Budapest to Kecskemet

June 28th
100km (355 vertical)

Group ride for the first 20km out of Budapest this morning. Many of the riders have not done much group riding, so I decided to ride right behind Olivier and out of the congestion.

Once we were out in the countryside, they let us ride at our own pace. Al shot out front but fell while passing some other riders on a railway track. His tire slipped on the rail and got caught in the large crack beside it, throwing him to the road. He had a bit of road rash, but hoped up immediately and rode quickly to lunch.

Apparently two other riders fell today as well, but nothing serious. Mike fell turning sharply into the lunch stop, which he didn't see until the last second. And Stewart fell somewhere this morning. He went out last night with some friends from Budapest, and had a bit too much to drink. After the fall, he decided to ride in the van from lunch to the campsite.

Nice tailwind on a flat day made for a quick ride today. Even with the slow group ride in the morning, we averaged 24.6km/h for the 100km ride today. Just as well, since there was not much scenery to speak of and my butt and hands were feeling sore. I think I need scenery or climbing to keep me entertained/distracted on the bike. Either that or I need a new saddle that is slightly wider than the one I have.

I got my passport back today, which is nice because I'll need it to enter Romania the day after tomorrow. Still no China visa though. I'll try applying in Bucharest, although people who have been to Romania before suggest it is not the type of place where things ever get done quickly. Since we don't ride anywhere near the capital city of Bulgaria, our next Chinese embassy after Bucharest will be in Turkey.