Main image from Google Street View. Alps from the Wörthersee shore.
30.07.2019
After less than three hours of sleep, I opened my eyes to hear the hotel phone ringing with a wake-up call at 4 am. My biological clock made me happy. I brushed my teeth quickly, applied chamois where I needed to, put on my clothes and went to do the last Serbian kilometres.
With the advent of the day, I passed a long line of trucks waiting for border control in Šid, and several minutes later I was in Croatia. The roads were straight and flat, and the landscape was very consistent, a bit like Hungary, which I had on my right hand. „Super”, I thought, „European Union” and then for the first time since the start, I was overtaken by so-called varnish width. The D2 state road turned out to be so full of trucks that I even considered some detours. The only thing that stopped me was the lack of a phone because changing the route using Garmin etrex is not the most convenient and takes a long time. I have worked out my next goal in my head: to be in Slovenia as soon as possible, which I remember very well with TCRNo5. I clenched my teeth and swallowed more kilometres, looking behind my shoulder now and then, trying to control the situation that was happening on the road behind me. It was a mentally difficult section of the route.
I was aware that I needed to have any phone with me if only to book accommodation if needed, or to order food in advance to save some time. I also needed an alarm clock, so all my attention was now focused on searching for a place where I could buy some inexpensive, spare phone, but I wanted to do it so as not to extend the route in any way. So I rode my own pace, looking around carefully. At the entrance to Valpovo, I found a tiny shop with used cell phones. I bought a small, and most importantly inexpensive phone from which I could call and send SMS. Comforted, I moved on, writing a few messages to my family, and then checked on my paper plan how far to the restaurant where I planned today’s broth.
The rest of the day was a fight with the mighty heat, trucks, straight roads and the general monotony of the landscape. All the stops I had were predestined only if I still have something to drink. Sometimes it was difficult, because the water, even though I had two water bottles, ran out very quickly. The heat caused even more fatigue, so in the afternoon it was time for my first real nap, i.e. less than 15 minutes on a shady bench on a small playground. From that moment, naps accompanied me every day, sometimes several times a day. In Koprivnica I ate the previously planned Croatian chicken soup and moved on knowing that the much-anticipated Slovenia is not far away. At the time of the evening, the rode became very pleasant. In Varaždin, I met two fantastic dot watchers, Matija and Joe, who rode several streets with me. I realized then how long I haven’t talked to people other than as a customer of a store, station or hotel.
The guys also riding long distances. Matija took part in Paris Brest Paris this year.
This is the only picture I have from this part of the race.
Convinced that Croatia is in Schengen, I was surprised at the border that I had to undergo another check. After all, it went smoothly and from that moment I could feel really at home. I entered Ptuj in the middle of the night. I was here two years ago on TCRNo5 and memories came back again. I did not expect Romana (the famous dot-watcher TCR) to be at this time on the street, but I still felt the indefinite positive energy of this place.
31.07.2019
Further road led to Maribor. I knew it and knew that it will be very busy and unpleasant in the morning. „This night belongs to me,” I thought, then I rode seamlessly through the practically empty Maribor to be on the route along the Drava River at sunrise, leading me straight to Austria. I felt great. I rode at a steady pace, moving progressively forward.
In Austria, my first task is to buy a new SIM card that would transport me through the rest of Europe. The SIM purchased in Croatia did not have much to offer in terms of roaming charges. Each SMS sent was very expensive. Unfortunately, after many attempts, together with a petrol station employee, I was unable to run any Austrian SIM card on my new phone. The most frustrating thing about all this was a waste of time for these types of operations, especially when they ultimately fail. I waved my hand on it and moved on hoping that the credits on the Croatian card will last for some time. Austria is a beautiful country. The route I chose often bypassed the main roads and led through small narrow paths or great bicycle routes. It might not have been the fastest solution, but it gave me a lot of fun and some breath from the noise of trucks and lorries. The surroundings of Volkermarkt and Wörthersee are fantastic areas with breathtaking views. I could already feel the Alpine vibes, and with every kilometre, the white peaks were getting bigger. I remember this whole day as one great meditation into another land, that I didn’t know. Beautiful moments. I had no idea what was going on in the race, I couldn’t contact anyone, because, after a short conversation with my Madzia earlier, my credits ran out of money quickly. I accepted this fact and it was the best decision I could make. My journey has never taken on extraordinary significance like than. It was that day that I understood what it means to be self-sufficient. I enjoyed all these thoughts, it can be said that I fed with them my physical weaknesses. I was enjoying the ride, road and some indescribable mysticism. All the time I believed that I was in a good position in the race and tried to do everything not to lose it.
I didn’t miss a few short naps, another day of tremendous heat and a 15-minute stop under the viaduct for fear of a thunderstorm that suddenly went mad over my head. In „Spittal en der Drau” I bought an additional layer of clothing and rain pants, which I cut up to my knees to make them breathe a little more. With sunset, the temperature dropped quite quickly and I knew that up there in the Alps will be cold. I didn’t want the temperature to stop me from riding through the night.
In Sachsenburg I once again turned off the main road to reach Lienz by a beautiful and scenic bicycle route leading through a mixed road/gravel terrain. The lack of a working phone forced me to find accommodation a little earlier than I intended. A moment outside the city I found a small hotel in which I wanted to sleep for a few hours. Unfortunately, it was all booked, but the owner offered me something completely different. He led me to a big stable and said that if I do not mind the smell of animals (there were cows and horses) then I can safely sleep a few hours on hay. I just couldn’t refuse. I still tried to ride to a nearby restaurant for some large warm food, but unfortunately, everything was closed. I came back to the hotel, bought a few sandwiches and a bottle of water and after 23:00 I was lying in a bivi on a heap of hay, in the warmth of the stable with the sounds of purring cattle setting me into a good dream.
To be continued…
My ride on STRAVA (data from GARMIN etrex 30x)
https://www.strava.com/activities/2614767341
https://www.strava.com/activities/2614767210
https://www.strava.com/activities/2614767209
https://www.strava.com/activities/2614767252
https://www.strava.com/activities/2614767305
Pawel Pulawski /// @pikopulawski 
Asleep in a stable, what a nice way to sign off!