​This is the third part of my memories from Transiberica 2021. Please find the previous parts here: >part two< >part one< . Happy reading!

—————————–

On the third night of the race, my eyes did not open by themselves, but the alarm clock in my Garmin was enough to lift me from the hard tiled floor of the toilet, a small, still closed gas station. I jumped on my feet, packed my „bedroom”, put on practically everything I had and started thinking about an open gas station in about 10 kilometres.

Unfortunately, the station was very poor. Food was just sweets, which I was slowly getting fed up with, but there was also a decent cafe there. I drank three 330ml bottles of cocoa and a latte on a double expresso. I chose some sweets from the store, the ones that are least sweet possible, and continued towards Albarracín, the race’s fourth checkpoint.

After a few climbs, a quite flat section awaited me, all the way to the foot of Sierra de Albarracín. I wanted to get to my destination as soon as possible before the heat broke out for good, but the sun started its crusade pretty quickly and the heat started before I even got to the flat stretch. After a few hours of riding and a total of 60 hours on the road, my body let me know that twice two hours of sleep was probably a bit too little. On long, straight and gentle climbs, I was just falling asleep on my bike. I decided not to wait any longer and not waste time by slowly rolling forward. A quick 15-minute nap on the grass by the road was perfect. I got up as if I had been sleeping all night and continued on my way at a much more satisfactory pace.

While riding through one of the towns whose name I do not remember today, I got a flat tire, which the sealant could not handle. The cut was large. I stopped. I pumped up the tire quickly. It looked okay, I moved on. After about 10 kilometres, I feel the low pressure beneath me again. There is a petrol station and a compressor. I stop again and pump in even more pressure. The sealant squirts and then suddenly stops. I hit it again to make sure 5 bars are ok. It’s great. While waiting a moment, I tell the race story to the man, who is also waiting for the compressor. He is very interested and asks about everything. I am sure he will spend the rest of the day on the dots with Follow My Challenge on his mobile phone.

• 

• 

I move on with a little relief because I prefer to ride tubeless. Unfortunately, another 5 kilometres and history repeat itself. Without wasting any more time, I find a bit of shade and put the inner tube in quickly. The tire is pretty bad. It did not endure yesterday’s gravel adventures very well. After all, I am riding. The route is quite arduous on a straight road, with almost no turns, in a very high temperature. I am happy to get off the main road towards Sierra de Albarracín and I am starting this beautiful and quite gentle climb. I’m not going fast. I feel tired, it feels like the third day, the day the crisis comes. It is not yet, but I know it will be quite soon.

Despite everything, I stand in pedals on the last kilometre of the climb to Plaza Mayor, and through the narrow alleys between beautiful historic buildings, I am getting to the fourth checkpoint. A quick photo and a bar visit. Real food follows me from the very morning, and I am happy to order something like cheese noodles with meat. I sit down for 5 minutes on the floor, exchange a few words with Javi who is hunting the riders on the spot, and move on, aware that the sun will be at its peak in a moment.

• 

• 

The next checkpoint starts in about 250 kilometres. It is the Sierra de Guadarrama and quite a demanding parcour with over 3000 meters of elevation. I choose a safe option and decide to find accommodation in a hotel on the way to regenerate as much as possible until the next high mountains. Before that happens, however, I still have a lot of work to do. It’s not flat after Albarracin. Once again I am at 1,300 meters above sea level. The road, however, oscillates at a similar height all the time, so the climbs are not steep, but long and gentle. Riding on such a plateau would be very pleasant, but the greatest difficulty is the lack of any trees. The sun is inexorable and it burns my skin and, above all, my mind. Water disappears from water bottles very quickly. I always enrich it with electrolyte tablets. Without it, it would be impossible to keep going. However, hydrating alone is also not enough. The water bottles heat up quickly and the body inside just burns. The need to cool down is great. After only twenty kilometres, I am completely boiled. I have the illusion that I have already travelled at least a hundred. While passing a small village, I say to a random person, first met from an hour: „Aqua ??” He points to the centre of the village. Without thinking, I deviate from the track and go in the direction indicated by the man. I enter a tiny square and, overjoyed, see the fountain gushing water in the square. There is a small cafe next door and an old Spanish man sits outside and holds out his hand to me with a glass of red wine, shouting „Vuelta Espana !!!” For a moment there, I felt as if I had found a paradise on earth. I went into the fountain almost fully. It was exactly what I needed. Although I was not persuaded to have a glass of wine with a man, we paired with each other, almost like long-time friends, shouting great greetings for goodbye. This is where I love Spain. The freedom to be, that I experience in this country at every turn, is simply amazing.

All wet, I move on. Finally, there are gentle descents. Wet clothes convey a gentle coolness, my body begins to gain strength. Finally feels gentle gusts of wind. Everything turns to my advantage. In the evening I start looking for accommodation. A new pre-race purchase, QuadLock, is perfect for this. I can look for accommodation while riding and not wasting time. I’m amazed that I haven’t got it before for so many years. I wanted to sleep as close as possible to the next control, but also as soon as possible to climb more at night or in the morning instead of in the afternoon sun. Unfortunately, everything in the immediate area turns out to be occupied.

Around 8:30 PM in the town of Molina de Aragon I pass one of the hotels to which I called earlier, finding out that everything was taken. After all, I decided to go inside and ask directly. The owner speaks English and when I ask for accommodation she looks at me with pity and says: „You are very tired, right?”. „Yes, I’m very tired,” I reply, to which I get a large sofa in the reception hall and a toilet next door. We arrange for three hours of sleep, which means that around midnight I will be back ready to go. Great deal for me! While the owner is preparing a sofa for me, I only run to a local pizzeria, order two large ones, go shopping for the next day at the station next door, pick up a pizza and go back to the hotel, where a bed-lined sofa, curtained blinds, and tinted reception room are waiting for me. The owner leaves the hotel. She says that she was about to go home anyway. Parador de Santa Rita, a place to recommend to all!!! I set my alarm clock for midnight, eat my pizza, leaving two pieces for breakfast, pack my bike to be ready to go, brush my teeth and generally wash myself in the toilet. I fall naked on the sofa, covering myself with my silk liner. The coolness, silence and atmosphere of the dark reception room are soothing and unbelievably pleasant. Sleep comes as soon as I close my eyes. It was short, but really difficult day.