May 13th, 2022
Maybe we shouldn’t have started cycling after two days off on Friday the 13th, but here goes!
We didn’t have a great night’s sleep, so while an extra couple of hours in bed would have been appreciated, when the alarm rudely went off at 6 am, we were already awake.
We already had everything packed and ready to go apart from our wash kit, so it didn’t take long to be prepared to hit the road in our attempt to avoid the Zagreb rush hour. We were staying a little under 10 km from the city, but within minutes of setting off, we were already regretting not leaving two hours earlier.
While we were allowed to use the pavement at the side of the busy roads for most of the way into the centre, they weren’t really suitable for cycling on for the most part, with high curbs, lamp posts, and pedestrians that seemed to prefer walking on the part of the lane designated for cycles than the part with a painted person on. There was also the constant stop/start due to traffic lights, which is a challenge in a 225kg bike.
As a result, it took us almost 90 minutes to complete the cycle into the city centre for a quick photoshoot to prove that we had been to Zagreb. We had planned to venture up to the cathedral, but due to the traffic state, we made do with the statue of Kralj Tomislav and the part surrounding the Art Pavillion of Zagreb, which was closed. We did manage to get a photo of the towers of the cathedral as a poor consolation prize. So close, yet so far away.
We continued through the city, although we were forced onto the road, so we spent the remainder of the route chasing trams until, eventually, we reached the terminus of both the trams and buses. Cross the bridge over the river Sava we were approached by a young chap on a bike by the name of Joseph. Joseph had toured some of our future destinations a few years previous and was interested in our route. We chatted for quite a while, issuing him one of our stickers before he cycled on, which he placed on his crossbar, promising to check in on us in a couple of months.
While we were still in the city after crossing the bridge it was clear we were now in the tram free outskirts, then before too long we were surrounded by the Croatian countryside once again.
The country roads were quiet, so we set a steady speed and enjoyed watching the scenery roll by, passing through small villages regularly.
Since entering Croatia, we have received countless friendly honks of the horn, shouts of welcome and encouragement out of car windows, and filmed as cars pass us numerous times. Today was no exception; in fact, the frequency seems to increase the further south we head.
By noon the temperature was up to 30oC, so we took the opportunity to stop at the first supermarket we came to for something to cool us down. When we cycled US Route 66, the regular gas station stop was for an Icee drink which kept us going, but in Europe, we haven’t seen an Icee machine yet, so family packs of ice lollies is filling the void.
We thought we were cycling on country roads until we reached the campsite we were planning to stay at, but without warning, we turned a corner and found ourselves on a gravel track. We have been there before, and it never seems to work out well, so it being Friday the 13th, we had a sinking feeling that we would need to backtrack.
We cycled on for a few kilometres, with the track becoming less defined before it turned into a grassy track and suddenly no track at all. The banks that held a metal bridge had been washed away, leaving the bridge at the bottom of the shallow gully. The alternative to getting the bike over the obstacle was a 5 km detour, so somehow the Pino was going to make it across the bridge, which it did with a significant amount of huffing and puffing, together with a few centre metres of my shin skin.
Clearing the bridge, we were left with one more climb to the campsite. Following a military base border with clear sights that even looking at a soldier would amount to a declaration of war, we completed the last ascent in our stride. Okay, it wasn’t all that big a climb, but it was up and we completed it!
The last section to the campsite was on the flat along a main road, which, while busy compared with what we had cycled on all day, the traffic was friendly, giving us plenty of space.
We pulled into the campsite entrance off the main road to find a site that looked suspiciously lacking tents or campers. Friday the 13th strikes again!
Deborah headed over to the house across the road, as directed on the signposted on the campsite gate, while I waited with the bike. After a few minutes, I could see Deborah being shown around the house’s garden before she looked over and gestured for me to come over.
The campsite was closed, but the campsite owners said we could pitch up in the garden and use their outside toilet. Just as we were accepting the garden pitch, they said that there was an option for us to stay in one of their cottages adjacent to the house’s courtyard. The price mentioned was equivalent to about £17, so we accepted. Upon offering the cash, we are informed that the price was per person, not per room. Pleading poverty, we reached an agreement, and the deal was done. Our plan to be in a tent had morphed itself into a night in an air-conditioned room, proving Friday the 13th isn’t always the bearer of bad luck.
We finished the cycle today just before 4 pm, so plenty of time to chill and get a blog out. With a forecast predicting another 30oC day tomorrow and an ascent profile on the Garmin, it looks like we are cycling through the Himalayas, so we plan to have a very early night tonight and get up at first light to make a start on the day. We have a cheap booking.com room booked tomorrow night, so we have a confirmed 75 km day to look forward to on our push to the city of Split on the Croatian coast.