Pigged out on a good breakfast in the hotel, as this was the day Dave had planned some 50 km of off-road for us. Thorpy made himself abundantly clear, he was having none of it, so we had a chance to plan things properly. The first 150km we would ride together, then split as before sending him straight to the hotel.
The mornings roads were a good combination of motorway, then single A roads, until around lunchtime where me and Dave waited to say our goodbyes.
Neil joined us, Thorpy headed off, and we headed into the mountains. After a brief stop for a cuppa, I thought I'd ask Dave about the track... turned out its not actually "on the map", but is part of the recognised TET (Trans Europe Trail). Hmmm.
Found the start easily and with enthusiastic abandon, shot off up the gravel track. It was relatively easy, but steep in places.
After the climb we got to the top of the mountain and in a scene reminiscent of the Sound of Music...
Continuing on, the gravel turned to dirt, and we did hit the odd mudhole, Harris making a meal out of this one ...
Not to be daunted, we carried on, only to find a fallen tree blocking our way ....
Harris is optimistic .....
.... but no way. So a quick scan of the map, and we realised there was a way round. Bugger, another fallen tree ...
Had we been on our UK trail bikes, we could have got around on the left side, but the sheer drop (not visible in the photo), and the weight of our loaded bikes, made us opt for the sensible option. So, turning around we found yet another way round, even if it was an extra 15 km.
Time was getting on, and at 5.30pm, we turn into the last "uncharted" section. Now this was the first bit of the trail so far that simply looked abandoned ... the undergrowth, the rock slides, more fallen trees....
With the time approaching 6, and covering about 5% of the distance, I politely suggested turing back could, might, possibly, maybe, be the safer option. It went to a vote ! So now we retrace our steps, and take a gamble on riding south, on what appeared to be a recently built gravel road.
Success, and what a great A-road it turned out to be. An hour of three lane twisties, with no traffic, was a fitting reward to our day. We got in around 7.30, with Thorpy beating us by nearly 5 hours.
A mega quick shower and with no food all day, we excused Dave for ordering slightly more than usual....
What a cracking day .. adventure, at its best. Tired, Yes. Worthwhile, Yes. Stupid, well others can judge!
Kudos to Dave for attempting it. And a mention in despatches for Neil, who rode like a demon on the dirt, proving that you don't have to spend the cost of my first house, to have the ultimate pizza delivery bike !
That's what life's about, we all loved it, and lived to tell the tale.
