June 10, 2017: Telc and Trest, ambassadors of a fairy tale Vysocina


190km, 7h44, 2419hm


After my two weeks of vacation and one week back at work, it is now time for a decent long weekend ride. My road bike is home, so this time I will be using my flatbar. A tad heavier, but still good enough.


I headed east, into the direction of Celakovice


I left at eight and it was already warm and sunny


Summer fields in Czech republic


Enjoying a ride on my flatbar


Some new routes to make it interesting, and steep



Actually I was heading in the direction of Cesky Brod


As always, it aws very calm


Quite the contrast with the harsh winter we have had...


Tiny roads in between long forgotten villages


The goal for today was the Unesco site of Telc. After that I would spend the night in a place called Trest.


My bike for the day had a 32mm tire up front and a 35mm in the back. This provided extra cushion and comfort over the otherwise very crappy Czech roads. That was the biggest benefit of this ride.


Yellow summer fields


With 60 km finished, I bought water and snacks in a Potraviny located across this church. I was really taking it easy and enjoying.


I had a tail wind on this ride. The long, straight stretches of road enabled me to easily maintain a speed of 30-35kmph, on this flatbar. Great! It pushed me well ahead of schedule


Soon dark clouds started forming over my head. I was a bit worried it would cool down and rain since for once I did not bring any kind of jacket. 


I followed route 125 for a very long stretch of nearly 30 km. There were hills but also descends, which with tail wind made me go easily over 50. This was a lot of fun!


And yet, these clouds were getting more and more serious



Join Bartman as he plows through deserted Czech fields on a summer day



Fun on a bike


Interesting: on the last route. It almost seemed like a death warning.



This area is called Benesovsko, from the city Benesov. I took the time to study this map and understand elevation.


Considering my perfect progress, I took a break at the 100 km point, in the tall of Cechtice. I powered my devices, ate my home made rice with vegetables and shared some posts on facebook.


Then, I arrived in the hilly area of Vysocina.


This area has hills from 400+ to 700+ meters. Every road goes up and down. I absolutely love it


Cakovice... Am I home again?


The very hilly road 112 brought me to the town of Pelhrimov, one of the bigger cities in Czechia


It even had a partnership with the Dutch town of Waddixveen


Road 112 brought me all the way to Telc, be it with some pinchy climbs


Located at 620 meters



Stunning views on a relaxing summer day



What I liked most, was that I never visited this part of the country



Jihlava, a name that rings a bell, it even gives me nostalgia


Telc, almost there. Route 112 was pretty smooth, without too many cracks





Telc, home to a UNESCO world heritage site


I followed the cycling route and went to check out the city


Maybe it is because I have been cycling literally everywhere in Czech republic for the last two years and I visited nearly every major city, that it did not make such a giant impression on me. Don't get me wrong, the city was very nice and classic, but it did not really stand out in between Cesky Krumlov, Trebic, etc.


There were a lot of tourists here. Good branding from travel agencies


Old buildings and cobbles, that sums it up


I had a nice meal in a small restaurant. I had some pasta and a salad.


247 crowns later, I hit the road again. It was only 13 km to Trest so I was not yet satisfied


I studied my map and decided to make a little loop over a place called Pavlov (13km) and to go to trest from there (another 13km). That way I would finish with only a little under 200.


Road blocks which cyclists can pass


It was very warm this day and I noticed I got burned a little


Holy cross in the country side, there are many of them


That 13 km to Pavlov was very hilly. I even tipped a point of 690 meters high


Probably something from the nineteenth century



Hill after hill pushed my total elevation gain far over 2000 meters


Awesome bike! It did so many wonderful rides in Taiwan. Now it is serving me well in Europe.


The striking beauty of this deserted hinterland is indescribable 


Trest was now indicated on the cycling lanes, just eight km left.


I will say it again: this cycling infrastructure in Czech republic is really good. Very consistent



There was one long descent down to Trest, it went through a forest


The roads were full of cracks here, but my fatter tires and disc brakes helped out.


With 190 km in the saddle, I arrived at Trest


Magic sunset at the lake


My place for the night was brilliant; Apart from the fact it was hyper cheap, 300 Czk, it also had a Potraviny right next to it which solved my breakfast for the next- day as well. 


I took a shower, had some more fruits and went to bed quite early. A day well spent!

No comments:

Post a Comment