Average Speed: 18.2 (11.4 MPH)
Distance Cycled Today: 164 km (102 Miles)
Distance Cycled Total: 2396 km (1488 Miles)
Mood: Not At All Punny
A solo ride today.
Jamie needed to get his bike fixed in Zagreb and wanted an early start.
I'm comparatively lazy and unambitious and was 100% fine with starting three hours later than him.
He has long since accepted that no matter how ridiculous my schedule and habits are, I'll find a way to keep pace. I'm The Little Engine that Probably Shouldn't... but Could.. and Did Anyway. And I'm proud to wear that title.
Today was no exception, and I got my first 100-miler in... so go ahead and mark up that board!
I still had at least another 50 miles in the tank after arriving to the destination at 11 P.M.
In fact, I'm going to get a 150 mile day in on this trip. Mark my words.
I'm at that point now where there is absolutely zero pain*, where hills and mountains are, for the most part, a joy to climb, and where I want to keep going when the ride is finished. I remember this feeling- it happened at approximately the same mileage last year- and it's phenomenal. *This assertion excludes butt. After 100 miles, the butt lets you know that it would prefer a couch.
The ride out of Radovec was... lovely (I hate that word, but I can't think of a better one at the moment). Beautiful mountain vistas abound and a couple of solid climbs with wonderful descents to follow.
But that was short lived.
I've been pampered since I left Oslo. Without a doubt, Europe appreciates the bicycle and very frequently offers cycle paths free of motorists. When that's not possible, there is a dedicated cycling lane on the roads. And while I'm in no way proud to admit this, I've foregone the helmet for most of this trip (Side note: a bicycle helmet saved my life when I was 17 years old. Do not emulate my irrational choices).
That changed today. It was a downright harrowing ride into Zagreb after being on the country roads.
I had warning from Jamie (I actually like it when he's 20 miles ahead... I get up to date info and motorists have a tendency to cheer on the second bike-packer they see because they missed their opportunity with the first guy). But there's not much you can do to change the situation.
Actually there's nothing you can do.
May as well throw in the earbuds, focus on the white line, and trust that every single car whizzing by you at 80 MPH isn't texting and hasn't adapted the "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere!" mindset.
That's a lot of trust to put in strangers, but if you lack that confidence in your fellow beings, then you're going to make the problem much, much worse.
Don't worry, Mom. I wore a helmet today.
And I was delighted when 30 km from Zagreb, cycle paths started appearing again.
But they weren't really cycle paths. They were shoddy sidewalks that a road crew had painted a yellow line down the middle of and stamped a picture of a bicycle on.
That's not how it works.
I mean, at some point, someone on the road crew must've noticed that the designated lane they were creating runs through 30 km of street lamps, that there is no room to accommodate two bicycles heading in opposite directions, and that there is a two inch ledge that the bike has to plow through at each and every street crossing.
Now that's painful. I must've hit 400 of those damn ledges today. And that does some damage to the gluteus maximus... I absolutely love my saddle, but ain't no saddle in the world is gonna make that feel good, no matter what color it is.
That shit hurts.
Perhaps one road crew guy brought up some of these problems to another in a conversation, but I imagine the conversation went something like this:
Ivan: "Hey Luka... are you sure we should be directing cyclists directly into these street lamps spaced 30 meters apart from one another?"
Luka: ".......... pull my finger!"
Ivan: (pulls Luka's finger)
(Both erupt in laughter and completely forget about Ivan's fleeting concern.)
If I were feeling punny, I'd say "That's not a cycle path! That's a psycho path!"
But I'm not feeling punny. So I won't say that.
Puns are stupid.
Especially when hours of your ride are spent thinking about more cat puns to add to a Facebook pun-off you were having with a friend. I would never do that.
I pre-fur sophisti-catted humor.
Downtown Zagreb, while beautiful, was no better when it came to navigating on two wheels. I give it a D+ on cycleability. They tried. Kinda. They definitely bought the spray paint needed to make a lane, so that's a step!
I rode around the city aimlessly for about an hour before heading out, which felt like an adequate enough time in order for me to earn another souvenir sticker to slap on the bike frame.
And let's be real here... I'm in it for the stickers.
I can count on one hand which has been maimed after trying to clear a snow blower the number of people I spoke with today. Even cashiers at the kiosks where I bought water- not unfriendly, but oddly quiet.
Today was a truly solo experience.
If I had to pick a highlight, I'd say it was the night ride to today's goal.
I love night riding.
Ever see a cyclist riding after dark and think to yourself "Is that guy crazy?"
Allow me to offer a defense of that perfectly sane person:
 |
| Europeans love to spray paint bicycles and use them as advertisements. |
 |
| Rode for a Century! |
Jamie needed to get his bike fixed in Zagreb and wanted an early start.
I'm comparatively lazy and unambitious and was 100% fine with starting three hours later than him.
He has long since accepted that no matter how ridiculous my schedule and habits are, I'll find a way to keep pace. I'm The Little Engine that Probably Shouldn't... but Could.. and Did Anyway. And I'm proud to wear that title.
Today was no exception, and I got my first 100-miler in... so go ahead and mark up that board!
I still had at least another 50 miles in the tank after arriving to the destination at 11 P.M.
In fact, I'm going to get a 150 mile day in on this trip. Mark my words.
 |
| That rare moment when you stop in the middle of a descent because you are breath-taken by the view. |
The ride out of Radovec was... lovely (I hate that word, but I can't think of a better one at the moment). Beautiful mountain vistas abound and a couple of solid climbs with wonderful descents to follow.
 |
| I know better. |
But that was short lived.
