Sept 23, 2022

Stage 17 of 36, day 19 of 43: 146.4 km, 699m climb, 6:24 Moving, 7:52 Total,  62.4 kph max

Country	Distance	Climbing
Slovenia	352.2	5149
Italy	29.3	346
Croatia	896.5	10,490
Bosnia & Herzegovina	211.0	1444
Total	1489.0	17,629

Well, today was a tough but very fun day. We had two options, gravel and paved, and I’d say about half the people raised their hands at breakfast when asked if they were taking gravel. But in the end, nobody actually did the whole gravel track, and just a few of us did most of it. We left Mostar just before 8am, on a busy road with no shoulder. But soon we were cranking along on mostly empty roads in the cool morning air. I rode with the Dutch team to the gravel turn-off, then caught up with Bob and then the two routes converged and diverged a few times so we rode with various people.

Around 42 km, there was a decisive split, where the gravel got serious and many people tried a few meters and gave up. Bob and I continued, and that section ended up being about 20 km long, consistently climbing, on a very rocky railroad bed without the rails, but with all the rocks you could ever want. We went through 12 tunnels, and over half of them required a headlight. Luckily I had one, not great but just good enough so that the two of us could ride every tunnel.

There were many deep road cuts and a few amazing rickety old bridges that were somewhat scary and if they had failed (as it looked like they would at any time), we would die. But we kept going. Bob bloodied himself massively on some kind of pricker bush, I was stung by a bee and stabbed in the foot by a branch that my wheel kicked up. Rocks were flying everywhere. We laughed a lot though, and it was actually really fun, once we resigned ourselves to going no more than 13 kph.

After a really long time, we came to a paved road, and then just had to pass it and stick with the rocks for another several km, then finally onto a paved road, then just a few more km to lunch. We assumed we would be dead last due to taking SO long climbing all that way, but no, all the fast guys who took the road were still there when we arrived. We ate long and hard, and a couple more gravel-heads arrived. Then it was time to go. We still were not half way, so had a LONG way to go.

After a short, steep climb, we got back on the rail path and cruised a really long way. 70 km, 80 km, 90 km, 100 km, 110 km, etc, repeat until done. Around 135 km we topped out on a hill and then cruised down to the Croatia border. We got out of Bosnia pretty easily, then after a 250m no-man’s land, the line to get into Croatia was pretty long. So we just coasted down past all the cars to the front and pushed in and were through quickly.

Then we had a great descent, steep and fun, to Dubrovnik. After a final 5 km through town we arrived at the hotel to find Caroline had made smoothies for everyone. She is awesome. We got our room, and took perfect awesome showers, did laundry, and even took a rest for a few minutes.

But soon it was 5:30 and time to go out with our craft beer-loving friends. We walked 1.5 km along the harbor to a nice place I had found online. We had decent IPA and other beers, then Niek, Bob, Liz and I decided a real dinner was required. Now. So we walked back, tried one place then settled on a pizzeria that was pretty good. An ice-cream stop on the way home and we were all set.

What a day! The most adventurous of the tour by far, but will it be beat later on?

Sept 22, 2022

Stage 16 of 36, day 18 of 43: 48.2 km, 425m climb, 2:03 Moving, 2:55 Total,  55.7 kph max

Country	Distance	Climbing
Slovenia	352.2	5149
Italy	29.3	346
Croatia	882.4	10,417
Bosnia & Herzegovina	78.7	818
Total	1342.6	16,930

Today was a super mellow ride, scenic and nice. For the first time on the tour though, it was actually not warm at breakfast.

By the time we started riding at 8, everyone was standing around carefully in the sun, and no one was in short sleeves. I even brought out my full-fingered gloves for the first part of the day.

After cruising through town for a while, we slowly climbed a bit, then had a fun descent to a deep, shadowed valley. It was cool, definitely below 10C. We were on a sort of main road to Mostar but the traffic was light. Around 20 km we turned off and headed up some side roads, warmer. We had seen that it was an out-and-back to something but didn’t know what. Then I saw a sign “Dervish House 2 km”.

