29.07.2019
Four o’clock in the morning and I got back on my bike after a good three hours of sleep at Villa Grazzia in Vladicin Han. I felt rested and ready for the next big day. A hot shower and a comfortable bed did the job. Besides, I was very excited about the route I was about to take, because I was riding its episode two years back on TCRNo5, but in the opposite direction. All memories immediately returned and were as clear as never before. Riding along the new A1 highway, I saw myself pushing my bike for 5 km along the mud and sand of this highway construction site, which was not completed two years ago. In Doljevac, I saw myself at the hospital receiving Diclofenac and Paracetamol injection to anesthetize the unimaginable knee pain that bothered me at the last stage of TCRNo5.
I remember today when I got this injection and the Doctor said: „You have 12 hours before it starts to hurt again”.
Similarly this year and two years ago, I was looking for a way to avoid the express road from Predejane to Grdelica. This and all the problems from two years back made me realize how well I was doing this year and how much better I am prepared for the whole undertaking. I took this cool gravel road leading up to Grdelica and rode further in a flash of memories and elation.
It was only in Niš that I once again entered unknown roads, which, as expected, were relatively flat. It was a long day in the saddle and I spent more than half of it on aero bars doing practically everything I can while riding. I knew that to make up for lost hours of the first day, I had to minimize the time I spend on stops even more. I didn’t stop at all actually, and if only to refill the water bottles or the food supply, which I carefully stored in my beloved frame bag, prototype form „Szosa”.
It was quiet and peaceful on the roads, and I was quite happy to choose my route along the A1 motorway. Surely the closer to Belgrade, the more car traffic increased, but it was rather tolerable anyway. Once again, Serbian drivers did not disappoint, even when in a typical courier style I conquered all Serbian towns by passing through their busy, jammed, hearts. Shifting in traffic, between cars, faster than any other mode of transport, gave me a lot of fun and was very stimulating. Several dozen kilometres before Belgrade, it started raining and it became stormy again. While passing a small restaurant on the outskirts of Krnjevo, I did bet on another broth, this time a Serbian one, which was as good as the previous one. It was only 15 minutes and I moved on to Belgrade, despite quite heavy rain.
The capital of Serbia was amazing. The city was preceded by three steep climbs and each one was a little longer and more difficult. However, the reward was a long, gentle descent through the very heart of the city, wide four-lane streets that were very busy before evening. I felt like at work for a moment. When passing Park Prijateljstva, I decided to bivi there for an hour or two. I couldn’t imagine a better place after a long day of riding without a break. Beautiful, evenly mowed soft grass tempted with its fresh greenery, and the ideal temperature promised comfort comparable to any hotel. This sleep was supposed to take me to Austria, so I didn’t think for a long time, and I went down to the centre of the park and pulled my bivi out. All I could do was only to open it, and there was no more thinking about any sleep at all. In one moment, hundreds of mosquitoes appeared all around, and, if they weren’t smart enough to get inside my bivi, they did bit me through its material. They hit like crazy. I’ve never encountered such an attack before. For several minutes I tried to shape myself so they won’t get into my body, but any try proved to be in vain. I packed everything back into the panniers and bitten continued my journey, shaking myself away from those ruthless beasts for a while. On leaving Belgrade, I stopped at a large gas station, hoping to get something for mosquitoes so I could check up for a good bivi spot again. The station employee laughed at me saying that they have never had anything for mosquitoes and that it is best not to react and accept the fact that mosquitoes bite. It helps a lot he said. Nice joke I was thinking, I bought coffee and a few sandwiches on the road and asked only how far to Croatia
With the advent of the night, the landscape changed completely. The smell of corn was all around, and the roads again became straight, entirely flat, and most importantly, empty.
30.07.2019
Around midnight I arrived in Ruma, where I was greeted by an advertisement of the Villa HIT hotel. That was it. I wasn’t really tired but appreciating my last night and it’s very positive regenerative effects, I decided to do exactly the same here. Before entering the hotel, I noticed that I did not have my backup telephone with me, and what was even worse, I had no idea where I could have lost it. Suspicion fell on the gas station in Belgrade, but I wasn’t sure enough to risk a 50 km detour. I couldn’t remember when used the phone last time. I took a picture in Belgrade, that’s for sure, but then what?
This situation was a bit depressing for me, mostly because I lost contact with my wife, Madzia, to whom I tried to write an SMS about time to time like „everything is ok” or „I feel great”, „I sleep here” etc. Knowing that my family is not worried about me was giving me freedom of action. After all, this problem has not mastered my mind enough to break me down. I said to myself that once there were no mobile phones at all. I only hoped that my Garmin would not be another weak link because I did not have any more emergency navigation option with me.
The receptionist at the hotel was nice enough to send an SMS to Madzia informing her what had happened. I went for a double portion of fries to a booth on the opposite side of the street and returned to the room to take a quick hot shower again and plunge into this less than three hours of soft and comfortable sleep, which at that moment seemed to be the most pleasant thing on earth.
To be continued…
My ride on STRAVA (data from GARMIN etrex 30x)
https://www.strava.com/activities/2614767213
Pawel Pulawski /// @pikopulawski 