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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While on a fruitless quest for a breakfast that never was, I was intercepted by a fellow Slovenian cyclist. His brisk pace and engaging banter so captivated me that I completely bypassed any shops. We shared a pleasant 25km together, but alas, a swift downhill and the splitting of our paths meant I barely managed a hurried farewell. Here’s hoping he wasn\u2019t too perturbed and that someday he’ll kickstart that decade long cycling dream of his so we might rendezvous on some remote road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pedaling through the majestic Velebit and its\u00a0 foothills was breathtaking, though, doing so during a heatwave felt more like a literal extraction of my life force. After soldiering on for 70km with the mercury soaring to 47\u00b0C, I opted for a pit stop for provisions. That’s when I found myself a bystander in a historical anomaly, a hat trick blackout, no elecricity across three countries. There I was, no power, no food, just my luck. I took refuge in a local bar, nursing several liters of something cold, but with the power grid down for the count, I pushed on an extra 15km in blistering 45\u00b0C heat, which leeched away any rejuvenation I had managed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With evening encroaching and Split in my sights, the route threw one last challenge at me, a climb so steep I could’ve sworn I was back in the Alps, setting personal altitude records outside of Austria was not something I thought would happen. On this final stretch, I discovered not only my own thresholds, 2200km over three weeks and baking at 40\u00b0C, but also my bike’s. It whimsically shifted gears on its own as if declaring, “That’s enough!” My bib shorts, veteran of 5000-6000 km over the past year, agreed emphatically, having borne the brunt of the journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As tomorrow dawns, my cycling saga concludes, but another chapter awaits. I’m off to Kor\u010dula for a scuba diving adventure, with a much-needed cooling period. Here\u2019s to hoping the only heat I encounter next comes from the sun!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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