(2,289m vertical)
After the China visa discussion last night, I was not in a great mood today. Its very frustrating to think that the trip might end 2 months early, and without completing the entire distance. Mentally, its the idea of riding EFI (every f@#$ing inch) that is most motivating on tough days. Without that, it was tougher to get pumped up for the ride.
In any case, today was a great ride. Very challenging: long distance, rough roads, and the most climbing of any day so far. There wasn't any one large mountain per se, just lots of hills.
Breakfast at the hotel was not ideal. Lots of cold meat and cheese, which must be common for breakfast in Romania but is not very good cycling fuel.
The first half of the ride was on quiet country roads that were very rough and very hilly. Stewart called it a “Pitch and Bitch Day”, with everyone complaining about the incline of the road. The entire morning was spent on either a 10% incline or a 10% decline. The declines were tough because of all the potholes, loose gravel and sharp corners.
The upside was some great scenery – a wide valley and tree covered mountains in the distance. The local villages were also very interesting. Lots of locals going about their lives. Lots of local dogs too - dozens of them in every town – but only a handful actually barked and chased us.
The second half of the ride was on a main road, which was very smooth and had a nice tailwind. It was a nice finish after a challenging morning.
Washed my bike today with a wet rag. Its the second time this trip that I have cleaned the chain. Some people clean their chains every other ride, but I think this will damage the chain over time...plus I'm just too lazy.
Some photos from today:
Rolling hills...plus a cow.
Me and the hills. (A photos is a good excuse to rest.)
A market in a small town, where all the clothes were laid out on the ground.
Two aspiring matadors in a small town.
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