Dave and his Bike

Days 25, 26 & 27.

Day 25.

Another sunny morning. Cool, but sunny all the same. Due to the predicted low mileage today, I had a very leisurely start after another good breakfast. The only real way out of town was on the main road. Traffic was busy, but considerate. It was gradually uphill (about 1%) for a good few kilometres, which soon warmed me up and had me stripping off layers in a bus stop. There were several smithies along the first part of the route, almost like sheds in the front gardens of houses, with their produce displayed in the driveways. I saw an elderly woman carrying a bag of shopping in one hand, and a new scythe (full length job) in the other. It’s very rural here! I would love to have taken a picture, but that would have been rude.

I had a couple of routes in mind, and after 25km took the option to get off the arterial road and detour into the hills for a little while. There were two things in the back of my mind against this. One was the hills, the other was dogs. I needn’t have been worried. The hills were the steepest for a few days, at 10% in places, but the dogs didn’t materialise. It was a good decision. To be on smaller roads and without traffic was great. The scenery was much more of what I have been hoping to find in Bosnia; rolling forested countryside. Beautiful.

The 8km uphill came with a bigger benefit than I anticipated – about 15km downhill. Marvellous. Along the way I stopped in Sapna for a slice of pizza (international cycling fodder) and watched the world go by.

I cruised gently on, which was just as well as I’m still suffering with a bit of tendinitis in my right knee which seems to be spreading to my left one. I could see Zvornik and Karakaj approaching from quite a distance, as the smoke from the aluminium factory was clearly visible. Obviously the urban areas are developed for a reason, and this one was clear why.

A few weeks ago this would have been a lengthy ride for me, but today it felt really early to be stopping. The problem is again the forward planning of accommodation. If I carry on for another 40 or 50km I end up in the middle of nowhere. The next obvious place to stop is a further 90 odd kilometres, plus I have Bosnian cash to get rid of and I’m right on the border, so it is logical to stop for the night. The hotel is cheap (even cheaper than the last one) and clean, with a bar and restaurant. So I booked in and did the honourable thing and went for a beer. Not much else to do in a border town.

Route planned for a couple of hours, researched tendinitis, its causes and cures, rang Jane, went for food. Really nice veal in mushroom sauce. Left my phone in my room. No photos.

Longer day tomorrow, with the prospect of a 650m climb to start the day, if I’ve read the map correctly. I’m using an app called MapOut, which is really detailed and allows you to download small sections at a time then delete them when you’re done. It’s good for me as I’m working offline most of the time.

Mileage so far: 1757km

Day 26.

It was overcast and wet when I woke up. It wasn’t raining but obviously had been recently. Breakfast was an interesting affair. When I saw bacon and eggs on the menu, I couldn’t resist. I should have done. It wasn’t what I am used to calling bacon. The cheese and cucumber garnish didn’t add anything for me. The eggs were nice.

By the time I had finished breakfast there was some blue sky on the horizon.

What a day! I went to the border via a bakery to try to get rid of some currency. It was only 1500m to the border, and no queue. The Bosnian side were really friendly and chatty. They thought I was a bit mad I think.

The Serbian side stamped my passport and remained silent. The roads were wet but it was warm, so not too many layers. I soon turned off the main road onto a beautiful minor route, which was to take me the first 40+ kilometres. It started well; good road surface, no traffic, picturesque scenery. The sun even started to break through.

Then it got hilly. I had anticipated this, and still chose to do it even with my sore knee. What I wasn’t quite prepared for were the gradients. There were sections of around 10% for longish stretches, and a couple of steep ramps which went up to 18%. They were hard! The steep stuff took me up past an abandoned hotel and spa, with hot springs in front of it, then to a little lake, and the opportunity to stop for a drink. Then the road ran out. It is shown on the map as the 139, so a recognised road. It’s also name after Nikolai Tesla.

