{"id":1001,"date":"2022-06-30T07:57:52","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T07:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madbikerides.com\/?p=1001"},"modified":"2022-06-30T09:58:27","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T09:58:27","slug":"57-sparti-to-kalo-nero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madbikerides.com\/?p=1001","title":{"rendered":"\u00a056. Sparti to Kalo Nero"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

28 June 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We had hoped to get to Olympia today\u2026but Mr Google was up to his usual tricks!! It was always going to be a big day\u2026.but\u2026..!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were off to a good early start\u2026.and then climbed for 32 kms..a very gentle start\u2026then steeper and battery-draining steeper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Very beautiful\u2026.but exhausting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026.and by the time we stopped for a nice Frappe (traditional iced Greek coffee!) at the top\u2026my battery was showing a balance range of just 2kms! So I plugged it in (we had well over 100km still to go!!)\u2026and after forty minutes\u2026I had 8kms of range\u2026!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So\u2026no surprise when the battery died shortly thereafter\u2026..with a worrying 70kms+ to go just to reach the coast!! And I had been in battery-management mode from the start! Range is one thing\u2026and I could manage that if a two or three hour stop allowed one to recharge\u2026but my batteries often take a full eight hours to charge!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do need to get in touch with Shimano when this is over\u2026and see if I can pass on a few words\u2026of wisdom\u2026or maybe just angry words! The comparison with the Bosch battery is truly illuminating!! So if you are thinking of touring on an ebike\u2026go Bosch every time!!  On which subject\u2026you have to laugh\u2026but I wrote to Bosch seeking heir urgent help when our battery failed back in Tirana. No reply\u2026.until TODAY!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c We have created a service case for your request: 00067504. We are very sorry that this has happened to you on your holiday. Please try to reset the battery by pressing down the on\/off button for at least 12 seconds to see if that helps.\u201d FFS\u2026.over three weeks for a response to my urgent call for help\u2026.and then a somewhat patronising \u201creset\u201d instruction, as if we had not tried everything many times!! Ho hum\u2026.!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I digress\u2026..a short descent\u2026a little doubt about directions\u2026another long climb\u2026and then a spectacular 700m descent\u2026.which gave me the distance to allow us to reach the coast!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We had been running sort of parallel to a motorway for a while, which meant a lovely empty road\u2026but then the motorway ended\u2026and the traffic  (& speeds) increased significantly! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the road was very pretty\u2026 (what are those flowers\u2026?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We were both drained by the time we hit the coast\u2026so we quickly abandoned plans for a recharge and onwards journey! Stopped at the first cafe for beers\u2026.and then looked on-line for somewhere to stay nearby. Nothing! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A quick glance around\u2026and there was a tiny hotel right next door\u2026classic! This was the view from my balcony to the cafe where we had stopped!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A nice wee spot\u2026with a good beach (& beach chairs etc!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All was well\u2026until beer time. Every single bar in Greece\u2026supplies ice cold glasses with your (almost always) bottled beer. So as I was handed my beer\u2026and a very warm glass\u2026I asked if I could get a cold one. No..was the very abrupt response. Only for draft beer. But\u2026Please? (There was not a single other customer on site\u2026and I rarely trust unused draft beer!). No\u2026! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time for the second and a friendly waiter was around\u2026..so I asked again\u2026! Yes, no problem\u2026he said!! Until the fat-arse \u201cmanager\u201d fagging away at a nearby table)\u2026said \u201cno\u201d..again! I then enquired about her customer relations as I pointed to the bar next door which happily provide iced glasses\u2026at which point she said….\u201dyou have already pissed me off\u201d. \u2026which she then advised was because I had used my scungy fraying hotel towel at the beach (pebbly..so no sand issues etc!). And no\u2026no beach towels available\u2026\u201dyou can go and buy your own\u201d. She was just so joyful – not!! A first in Greece\u2026for everywhere (except hotels!)\u2026the accommodation has been top quality, and great value and the people have been SO friendly everywhere!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We drank\u2026and ate next door! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as I discussed our altercation with her co-owner brother later (who had been great!)\u2026he started using their mother\u2019s illness as the excuse\u2026!! Maybe she was just having a bad day\u2026but she really was a pig of a woman\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking of which\u2026a new sign today! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So in Greece\u2026we have had bears, snakes, dogs to scare the living daylight out of you\u2026tortoises (high in the mountains again)..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026and now wild boar to worry about!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the biggest issue\u2026is in fact insects!! Bloody great bumble bees and beetles crashing in to you as you cycle along (literally causing small bruises), wasps and bees getting stuck in shirts, and helmet straps\u2026and stinging. And today I accidentally \u201ccaught\u201d a wasp with my lips (thankfully before it got into my mouth!). Good job I am not allergic! And the good news? Nae had not been bitten by a bee since childhood, and thought she was allergic\u2026but we can now confirm that she is not! Still bloody sore\u2026but not really problematic!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3,500 metres of ascent\u2026and 250kms\u2026.over two days\u2026..does that count as two 3-ton days?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

28 June 2022 We had hoped to get to Olympia today\u2026but Mr Google was up to his usual tricks!! It was always going to be a big day\u2026.but\u2026..! We were…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diary"],"yoast_head":"\n\u00a056. 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