Sure enough, we rolled up to Tekija u Blagaju which is an old monastery-type place built under a giant overhanging limestone cliff. We paid the entry fee even though so far in Bosnia, the satisfaction to entry fee ratio has been low. They had a nice souvenir shop and bathroom, but we weren’t allowed in the house itself (our shorts were too short). We took some photos, but the angle was much better below in the free zone.

We rolled away soon, now dressed in short sleeves and fingerless gloves. Good thing too since Rob’s route soon had us taking a detour up a pretty steep climb on a tiny “road” that measured 19.2% at the steepest. That will warm you up. Then a nice descent and we were getting close to Mostar.

We arrived in town at the hotel before noon and Bike Dreams had set up lunch outside, across the street. We ate, relaxed a few minutes then checked in. The hotel is new and nice. We had showers, then somehow we both fell fast asleep for a while. After a nap we worked out a plan with the rest of the “Craft Beer Lovers” WhatsApp group to meet at a local craft beer garden at 3pm. We headed over and the place was great.

All in all it was a really great day and I’m looking forward to more riding tomorrow. We still have two more days of good weather predicted. Good night!

Sept 21, 2022

Stage 15 of 36, day 17 of 43: 66.5 km, 793m climb, 3:18 Moving, 6:12 Total,  63.8 kph max

Country	Distance	Climbing
Slovenia	352.2	5149
Italy	29.3	346
Croatia	882.4	10,417
Bosnia & Herzegovina	30.5	393
Total	1294.4	16,505

I slept pretty well, considering. There are jackals on this island and at times in the night, one would start howling and that would set off the whole pack. They sound a little like coyotes on some drug that makes them crazier than usual. We had breakfast at the usual time and again, had the joy of packing up bone dry tents. We left before 8am and had a 2 km ride down to the ferry terminal.

On the mainland, we rode off, heading south for a while, then up a hill on a tiny road with no traffic. Then inland and pretty soon to a border crossing. But we turned north right at it, not quite leaving Croatia. We headed up a valley for a while then spotted the lunch truck at 36 km. We had a tasty lunch, and noticed our border crossing was just 100m ahead. We set out and the formalities were minor and the next thing we knew we were riding through Bosnia and Herzegovina – I’ll just call it Bosnia from now on.

We had our choice again today: gravel or regular. I opted for gravel because it’s shorter by 10 km and because it’s gravel. A while after the border the routes split but came together at Kravica Waterfall. Bob and I were riding together and decided to pay the entry fee and ride in. It was 20 convertible Bosnian marks (km) each, euros and kuna not accepted. So I waved my credit card and made it happen, not knowing how much we were paying [turned out $10.13 each]. We rode in, down a hill, locked the bikes and hiked down to a pretty lagoon where people were swimming and looking at many waterfalls, all in the same area.

We rode back up, then about 20 km more to camp. The route was up and down, mostly all on deserted roads. At one point we rode over a giant ultra-modern looking motorway, which looked really weird with no cars on it in either direction. Finally we saw one. I wonder what the story is there.

Anyway, we rode through the town of Međugorje, Bob nearly crashed, then we made it to camp. It was so nice to arrive early and not sweaty at all. The temperature is about 18-19C, sunny and nice. I set some things charging in the truck, set up my tent in the spacious area that seemed to be just for us, then had some delicious soup and several other snacks plus a lot of orange juice. The showers were cold but Bike Dreams had evidently paid for us to use a small hotel next door. When I went over to find the place, a woman grabbed me and pulled me into a garage, “Please help us here.” Two very scruffy guys were in there with an ancient, dirty and crappy mountain bike. She points to one side of the shock, “Oil goes in here, true or false?” I said, “True on most shocks but I don’t know this one. We have an excellent mechanic who can help.” Then she gave me a hotel room with a tiny but hot shower. I washed my clothes and myself and came out very happy.

We have working WiFi all through camp and my phone works perfectly in Bosnia so far too. I wrote this up and chatted with Katie while she drove to the pool at 6am at home. While we do have a bunch of very challenging looking rides coming up, I checked tomorrow’s and it looks dead easy, to a hotel in Mostar, Bosnia. Then there’s a gravel option for the day after that reduces the ride to Dubrovnik to 147 km. Bring it on!

