Garmin Activity: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1189562101
187 km, 6h57, elevation gain 1784 m. Trip rating 85%
We had a team building activity on Friday which got very late and on Saturday it was raining. Therefore, only one single day ride this weekend. Good thing I made it count...
I had my GPS calculate a 160 km spin in the northern part of the country. As soon as I stepped outside, that became 170.
I left at 08:30 and the weather looked promising, some clouds here and there but pretty ok for the rest
I headed out of Prague just like I came back three weeks ago, from Belgium. It was striking to see that a lot of yellow flowers had already disappeared from the fields
My eye spied a cycling route that led to Kralupy nad Vltavou. I already knew there was a road block where even cyclists could not pass and that the alternative would be the very heavily circulated 608. That is why I decided to give this path a chance. I saw something I had never seen before in Czechia: a trilingual warning that this was a steep path going downhill. Nothing impossible for my discs!
The clouds were piling up and I already mentally prepared myself for a downpour
22 km to the city center of Prague from this spot
Alright then, lets throw these discs into the abyss
It did not take long for me to experience that this went extremely steep, like -15%
And this was half off road, wet soil, no grip at all. I walked here as to avoid crashing my new bike.
Skies getting darker and I am in a crappy forest
It went steep all the way. Even walking required caution
Self explanatory that I also had to capture this with a video
Awesome bike, but off road is just not its terrain. Although the 28mm tires make it a helluva lot more versatile
Then I came across the Labe, which would take me further nord
Cycling path next to the river
Also here I came across some road bike unfriendly surroundings
I always use 28 mm tires in Czech republic and with good reason: at least I could proceed with caution. More grip and better flat resistance, disc to top it off
After 5 km I arrived in Kralupy nad Viltavou, then I went to Veltrusy and from there I went further north
And before I knew it, I found myself in the Ustecky region
District of Litomerice
Another area I had never been to
There was a little town called Radouc nad Labem, where I found a Potraviny. I made use of this opportunity to also charge my gps a little
And then I was kinda sure it would be seconds before it began raining
Luckily it didn't, at all
There was not a lot of elevation gain here and average speed was pretty good.
No strong headwinds either
Red flowers
The town of Litomerice
Here, it went uphill
This segment climbed from 150 to almost 500. A section had 12% gradient
Still grey skies. I even felt chilly in my shorts
It was super quiet and calm out here
12% indeed
Would there be some sunshine after all?
Needless to say that the answer to the above question is YES
Dunno what caused this sudden atmospheric turnover, but I liked it
Right next to road
District of Usti Nad Laben, this meant I was already pretty well north on the map
At this point some 85 km in the saddle, around the half way point
What goes up (by 12%), must come down (by 12%)
This area was astonishing and beautiful
Without my GPS, I would be able to get lost here, regardless of my excellent orientation skills
Remarkable name for a town
Here, a summer feeling overcame me, well deserved after 100 km I would say
Weekend Warrior in action
Enchanting Czech villages
And then I was already heading back south on the map. Progress was amazing
The other day I was talking to a colleague about the fact that there are no tunnels in the Czech republic, as opposed to Taiwan. This arch does not qualify as a tunnel. It needs to be at least 100 meters long.
Somehow I landed back on familiar road and I entered once again the Stredocesky region. This spot is some 50 km from home.
Cycling path but I was not going this way
The more progress I made, the more I was counting: could I do it in less then seven hours? That was the challenge. I cycled faster than usual to make it happen
Melnik's castle from afar. Only 30 km to Prague and my goal of 7 hours seemed doable
A few dark clouds appeared on my horizon. Late afternoon rain?
Good thing it was less than 20 km to home, so worst case scenario, I was almost home.
After leaving Melnik behind me, I found myself on Route 9. There I saw a smaller road to Stara Boleslav. I took it, just like I once did before. It adds some eight km to my ride, that's why.
Cobbles and castles in the Stara Boleslav center
A car loaded with bicycles was kind enough to let me pass the road first. He was with me!
This detour made my total mileage somewhere close to 190 km, but hopes of doing it within seven hours were not lost. I was going as fast as I could to make it happen.
I had been pounding it and I did feel kinda tired. It was a different way of cycling today. From this sign, it was only 2500 meters to my doorstep and I had eight minutes left. Doable?
I made my primary objective and that made the ride a lot more fun
Here you are, less than 7 hours for this 187 km. Pretty neat!
Cakovice was still bathing in daylight. Gotta love the summer!
