Rafael

Epic autumn ride with lots of climbs, quick and fun descents, beautiful views and lighting, as well as a lot of flow feeling! 🤩😁☀️🍁👌🏼 Also delicious coffee in Liberec ☕... And somehow a massive swarm of small flies in the Hejnice region? 😅🪰🪰🪰🪰

After a very good night of sleep in the Bivouac hut (I was very happy to be inside, because a thunderstorm passed outside and it was strong!), I packed and went on, first to get water nearby (there was no water in the hut itself), and then along a ridge line above the Soča river. The view was really cool, with fog in the valleys, all the forest and hills around, as well as the view from the big mountains behind, which I passed through the days prior! To get down to the Soča valley and cycling path there was one last adventurous descent on a forest path with very loose and rough rocks, but it went fine! And the Soča cycling path is really nice! 👌🏼 And from there on it was flat through Slovenia and Italy, always following the river (called Isonzo here j Italy), until a the last 20 km or so through cycling paths and finally through a very long bridge connecting the continent to the island, where Grado is! A very beautiful closing path, even with the strong headwind! And then I got here! And went for a swim on the Adriatic, some gelato and some pizza 😁🙌🏼 I made it to the final destination of the trip, no big issues along the way and no falls! 😄✌🏼 Feels great to have made it! 😁

It rained all night and all morning, so I started late and made a shorter variant of the day (and let's be honest, I'm very tired at this point, one extra mountain just for the view was not necessary 😅). Rough gravel along the river Soča to quite a while, with one cool river crossing! Successful 😂 Very nice views, but will all the rain, the Soča river turned from turquoise blue to muddy and gray/brown. Then a bit of road, a stop in the city for food and supermarket, and then straight into the long climb of the day, and the last of the trip! Steep up to the Kolovrat mountain ridge, which is the border between Slovenia and Italy, with view to the flat lands before the Mediterranean Sea! Up here is a Bivacco/Bivouac I saw and the map and hoped would be open, and it is! 😁 So I will not have to pitch and sleep in my wet tent 😂🙌🏼 feels great to be up here and with just one more day of riding until the end on the Mediterranean coast :)

After a day of rest, back on the bike for another big day! The weather was unstable and often rainy (the weather forecast was almost useless), so eventually I put the rain gear on and started my way. Bled Lake was beautiful even with this weather and after a hiking path, I got back on the Sava valley with its excellent cycling street, all the way to Krajska Gora (I've been through here on the way to Bled). After a coffee break I put the rain jacket back on and went up the street of the Vršič Pass, which goes through the middle of the Julian Alps, in the Triglav national park. Absolutely breathtaking! And bit only because of the long climb :P For the past 1/3 of the way up I went an alternative gravel path instead of the main road and it was worth it! Not as steep and mostly good to ride, with even more amazing views than from the street! From there it was a cold and foggy downhill to the Soča river valley, which is it's own kind of beautiful and the river itself is really impressive! I made it to the camping place, and the rain just got stronger in the night, I'm still hoping it will clear a bit before I start the 7th day of riding 😅

Started the day by getting my front wheel checked and centered (it was wobbling a bit, not enough to be dangerous... Yet!), then a but of easy riding by the river before tackling the crazy Wurzen Pass street! Starting at around 10 to 12%, then the second half between 15 and 22% 🥵 crazy hard, but I managed to slowly get up it without pushing the bike 💪🏼🦵🏼 and there were some other crazy Bikepackers going up the same road, we then took a pause and some drinks on the top, which was the crossing to Slovenia! :) we rode down together, then went separate ways, I went through beautiful cycling paths and then a great parallel valley to Bled! On the small climb to the other valley I met two other very cool Bikepackers and we went together the rest of the way, including swimming in the Bled Lake! (which is forbidden??! But we did it anyway 😈). The two took the train from here and I got to a beautiful camping place by the river, tomorrow (today, as I'm writing this) will be a day off to give the legs and the knees some needed recovery, before the next stage ;)