Later in the afternoon, I took a nap, read a little, then went to the bathroom and got locked in. Sigi got a real laugh when I stood on the toilet, just tall enough to see out the thin crack above the door, “Sigi, come over here for a minute please.” No inside door knob…he rescued me, then Henk made a warning sign for that door. Then we had a great dinner at 6:30 and for the first time on the whole trip it was actually a little chilly. I wore pants and socks with my flip-flops! Joop gave a really nice Marmot presentation, talking about seeing cultural differences through cycling. He concluded that he needed more research so we have to give him the marmot sometime near the end of the tour.

Sept 20, 2022

Stage 14 of 36, day 16 of 43: 38.3 km, 693m climb, 1:57 Moving, 2:47 Total,  62.4 kph max

Country	Distance	Climbing
Slovenia	352.2	5149
Italy	29.3	346
Croatia	846.4	10,217
Total	1227.9	15,712

After such a fun, easy day yesterday, it really seemed like we’re cheating today to have an even easier day. We woke up to dry tents, clear skies and beauty everywhere.

Breakfast was normal at 7am and we left just before 8am. It was only 13 km to the ferry terminal – I led the way, curving around, a little climbing, and a scenic Rob detour through the touristy town of Korčula. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and relaxed until 9am when the ferry took off. It was a short ride over to Island Peljesac, gorgeous sitting on the top deck.

We started riding and it was a bit busier, the road was a little narrow, there was a headwind and it was up hill. There was a 400m climb over about 6 km, with amazing views to the right and somewhat scary traffic on the left.

Once that was over, we headed inland on tiny roads with no traffic. The last part of the ride was just great, on a bike route, gorgeous and almost zero traffic. We had the typical big, steep descent into the town then arrived at the beach campsite.

The trucks hadn’t arrived, so we hung out on the beach. The water is so clear here and there are no crowds – just great.

We unloaded the trucks after a while, set up camp, and I retired to the outdoor bar to write this and relax. We looked ahead to tomorrow’s route, bigger, but still relatively short, and the excitement of entering Bosnia and Herzegovina, a new country for me. Then there was a lunch plus soup interlude, plus more snacks.

I spent the afternoon lazily, I took a nap, hung out, had a couple of beers with the guys, then it was time for dinner. It was Graham’s birthday and we sang and he talked about the Bike Dreams family that he was happy to be part of. Dinner was nice, then Tom gave a nice Marmot talk, passing it off to Joop for tomorrow.

58.6 km, 920m, 2:58 Moving, 64 kph max

No WiFi again in camp, so just a quick post. It was an easy day today but a fantastic day of riding. We dropped bags at the trucks at 8 so they could go get in the ferry line. Then a big hotel breakfast, hanging around for a while, then a short ride through Split to the ferry. Very relaxed, we boarded about 10 and started the 3 hour cruise to Vela Luka.

Scenic and relaxing, uncrowded and smooth. We chatted with a Finnish cyclist to pass the time. Close to docking we saw the famous Black Pearl which was amazing.

Bob and I rode off the ferry and detoured down to the town and looked around for a while, then started the climb. Lunch was supposed to be within a couple of km, so I texted after about 17 km. One answer was that we needed to go just a little more, the other said we had missed it long ago. But we couldn’t tell who was lying, Niek or Bob J. In the end, we just continued and it was Niek lying so we made it to lunch just as the last person was leaving.

Ype was very patient while we ate, then Bob said we had to hammer to avoid being last. It was just gorgeous scenery, up and down with no traffic and awesome. Hammer we did and passed many. Team Salsa FTW!

After an amazing steep 340m descent we made it to camp before 5pm and scored great spots in an olive orchard. Showers were good, then soup and snacks. Then a short rest to write this before dinner.

Dinner was a little later than usual since we arrived so late. It was dark when we finished but after the briefing for tomorrow, Wilbert asked, “Who has the Marmot?” So I stood up and said what an honor it was to carry the Marmot for two days and that it saw many funny things but I wanted to tell a true story about myself instead, one that included everyone.

