Balkans Cycling Adventure – BCA. Cycle Day 38: Đakovo, Croatia to Šid, Serbia. 86.2km (144vm). Connal Tours European Cycling Tour 2024. Connal Kit for all your cycle touring clothing.
Topped out at 39.2 deg. Hot & hazy. We decided on a route change last night. Hopefully taking us away from the busier truck routes, bypassing a large town. We also made the call to get away earlier than usual as it was going to be another hot day. It worked. On the whole a quiet day traffic wise. Quite a large town with major roadworks being done. Redoing crossovers into all the houses and new surface. Water truck thankfully had just gone through ahead of us to dampen the dust. A couple of gravel sections – they were hard packed with regular farm traffic use. First one had a 9% hill which we just attacked. Second gravel section seemed to go on forever. Long straights a corner then another long straight. Simply access to large cultivated plots. Again more large scale agriculture. The harvesters seemed to start moving at 9am. Before then all farm machinery was randomly parked at houses in the villages. It was good to stop for coffee at 9 and we already had 25km done. The first sizeable river for a while – lined with fisher people.
The latter part of the ride was testing. Hot, very little shade and long straight sections. Being Saturday and a Croatian public holiday (Anti-Fascist Struggle Day) – we couldn’t find any grocery shops or restaurants open. We mainly got through the day on a liquid diet, plus our oreos, nuts and lollies that we always carry. Our water bottles turned into hot water. A stop in a church yard offered no water (usually a tap for the graveside flowers). Every bar stop for cool drinks needed a water bottle refill with some ice. We must have looked so hot & bedraggled every time we pulled up at a bar. Lots more stork nests along the way. Sunflowers in full bloom. Harvesters everywhere, tractors pulling trailers filled with grain. Trucks queueing on the road to deliver their grain.
Border crossing with only 5km to go. More stamps and a wave through. Lots of trucks lined up – waiting for load checks. Nice to have a border on the flat instead of the top of a hill. Crops continue in Serbia. Withdrew yet another currency. No more euros. This is our 8th country. Only remaining is a return to Bulgaria. Looking for our apartment (with 2 apps showing it in a different place) – a car came along and signalled for us to follow – it was our hosts going to meet us. Good timing & another beaut apartment. From the outside you wouldn’t think so. We’ve stayed in a number like this now – externally you wonder what you’re coming to but once over the ‘welcome’ mat they are often newly renovated and very smart. Now at 7 as we go out to dine there is a thunderstorm.
Cycle Day 38 of 45 over 10 weeks cycle touring covering over 2400km in a loop circuit of the West Balkans in Europe through 8 countries. Connal Kit for all your cycling touring clothing. Connal Tours European Cycling Tour 2024. connalkit.com.au 22June2024.
Add A Comment