Dave and his Bike

Days 19, 20 & 21.

Day 19.

Ljubljana to Blanca.

I woke up at about 0400hrs to the sound of rain on the tent. It was not unexpected. By 0730 when we surfaced there were already quite a lot of big puddles around the campsite. Not a great start. The rain did ease off enough for us to get most stuff packed without getting everything soaked. We both felt a bit subdued, as we’ve enjoyed the last 18 days and the dynamic changes today for both of us.

I set off in a light drizzle. Over-dressed as usual. I was on the right road out of town, so navigation was easy. Despite the weather, the ride was lovely for most of the day. I soon got off the main road and onto a very quiet one on the opposite side of the valley. There wasn’t much wind, and I soon got used to the extra weight and very different feel to the bike now that I have fully laden panniers on. I’m a bit slower on the climbs, but no surprises there!

The wide valley narrowed, almost to a gorge in places, and I stumbled across a wooden covered bridge which I thought very unusual. There was no coffee stop today. Not only was there no-one to drink it with, it’s not much fun when you are soaking wet. The rain wasn’t too hard, but consistent for the first few hours.

I suffered from the ignorance of not understanding the language today, linked to the fact that Slovenian road signs all look like diversions to me. Not knowing what the road sign said, I trundled on. Apparently it must have said ‘Road Closed’ further on, as 5km past the sign it was indeed closed. Despite looking for pity from the two men working there, they would not let me through. Frustrating as I could see tarmac about 100m further on, but understandable. It obviously added 10km to my day, but it was a pleasant enough ride as it wasn’t raining much by then.

That soon changed. With about 10km to go it started raining hard. Typical. I got to the hostel I planned on staying at in Blanca desperately hoping they had a room, as I was absolutely drenched by then. I was also quite hungry, although I’d bought some pizza from the local equivalent of a boulangerie quite late on, where I also had a ‘chat’ with a local guy (neither of us spoke each other’s language, but we got on ok, discussing the route onwards). There was rather fortunately a room spare. 25€ for a double en-suite room. That’ll do. There’s also a bar downstairs which does a bit of food. So, after a hot shower and a bit of route planning for the next couple of days, a local beer and a massive burger it was.

I’ve just seen that there are flood warnings for tomorrow on the Sava river (which I am adjacent to). That doesn’t bode well for cycle touring, so I think an early start will be in order.

Mileage so far: 1303km

Day 20.

Blanca to Dugo Selo.

Awake early as is the norm. I’d been woken a few times in the night by trains passing by, which was actually quite comforting in a strange way. If the trains are running, the flooding isn’t bad, as the railway is between me and the river.

I looked out of the window and thought it wasn’t raining. I was mistaken. Very mistaken. I packed my kit, had a coffee in the bar downstairs (no food available) and was on the road by 0800hrs.

I’m pleased I’d managed to dry my cycling clothes, as there’s nothing worse than putting wet kit on. Within 5 minutes though, it was wet through, which I don’t mind really, as long as I can keep warm. After about half an hour I found a bakery – pekarna in Slovenia (and Croatia) – finally remembered the word! They are a bit like Greggs – not great diet or health food, but bloody marvellous for a wet / cold / hungry cyclist! Hot chocolate croissant and a sort of jam filled sausage roll (for later). Can’t think of a better description. Very tasty 😊

The river was very high and close to breaching in places. It has also changed colour from a grey-blue to brown. I sadly didn’t get any photos, mainly because I didn’t want to stop.

I had the odd stop in a bus shelter to check my route, therefore keeping my phone and map dry-ish, and was soon at the Croatian border. The customs buildings are still there, but there are no controls. On the Croatian side a police officer stuck his head out of the door to see what I was doing, but otherwise plain sailing. Still no passport stamps!

The condition of the roads in Croatia would suggest that it is less affluent than Slovenia. I last visited both countries eight years ago on a motorcycle tour with Nige, and thought the same then. It may of course just be that they have the same principles as the UK and don’t bother maintaining their roads.