Last night I had a dream that we were all riding through Croatia. We were trying to ride from lunch to camp when the wind picked up. We did make it but barely. It was like Patagonia. In the morning it was even worse and Wilbert said we couldn’t ride that day and would cancel the trip if it doesn’t get better. It got worse still, very scary. What we didn’t know was that the same thing was happening all over the world. Ocean waves got bigger and bigger and started flooding coastal towns. Soon we all died [massive groans]. But unlike my normal nightmares, it didn’t end there. I was watching the Earth from space and seeing many-kilometer high waves rush over every continent. Then I finally woke up. I was telling everyone about it at lunch the next day and Tom said ‘Wait a minute, that’s my dream!’ And told the rest of it which matched my dream exactly. Then I woke up Again and was in my bed in Split with Bob snoring. Questions about my dream were like “Do you have any more of those mushrooms left?” Etc. Funny that we had mushroom soup today. Anyway that was my dream that I shared. Good night, pleasant dreams!

On these demanding bike tours, a rest day is like heaven. Make the location interesting and beautiful like Split, and it’s an excellent heaven. We started the day with a large breakfast at the hotel, then walked downtown later and checked out the famous Diocletian’s Palace. We had been through it a bit the night before going to dinner but took more time and saw more, but even in the second half of September, it’s super crowded. To the point where going to the more famous parts is basically impossible or too painful to contemplate. Maybe before 8am? Later I heard it was super crowded at 9am too.

We walked past Gregory of Nin’s statue and through the Golden Gate back into the Palace. We ran into Donna and Elizabeth and decided to eat lunch together. I had a nice pizza and it was nice chatting. Donna is heading home to Canberra, Australia tomorrow. Bike Dreams trips are flexible – you can do the whole thing or just part. After lunch, Bob headed off to meet some relatives who happened to be in town and I looked around the Palace some more.

I walked back to the hotel and had a chat with Katie, then went swimming at the public swimming area next door – right in the Adriatic. The water was pretty warm, with choppy waves. It’s very salty so you can float really easily. The swimming area is great with showers and comfy shaded deck chairs – I relaxed for quite a while.

I went back in and it was almost dinner time. Niek and I walked back to the Corto Maltese Freestyle Restaurant where we had a reservation this time.

Bob was there eating with his family too. The food was amazing, very fancy and tasty. I had “Ballad of the Salted Sea”. The dish names and notes on the menu were funny. We had a great local Zinfandel, then went back to Luca’s for another triple gelato extravaganza, all new flavors from last night.

All in all it was a great rest day and we’re looking forward to a fun and easy half day of riding tomorrow.

Sept 17, 2022

Stage 12 of 36, day 13 of 43: 110.5 km, 1184m climb, 4:54 Moving, 6:11 Total,  66.2 kph max

Country	Distance	Climbing
Slovenia	352.2	5149
Italy	29.3	346
Croatia	748.5	8604
Total	1130.0	14,099

Last night at dinner we had the usual “Marmot” ceremony. There is a little marmot doll that travels with the group. Each night in camp, whoever has it tells some stories from the day or whatever they feel like saying, then passes it on to another person. Last night Lex told some stories then mentioned that I had accidentally left my tent, packed up, leaning against a tree, some distance from the truck and it was a lucky thing someone saw it and it wasn’t left behind [this part was all true]. Then he explained that I hadn’t even used it that night – I had just been at the dance party next door, all night. And voila I was presented with the marmot.

Today felt like things were really settling in and working well. It also marks the one-third point of the riding stages, 12 done, 24 to go. After a nice breakfast with pancakes, we packed up and started riding at 7:45. Everyone was looking at various weather and wind apps trying to figure out what it would be like – the consensus was bad headwinds all day and hard rain later in the day. We set out, into the wind, riding slow. But all that changed after just a kilometer. We turned and all was golden. Downhill with tailwinds! And scenic with no hint of rain! This went on for a long time, riding in a great group. I got out ahead with Simo for quite a while, then he dropped me on a hill.

A little later I was on a climb and realized I had made a wrong turn. I turned around and found a large group had made the same mistake. So we all corrected and rode up the big climb of the day together.

