Zaječar, Serbia to Sofia, Bulgaria – two of the most gruelling days of the tour but two of my absolute favourites (both days recieved a lofty 9/10 rating)!
When a plan suddenly crystallises it can give you a new lease of life, which is very much what happened here. I had an average couple of days along the Danube before a blinder of a route to Sofia opened up, and only two days away!
Day 45 and I’ve just left your car quite fantastic afternoon session on the bike that yielded 80 kilometers and looking at the the stats last night I thought Sophia the capital of Bulgaria a mere two days away 220 kilometers and Bulgaria is where I’m heading now I’m
About to cross the border for country 10. of the tour conditions today as soon as yesterday very cold one two degrees perhaps drizzle and winds from the East today so I think I’m going to get a little bit of my face but hopefully not too bad Bulgaria gold snowy
In the trees out the wind for a second but out in the open it’s pretty windy it’s pretty wet it’s very cold I’m doing just about enough to keep warm by getting the Watts down on paper pretty adverse conditions really enjoying myself it’s great just to give you an idea of
Conditions today can’t really see much at all which is a bit of a shame it’d be nice to see what was up the hill barely anybody about all these places seem to be abandoned there’s been a few people but very few and lots of empty
Houses no sign of a calf or a shop so uh good job I stocked up across the border and um just progress today just been absolutely nailing the KMS hello grab chick half past one and it’s been properly snowing for the last hour or two I actually realized it’s the first of
December today and it’s the first time that I’ve had proper snow on the bike so Winter’s arrived right on time I’ve been really enjoying watching these stalactites form on the edge of my helmet even I’m Keen to push on I’m gonna actually see if I can find a
Calf in this town and get out the snow for a little bit well I’ve ascended here to The Fortress of Bella Grande chick I’ve got the impression it’s the off-season I’ve been swiftly ejected from the Fortress for not having a ticket and so in these very bully conditions
I’m going to continue I’ve been on the bike from 8 30 to 1 30 before I stopped at a cafe and uh having got data again in Bulgaria put it in Google Maps 60 kilometers an absolutely shocking sounding average 12K now it just doesn’t seem to add up
I’ll just stopped from this little shelter for a now check and I’ve realized why I it took me so long my average was so bad because actually it only took me four hours because I’ve gone forward an hour I’ve actually changed time zones I’ve gone that far east so actually I’ve
Got another hour of light that I didn’t think I’ve I would have and there’s some very interesting rocks here quite famous I didn’t get a chance to get any pictures on the way down because I just couldn’t face stopping to get the phone out but uh fantasying a few more
Of those then Google is your friend Donnie lum afternoon scenes little break under the shelter and coffee brewing really really enjoying today’s ride it’s been pretty grueling but for some reason I’m absolutely loved it isn’t it weird what people do for fun when I made my navigational blunder
Yesterday not far out of donji milanovic and started to head south rather than Southeast I spotted this road that I’m on now on Google Maps heading pretty much due south east down a lovely looking Valley and turning out so far has been absolute Corker I’ve turned sort of Southeast from Don
Jilon and I’m ascending this coal which looks like I might pop out fairly soon not a lot on the road dreamy tearing just got to make sure you keep brushing the snow off the crotch to avoid the obvious otherwise fantastic peel off the road about five o’clock in
The Gathering Gloom 112k to the good according to Google Maps I’m very happy with we’re all really happy with how I how I managed it had a good breakfast change money got some supplies stayed warm stopped the right time ate at the right time um all worked out really well so about
115 km’s out of fear so big push tomorrow will be up early to get back on the road day 47. Bulgarian Vista the Bulge in the mat was actually quite useful last night because I chose the most sloping spot probably can’t really tell from here but South to 110 kilometers away
And my task is very simple today I have to cross the Balkan Mountains up and over and down into the Bulgarian capital for a bit of feasting and merriment it’s a beautiful day today there’s no wind snow on the trees absolutely buzzing for a few kilometers definitely something quite nice about
Cycling the off season in the winter months but it is a shame not to see the The View up ahead I’m pretty sure looking South from here I’d see some pretty big Peaks but not to be oh dear I’ve just made a five kilometer in total detour to
A town called berkovitza about 35 kilometers to the good today really good value mileage and out of food and out of water so I’m going to top up the supplies get a coffee and then it’s 80k to Sophia rolling out back on the road after an excellent little stop
Found the calf a couple of coffees and a couple of bake Retreat which seemed to be more cream than anything else and a tea Market to restock the very much dwindling Food Bag and water bottles refill and I forwarded myself a look at the app commute because since I entered Eastern Europe
Google Maps doesn’t give cycling directions and with the car you don’t get the gradient profile because while you’re in a car doesn’t matter so we’ve plugged into commute and as I suspected big coal big old coal 1500 meters uh 1200 meters up from here and it’s
More like 90k actually the science is 80 actually just coming up here and uh yeah half past 11. let’s get to it also uh I’ve also booked myself a hostel the hostel hostel hostel mostel don’t know in Sofia for tonight purely because it’s got a billions table
Pretty sordid scenes from the roadside I could not listen to a dry chain up the coal so stop to clean it off lube it up and get a brew on for the kill now the layers have been coming off it’ll be down to the T-shirt next spite of some particularly wintry looking conditions
Up the goal the first time in a long while a little bit of sun breaking because I wonder if we might pop out here I found the bulgarians to be very respectful of cyclists much more so than the serbs and there’s been quite a few Hoots of encouragement
As I spin up the coal and uh chaffing a van just stops and asks me if I want to lift to which I politely declined popping out magnificent scenes I can run a corner and I must have hit a wall of air three four degrees warmer really really well defined
Temperature inversion it’s almost t-shirt weather could be a t-shirt on the coal first time I’ve had it on a bike where the pedals have iced up and I’ve not been able to get the cleats in and as if I needed any further confirmation of the temperature both just went in Click Click lovely
Petra ham rolling over and I would speculate but Han maybe means coal in Bulgarian ease conceivably more favorable conditions 55 to Sofia on the south side of the Balkan Mountains I think I’m going to pop in for a quick Cafe to celebrate Superior I’ve left the Montana Province and
Entered the Sofia Province coming over that cult and it’s very reminiscent actually it’s a colder party all the way back in southern France but the other way around it must have been one two degrees on the other side and maybe I don’t know six seven on this side descending into lovely relative warmth
Rolling in the traffic’s actually not been too bad by Capital City standards maybe it’s Friday afternoon but still bad enough for me to try and find in alternative quiet route into the city the fumes are appalling there’s a lot of cars belching black smoke which is probably not doing the lvo line much
Good absolutely winning hostile hostel rolling in if you’ve told me in donji milanovic two and a half days ago that I’d be in the middle of Sofia I’ll be very very happy indeed foreign [Applause]
1 Comment
Baw bag