The traffic got steadily busier towards Zagreb as you would expect, and there were fewer cycle lanes (that I could see). Having never visited the capital before, it would be unfair of me to judge it on a grey, wet, miserable day, when all I am trying to do is get from one side to the other. There were certainly some interesting and historic parts, but due to the continuous rain I opted not to stop. I need to come back and spend some time exploring, hopefully when it’s a bit drier.

I did manage a very quick coffee stop at a street café somewhere near the centre. The problem when you are wet is that you get cold very quickly, so I carried on. Slow progress due to traffic, traffic lights, and me navigating. Not a problem though, because I couldn’t check in to the hotel I was aiming for until after 1400hrs.

Busy road out of the city, with the occasional cycle path, and stopped both to kill some time and change my brake pads. The rain and constant braking had just about finished them off, to the point that my back brake was next to useless. It’s the first time I’ve had to change them in the three years and many miles since I’ve had them, so I’d brought new ones with me. I’m a bit surprised they got beyond the Alps to be honest. I can now stop with a bit more confidence!

I arrived at the hotel just before 1430hrs, to a nice welcome and a comfortable warm room with a hot shower. A cheeky beer in the bar (a bit early I know) and on to the issue of drying my stuff out. The forecast is drier for tomorrow. Which is nice.

Overall not my favourite day of cycling, due to the weather and navigating a big city. A bit disappointed that I couldn’t visit Zagreb more. Also not many photos, for the same reasons. I still quite enjoyed some of the ride, and am looking forward to something a bit more pastoral if possible. Enjoying the trip as a whole though, and finding the mileage quite easy to cope with 😁.

Mileage so far: 1387km

Day 21.

Dugo Selo to Novska.

I slept well. However I was awake quite early as a consequence of going to bed at 2130hrs. The other good news was that it was not raining.

Breakfast was the usual mixture of ham and cheese, with a couple of fried eggs to go with it, and a very small cup of coffee. I didn’t want to rush off as I was really early finishing yesterday, but I was still on the road before 0900hrs. Navigating was easy. Turn right in town and keep going all day. It really was that simple!

I stopped in Kloštar Ivanic at a bakery for some healthy supplies and kept trundling on.

The road was good, and traffic light. Linked with a wisp of cross-tailwind it made the cycling easy. The main thing I struggled with was moderating my body temperature. As it was cold with a bit of mist in the air I wore my waterproof jacket. My problem then is I overheat, and get wet inside my jacket from condensation (despite it being GoreTex). Take the waterproof off and the mist makes me wet. I ended up slowing my pace a bit so as not to overheat. Not making as much effort goes against the grain a bit, but then I’m not in any hurry.

The scenery wasn’t overly inspiring. Little villages with a mix of relatively new, well maintained buildings alongside older run down ones. The grey weather never helps. I got to Kutina, my original destination, at midday. It was only 60km. So I stopped for some more food, and looked at my options. Once I cross into Bosnia, accommodation is quite sparse. So it was either stop soon, or have a massive day. I was open to getting some big miles in, but the knock-on effect would be a similar problem tomorrow. A hostel about 30km away seemed like a good compromise, meaning two good days to Tuzla (about another 225km) with somewhere to stay in the middle. Hopefully!

So another day where I finish early. The hostel in Novska was easy to find, the owner less so, requiring a phone call to locate him. What a nice guy though. Insisted on putting my bike inside (despite the bike racks), and gave me a shot of ‘brandy’ (unmarked bottle of clear spirit) before showing me my room. Very clean, tidy, hot showers, can’t complain.

I’ve been for a walk to the supermarket and bought supplies for a bedroom picnic to keep costs down a bit.

Not many photos today. Hopefully I’ll feel more like stopping when the weather improves. Rubbish forecast tomorrow – wet again – but much better from Sunday onwards. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻.

Mileage so far: 1476 km.