for all the fish
It’s been a few days since I got back from my trip. Not entirely sure what I was expecting, maybe a standing ovation from life? Mostly, I just wanted to tick off the box of “things I’ve stubbornly decided to do.” When I started, I was already mentally exhausted and ready to quit before I’d…
-
Splashdance: Riding the Croatian wave
I may have spoken too soon in my previous post, as the day morphed into an unexpected escapade. Friends on the same island, in a village nearby, nagged me into visiting, arguing that biking 18 km with a 3 km hill was somehow easier than driving. Thus, I dusted off my bike, only to discover…
-
Dive hard: A Croatian Odyssey
I’ve been scuba diving for a few years now. Initially, I dived quite actively, but after moving north, my participation has decreased drastically to about 10-15 dives per year, only during annual scuba diving camp. Cold water isn’t my forte, which limits my opportunities further. This year, my entire cycling trip was planned around scuba…
-
Blackout on two wheels
The grand finale of my epic ride arrived, but not without my sunscreen staging a coup, drenching both bag and gear. Thus, what began as an early morning quickly morphed into a mundane Friday. While on a fruitless quest for a breakfast that never was, I was intercepted by a fellow Slovenian cyclist. His brisk…
-
Pedals, pooches and peaks
It finally happened, I got an early start before 8:00, aiming for some serene pedal time before the sun claimed the day. The morning was refreshingly cooler, but a new challenge trotted onto the scene: dogs. Apparently, in Croatia, letting guard dogs roam free to chase random cyclists is still in vogue. Throughout the day,…
-
Gone with the windy
It seems my gut had a premonition this morning that the day would unfold like a beautifully written joke at my expense, though reality often crafts worse punchlines than any writer could conjure. Mounting the bicycle was an ordeal. It appeared I had finally tapped into some elusive rest, but alas, it was time to…