Mad Bike Rides

22 June 2022 Back in the saddle….or should today be described as the hot seat!! But more on that in a bit!! First…a quick summary of Agistri….or a lesson as…

14 June 2022 A very lazy start to the day (nothing to do with Liz having arrived!!)…as were not catching the ferry until 11.30…for a week of R&R on the…

13 June 2022 We made it!! Only a short ride into Athens this morning…taking small roads to avoid the traffic…but there is a big hill in the way coming from…

12 June 2022 It was supposed to be a relaxed 79km day…but turned into a marathon, especially after yesterday! Really as a result of detouring to avoid the busy roads….but…

11 June 2022 Huge thunderstorms yesterday afternoon and  lots of rain last night…..so it was with some relief we woke to bluish skies. 100m down the road…and we were on the…

10 June 2022 Delightfully slow day today. There is little to do…except….eat, drink…and The water is simply divine!! But I did catch up on Bookings for the balance trip to…

9 June 2022 A bit of a dusty start to the day…but we were not sorry to be leaving Farsala behind! And an hour or so on the bike…the dustiness…

8 June 2022 After a long time in the hills, the landscape suddenly changed today. To dead flat. And flat seems harder! You have to pedal all day…with no relief…

A rest day today…after a fairly tough five days…for Iain in particular! His legs - & bum - have been suffering! But we are in Meteora….an extraordinary landscape…with extraordinary monasteries…

6 June 2022 We both had had a bad night. Sweating like piglets…draped in wet towels….to try and cool down just a little. And we left later than planned…so we…

5 June 2022 Big day today….in that we were moving to Greece…the destination country in a sense!! A quick stop to get rid of our balance Macedonian Dinars (vapes and…

4 June 2022 Today started with a hard push up from our wee apartment down at the lake!  And then a long long climb directly from Trpejca up to an…

3 June 2022 An early…but breakfast-less start…so we had early stop for coffee….and a packet of chips between us (alas!!)…which carried us through the day’s ride!! Lovely scenery today as…

I first need to correct a bit in yesterday’s post. I actually wrote (before the event, to get fully up to fate…!) “So otherwise…a bit of reading…..and a very chilled…

1 June 2022 A rest day!! The usual domestic chores…..and we then set off to find our battery man once again!! This is his shop: …..and as agreed, he then…

31 May 2022 A relatively leisurely day today…for Tirana is only 40kms away. So we enjoyed a slow breakfast at our wonderful guest house. And it is only here in…

30 May 2022 Our young host was so enthusiastic about our bikes (we have seen no e-bikes here in Albania)..that he went off for a ride first thing on Iain’s…

29 May 2022 Bacon for breakfast(!)….& we were off for another relatively leisurely day. We clung to the coast (& the main road)…for the first 20 kms or so… ….and…

28 May 2022 A weird start to the day as it was time farewell to Martin!  But he helped Iain get the bike set up…and passing on the system of…

27 May 2022 A much-needed rest day today…in pretty Perast! After four huge days….and very little sleep. Simply too hot….and a pillow like a rock! Catching up on blog, washing,…

26 May 2022 Another big climbing day…so another early start… Today…it has turned out is Martin’s last cycling day…and it was certainly the most dramatic and exciting of the trip…

25 May 2022 With the heat…and a big day planned…..we were on the road before 6.30…to catch a few hours of coolness. It was with a little trepidation we started…

24 May 2022 A lovely meander along the coast first thing…when we found a bike path which sat right on the sea for around 15km. Looks about right…..!! Before we…

23 May 2022 This is our last full day in Croatia!! (..that is the border in the top right corner…only 40km riding away!) A bit sad really…for almost all of it…

22 May 2022 A rest day today!!  My calf has been playing up again over the past few days…and last night I properly tweaked it……on the steps up to the…

21 May 2022 But a ferry ride away!!  But we could not find a ferry to Hvar town which carries bikes (all direct ferries are fast catamarans which don’t!). Maybe…

20 May 2022 Today was supposed to be a relatively short ride….through the National Park and then 70km or so to Split! But we were not allowed to cycle ‘through’…