Initially it was good rideable gravel. Then it wasn’t. As the road was still going uphill steeply, I got to the point where I couldn’t ride sitting down. The problem was that all of my pannier weight is over the front wheel, so as soon as I got out of the saddle and tried to pedal, my back wheel started to spin. Reluctantly, I got off and walked. Some of the surface would have been difficult even on my mountain bike.

In the back of my mind was also something someone we met in Slovenia mentioned – the fact that it’s a good time to see bears in the hills, as they will be hibernating soon. I tried not to think whether they have or haven’t yet.

Once at the top (783m), I hit tarmac. It was lovely, but not for long. The gravel was back. The steepest part of the descent was the same as the ascent, and my wheel rims got hot with all the braking. Once I was actually back on proper roads at Krupanj, it was gently undulating for the rest of the day. The surfaces were good and the traffic moderate. I was, however, completely knackered from the morning’s effort, so even the 2-3% climbs seemed harder than usual.

I got to Valjevo at about 1600hrs. I hadn’t identified anywhere to stay, and again have had no luck with Warmshowers. I stopped in a place which said ‘Bar – Restaurant – Hotel’ outside, to be told that the hotel part is still being built. They did however send me round the corner to a proper hotel, albeit rather tired. ‘Faded grandeur’ springs to mind. It’s also rather empty.

Valjevo is lovely. Lots of bars, cafés and modern shops I had a nice walk around the centre, then grabbed something to eat in a little restaurant.

Tomorrow is potentially more of the same. I think I may avoid going straight over the hills again for the sake of my knee, but add a few kilometres of rolling hills instead. They will still be up to about 500m.

Early night. It’s good to be in my first new country.

Mileage so far: 1850km.

Day 27.

Not a great night’s sleep, and no breakfast in the hotel this morning. The hotel reminded me of something out of an Agatha Christie novel, but run down, with me as the only guest, and no murders. Fortunately. So, I was out of the hotel quite early, and found a bakery for a croissant, and a coffee shop opposite. I don’t think I had enough breakfast. For once I didn’t buy two pastries and stash one for later. Mistake.

Once I started riding I wasn’t feeling the love. Partly (mainly) fatigue I think. The road out of Valjevo didn’t help. As if the dual carriageway wasn’t enough for the first 12km, they threw in a bit of contra-flow for good measure and to make it more exciting. You can only imagine how pleased I was to turn off the main, and onto the minor road. It was a lovely route, gently climbing and not much traffic. I stopped for another coffee at Mionica, and also filled my water bottles as I had forgotten before departure. I still didn’t stock up with food. It was at this point I discovered the hotel room key in my pocket. Oops.

Onwards also became upwards. So far the roads in Serbia have reminded me of home – you are either going up or down, very rarely is it flat. It makes for nice riding mostly, but today I did enjoy the scenery but found the going tough. I had taken the option of increased mileage over the risk of gravel and altitude. The highest point of the day was only about 480m, but the 50/60m climbs are energy sapping, especially with fully laden panniers, so I struggled quite a bit this afternoon. Once at Ljig, I was on a road which ran alongside the motorway, and was therefore quiet and continuously rolling.

Over the hill, and through some not-so-great road surfaces and down to Gornji Milanovac, where I picked up the 22, the main road into Čačak. I also found some lunch at a roadside stall – a packet of Oreos and some chilli peanuts. I have had healthier lunches. The road was properly busy, but only for about 15km when I turned off.

The town is what I expected. Mixture of industrial and modern, with a pleasant town centre. Unfortunately, all of the signage is in Cyrillic (otherwise known as Slavic) script here, whereas in other places I have been it has been in both Cyrillic and western translation. Finding the cheap hotel I had pinned on my map therefore became tricky. Actually it was impossible. I was saved by a big HOTEL sign on top of a building, which I could see from a distance. It’s more expensive, but I’d been scooting around for 20 minutes or so, I’m tired, and I wanted a shower and a bed. It’s a lovely hotel with secure storage for my bike, which is a bonus. And breakfast is included.

Spaghetti bolognaise in the hotel restaurant, and now an early night. I hope I sleep better tonight.

Mileage so far: 1950km