We rode past grapes growing (and ready or over ready to be picked). And figs, way over ripe on the tree – tasty as dried fruit. Marc and I opted out on a coffee stop and continued together to lunch at 65 km. The guys had a barren spot on the side of the road but the vans were strategically placed to make shade.

We were about first there and had a lovely time, eating and chatting. After a while we took off. Marc’s Garmin had decided to stop working so he needed someone with directions. We had some great descents, riding through tiny villages, past a million olive trees and some steep but short climbs. We also rode through the town of Trogir which was mobbed with people but beautiful.

After a while we could see Split ahead and around 90 km, we stopped at a little café for some Radler (Anita’s idea – she’s from Germany) – very good call.

Fortified, we cranked out the last 20 in a group of 6. Rob’s route ended with what looked like a detour, way around a peninsula but it looked like a park on the map so we followed. It turned out to be a perfect tree-shaded bike path, a great way to end the ride.

We pulled in by the hotel and there was a large city park. Caroline, our new cook, had set out a bunch of delicious food, and we laughed as we ate about how the weather forecasts had been so wrong. Then Katie texted and we had a great 50 minute call, me laying on my back looking at the sky and the trees. I SO love WhatsApp. After that it was dark and cloudy but still no rain. We all checked in to the hotel and I got a nice room with Bob and working A/C. Writing this now, after a nice shower, the first time in dry cool air for days…is super great! The day didn’t end up as we expected, but was super fun. Tomorrow is a rest day then the next day we have a 10:30 ferry to catch – everyone’s looking forward to time off the bikes, especially in a great city like Split. Our hotel is right on the water with swimming in a pool or the sea.

Ok so then there was dinner. How do I even describe it? Bob carefully looked up an awesome sounding place and he and I went with Niek, early, and arrived to find most seats free.

But no, it’s reservation only and we were SOL. It was rated 4.6 and looked awesome. But next door was a much smaller place, rated 4.7, with only 2 small tables outside and 3 inside. We asked and the owner said he’d have a free table in 10 minutes, drink these while you wait. So we did. Sure enough after 10 minutes we sat down, ordered a round of beers and then all the seafood things on the menu: squid w/fava beans, shrimp with barley and fried squid with vegetables. All very large portions, then a bottle of their finest white wine, and after dinner drinks on the house, so so fun. We were joined by a funny cellist from California – it was a grand gourmet experience. The cellist recommended a fantastic gelato place and we all indulged massively. This is truly fine living.

Sept 15-16, 2022

Stage 10 of 36, day 11 of 43: 114.2 km, 1014m climb, 5:30 Moving, 6:42 Total,  67.6 kph max

Stage 11 of 36, day 12 of 43: 93.9 km, 868m climb, 4:10 Moving, 5:30 Total, 63.8 kph max

Country	Distance	Climbing
Slovenia	352.2	5149
Italy	29.3	346
Croatia	637.9	7420
Total	1019.5	12,915

We had a couple of days of unsettled weather with terrible forecasts. We did get slammed with rain for the first 30 km of stage 10, but stage 11 was rain free. I was on dinner duty in Zadar, and that involved shuttling food in the rain from the kitchen to a dry room we took over for dinner. I helped make the appetizers and also the dessert – I was the whipped cream man. I went to sleep around 8pm which turned out to be a brilliant stroke of luck. I woke up at 1:55am to pee and when I had just settled back into my tent, the dance party next door fired up. It was pretty loud and very repetitive. I tried and tried and could not get back to sleep. In the morning I heard comments like “even my noise cancelling headphones didn’t help.” Everyone was talking about how bad it was. It finally ended at 5:30 and I just fell asleep when someone’s 6am alarm went off.

So I got up and packed. It had rained during the night but stopped so we ate breakfast outdoors and got ready to go. We went in a big group and it was nice rolling on roads with little traffic for a long time. We stopped some time after 30 km in a little town for drinks, then continued 20 km more to lunch. Trading the lead with Niek and Bob was fun.

Lunch was at a scenic spot, a bit hot, but the food was as tasty as ever. I love Bike Dreams lunches. It was only 10:30 but I was already hungry.