19 May 2022 Another big day today!! And good distance made on the map…as we headed almost due South. We got up early…6.30 breakfast….for we knew it was going to…

18 May 2022 Three kilometers…my arse!! That was twenty three kms of the wildest windiest conditions…made worse by precipitous drop-offs. We came across a few cyclists who had (probably sensibly)…

17 May 2022 Shower curtains (at least on more than one side of the shower) should be banned!! Felt like being wrapped up in a condom as I acted as…

16 May 2022 Big day today. For Martin…poor guy had to wait over an hour to clear passport control at Stansted …and arrived in Ottley at 1.30 in the morning!…

15 May 2022 It was a weird start to the day….as Martin and I are heading off in different directions today (more on that below!)…so I felt a bit nervous…

The straight line distance from the Italy border crossing to the Croatia border crossing…is only around 20km…so Slovenia certainly missed out when the coastline was divided up. Interesting that Trieste…

13 May 2022 Cake for breakfast!! (..as well as Croissant and a large bowl of fruit)…but we really could not manage the cake!!  The team were up early…making their gelato…

12 May 2022 It was with little regret that we were obliged to leave the coast from Caorle…to avoid another string of hotels…which extended East as far as one could…

11 May 2022 What a day!! By far the shortest day of the trip was planned today!! So a slow star seemed just fine……which got even slower when we arrived…

10 May 2022 A rest day today…really to allow Martin to enjoy his first visit to Venice….prior known as “la serenissima”…and it possibly is! Provided of course you are not…

9 May 2022 Turned out to be a big day….sunny and hot all day!!  So we started the day with Martin feeding my water with Electrolyte. Actually I think it…

8 May 2022 Very nervous start to the day…as I hobbled down to the basement to find our bikes! Wondering if my calf could cope! But foot forward (remember as…

7 Mat 2022 …….and a rest day!! we both needed it! And my calf still very sore…..so it turned out to be well-timed!! Domestic morning…washing…and planning!….in particular Martin’s return to…

6 May 2022 We had planned to stop over night at Sirmione…the classic old town poking out into Lake Garda…..but decided that we would avoid the accommodation difficulties (very pricey!!)…and…

5 May 2022 Bellagio is lovely…but expensive and busy…so we were happy to move on with a lovely meander down the East side of the Bellagio peninsular…to the head (or…

4 May 2022 A spectacular day of riding today……marred a little by the rain which really did not stop…until we did! Our delightful host came go see us off…. ….and…

3 May 2022 Mostly a great day’s ride today. Except for our first bit of rain! Not too bad…but made the first hour a bit miserable…as we headed up the…

2 May 2022 Whilst Martin headed off into the hills….I needed a rest!! So I hopped on the ferry back to Orta san Giulio for the morning…and just chilled out!!…

1 May 2022 Our last day before a well-deserved rest day! We had a similar problem of fast busy roads as we left Vercelli, but soon found a quiet route…

30 April 2022 All hell broke loose when I ventured down to the cellar to load up the bikes….as the alarm broke the early morning lethargy of the whole village!! …

29 April 2022 Another gorgeous day of riding today…as we headed over the hills into the wine-growing region around Alba. Narrow carless roads in the main…with lots of ups and…

28 April 2022 A great breakfast…and after just five more kms on the coast…we headed inland….and a relentless 800m climb all in one go!! A simply glorious ride…in wonderful weather!…

27 April 2022 It was so good to get on the bikes and venture forth. So liberating to be finally on the road. After Covid worries…Putin worries…flight worries etc….it is…

26 April 2022 And we are off….but day zero seems an appropriate name probably…..for we have not cycled any distance at all today. But it has been a big day!! …

And we’re off…nearly! Discombobulation is such a good word really. And describes well the build-up to this year’s ride. 30 months in the making…makes it sound like a well-oiled well-planned…

This is a personal diary…intended for family and friends…so only those interested need to view!  Self-indulgent…or just a means of avoiding communicating with too many folk. Take it as you…