The numbers game
Day 8 of cycling, but day 9 of the trip, though who’s counting anyway? Started from my hometown and finally heading to visit the last country on this adventure: country number eight, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where I’ll be staying for two more days until reaching the final destination.
Mountain reality check
This is probably the hardest part of the trip because it has the most climbing. For tomorrow and the day after, it’s around 2400 meters each day, and as I mentioned, it’s usually about 25% more in reality, which will put this up to 3000 meters per day for the next two days. That might be too much. I haven’t booked anything, so I might cut it short on the first or second day. I’ll see how it goes as the legs decide.
Weather win, sunscreen fail
Today was very good weather-wise, not too hot, not too cold, but I put sunscreen on too late and actually got sunburned. Classic cycling mistake that you’d think I’d have learned by now.
Croatia: Still disappointing
Croatia disappointed once again with basically no cycling roads. Just because someone puts a bicycle sign doesn’t make it a cycling lane, it just makes it a road with a cycling sign. Yeah, learn the bloody difference! The drivers are not very careful around cyclists, so the roads get 2/10 and the drivers get 3/10. The only saving grace is that truck drivers actually give you enough space when they pass you. All in all, a lot of improvement is needed.
Border blues and local wisdom
I lost some time at the border waiting approximately half an hour, but nothing too bad, everything went smoothly otherwise. After crossing the border, I met a nice guy who started explaining how cycling in Croatia is better than in Bosnia, which doesn’t give me confidence for the next two days! However, after experiencing the first 15 kilometers in Bosnia, it wasn’t that bad, same as Croatia, really.
Boring but beautiful
The scenery was very boring today, mostly just riding through small villages with nothing much to see. Only at the beginning were there a few hills to break the monotony. Sometimes the road is just about getting from point A to point B.
Back in the saddle
It feels good being back on the road after the rest day. For tomorrow, the weather forecast has improved, there’s still a chance of a shower, but it’s only for like one hour in a specific place. I hope I won’t be there at that exact time. Timing is everything in the mountains.
Day 8: Complete. Bosnia conquered (partially). Two monster days of climbing ahead.
Every village passed, every border crossed, every mountain that awaits brings us closer to supporting children through SOS Children’s Villages Croatia. The final push begins! donate.wheres-marin.com
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