After lunch we took off again, in the fast pack but after 10-15 km it suddenly got really hot and I lost all power. Geoff and I ended up panting in the shade of a tree for a while. We persevered and thanks to a long, beautiful and fast 9 km descent, we made it to Krka National Park. I thought about just riding to camp but went ahead and paid the entry fee and rode in towards the famous waterfalls. It was about 3 km of gravel, then the hikes looked over-touristed so I opted out and just had a great ice cream, then rode back.

Once on the road it was a short 150m climb, a few km up the hill and I was in camp.

The climb wasn’t bad but I was super hot when I arrived. I scored a great tent site, cooled off for a while, set things up, had a shower, did some laundry, ate soup, then retired to the bar with Tom, Graham and Peter. We stuck to the 1 beer followed by the same volume of mineral water, then repeat. That seemed to work well.

No big post today. WiFi is not working in camp and I am hammered from a hard day. I guess we should count our blessings…it was supposed to rain all day but stopped after riding a bit over 30 km. It sure started at an inconvenient time though: while I was packing my bags in my tent.

After breakfast where we had a bowl at a strategic spot to catch drips, we left at 7:45 in strong rain. Cars and trucks washed us with waves of water. We had over 110 km to go and the headwind was brutal. But perseverance pays off and by lunch at 55 km it was semi-sunny.

The second half was hard due to headwind and distance and it was hot and humid. Done now in camp feels good. I have an hour to relax until I’m on dinner duty.

Sept 14, 2022

Stage 9 of 36, day 10 of 43: 58.4 km, 909m climb, 2:49 Moving, 6:09 Total, 68.6 kph max

Country	Distance	Climbing
Slovenia	352.2	5149
Italy	29.3	346
Croatia	429.8	5438
Total	811.4	10,933

It seemed pretty simple and low-stress, starting out with 3 km downhill to a ferry, then 26 km to another ferry, then 20 km to a third ferry, then a short 11 km over a hill to camp. For some reason everyone got up at 5:30, leaving a whole hour to pack before breakfast. It’s very dark at that time. It got light, we ate, we left at 7:15 and easily made the ferry. Back in 2007 I remember riding over 10 km up and down to make a 7am ferry at this place, on unicycle. This was a lot easier.

The ride was a bit over an hour, to Rab Island. It was cloudy and a bit windy, but warm and scenic on the crossing.

We disembarked and had over an hour to make the 10:30 ferry 26 km away. Sounded easy but it turned out the wind was squarely in our faces and the hills were many and steep. We cranked it out but in the end only 8 of us made it in time – also the ferry left at 10:20 so I only just made it.

This was a short crossing to mainland Croatia, 18 minutes. Just up the hill we met Ype and Henk with the lunch truck. They had driven around on yesterday’s bridge and arrived just before us. It was only about 10:30 but I was already hungry for a big lunch. Our plan was to leave at 11:15 and take an hour to crank out 20 km with a big climb to the next ferry. I left a couple minutes early and made it easily, drafting behind Niek for some of the way. The descent to the ferry was great: we could see it coming, still far enough so we knew we had it in the bag. And the curves were awesome, over 60 kph many times.

I blasted past a million cars to the front of the line with Niek and Simo, then the ferry arrived, unloaded and we rode on. This one was only 14 minutes across to Rab Island which is very barren on this side, looks like the moon.

We landed and immediately started the climb to the top of the island. It was less than 200m but hot and sweaty. It didn’t take long to get to the campground which is huge. I arrived, and followed the sign to Reception but my Garmin said I still had 900m to go. I checked in and realized I was tired and really hot. Some cold orange soda and a big bowl of soup fixed that.

I set up my tent, then walked a long way to the showers which are beautiful here. I did laundry in the shower, hung it up, ate a little more, clipped my nails, wrote this up and relaxed. More people arrived having taken later boats and Geoff generously opened a large bag of cold beers he had purchased at a nearby store. Mellow afternoons like this are just so great! Later, our neighbor paid a visit, a gregarious Italian. He called me “Messner” and I was very honored.