I've been pampered since I left Oslo. Without a doubt, Europe appreciates the bicycle and very frequently offers cycle paths free of motorists. When that's not possible, there is a dedicated cycling lane on the roads. And while I'm in no way proud to admit this, I've foregone the helmet for most of this trip (Side note: a bicycle helmet saved my life when I was 17 years old. Do not emulate my irrational choices).
That changed today. It was a downright harrowing ride into Zagreb after being on the country roads.
 |
| Stitched these texts together. Trying hard to keep it clean. Me = Green. Also, Jamie is the master of the understatement, so if he says it's terrifying... |
I had warning from Jamie (I actually like it when he's 20 miles ahead... I get up to date info and motorists have a tendency to cheer on the second bike-packer they see because they missed their opportunity with the first guy). But there's not much you can do to change the situation.
Actually there's nothing you can do.
May as well throw in the earbuds, focus on the white line, and trust that every single car whizzing by you at 80 MPH isn't texting and hasn't adapted the "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere!" mindset.
That's a lot of trust to put in strangers, but if you lack that confidence in your fellow beings, then you're going to make the problem much, much worse.
 |
| This is a quick pic of the better cycle lanes. See if you can spot the problems. |
Don't worry, Mom. I wore a helmet today.
And I was delighted when 30 km from Zagreb, cycle paths started appearing again.
But they weren't really cycle paths. They were shoddy sidewalks that a road crew had painted a yellow line down the middle of and stamped a picture of a bicycle on.
That's not how it works.
I mean, at some point, someone on the road crew must've noticed that the designated lane they were creating runs through 30 km of street lamps, that there is no room to accommodate two bicycles heading in opposite directions, and that there is a two inch ledge that the bike has to plow through at each and every street crossing.
Now that's painful. I must've hit 400 of those damn ledges today. And that does some damage to the gluteus maximus... I absolutely love my saddle, but ain't no saddle in the world is gonna make that feel good, no matter what color it is.
That shit hurts.
Perhaps one road crew guy brought up some of these problems to another in a conversation, but I imagine the conversation went something like this:
Ivan: "Hey Luka... are you sure we should be directing cyclists directly into these street lamps spaced 30 meters apart from one another?"
Luka: ".......... pull my finger!"
Ivan: (pulls Luka's finger)
(Both erupt in laughter and completely forget about Ivan's fleeting concern.)
If I were feeling punny, I'd say "That's not a cycle path! That's a psycho path!"
But I'm not feeling punny. So I won't say that.
Puns are stupid.
Especially when hours of your ride are spent thinking about more cat puns to add to a Facebook pun-off you were having with a friend. I would never do that.
I pre-fur sophisti-catted humor.
 |
| At the top of a very steep hill in Zagreb |
Downtown Zagreb, while beautiful, was no better when it came to navigating on two wheels. I give it a D+ on cycleability. They tried. Kinda. They definitely bought the spray paint needed to make a lane, so that's a step!
I rode around the city aimlessly for about an hour before heading out, which felt like an adequate enough time in order for me to earn another souvenir sticker to slap on the bike frame.
And let's be real here... I'm in it for the stickers.
 |
| Good luck finding the Croatia sticker... Runnin' out of real estate here. |
 |
| Downtown Zagreb |
I can count on one hand which has been maimed after trying to clear a snow blower the number of people I spoke with today. Even cashiers at the kiosks where I bought water- not unfriendly, but oddly quiet.
Today was a truly solo experience.
 |
| No pictures of night ride... so here's another of Zagreb. I know nothing about this building. |
If I had to pick a highlight, I'd say it was the night ride to today's goal.
I love night riding.
Ever see a cyclist riding after dark and think to yourself "Is that guy crazy?"
Allow me to offer a defense of that perfectly sane person:
- The car traffic is drastically reduced
- It's not 1000 degrees, and no sunblock is required
- Both the headlamp and the taillight make the cyclist a gazillion times more visible, especially to the texters and the drunkards
- You get to see a sunset while riding, and there's nothing like cruising down a mountain at 40 MPH on a bicycle while the sun is setting. Nothing.
I did swallow about 23 pounds of gnats and a bumblebee... at least I think it was a bumblebee. Sure tasted like one. So there's that.
 |
| No fashion sense, Launchpad. None. |
At night, insects find their way into the eyes as well. That part sucks a bit. While I was packing this year, I thought about taking some clear goggles (sunglasses shield the eyes during the day, and they're never not on), but I didn't want to look like Launchpad McQuack from DuckTales.
If there's one thing I'm concerned about when I'm distance cycling, it's fashion. That's why I wear the same outfit every single day. It's slimming. And the ladies swoon over padded underpants and neon green shirts with pockets in the back. Rowwwwr.
Whatever. I made it.
 |
| CHEERS FOR THE BEER, DOUG CRUIKSHANK! |
And as I type this, drinking a beer called "Karlovacko" in the city of Karlovac (coincidence? I think not.), I'm realizing that all I want to do is close the lid to this computer, pack up my stuff, load up some Jason Isbell on the iPod, and ride some more.
But that will have to wait for another day.
A dusk 'til dawn is going to happen.
Just not yet.
P.S.
I'm the subject of the entire second floor in this museum.
...and the empty chair to that lady's right seems apt as well.
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