#112km

[sztupy]

Az idei mozogni kéne valamit projektem alapötlete, hogy sétáljuk körbe a várost ahol élek, mármint szó szerint, sétáljük körbe a hivatalos városhatárt (a fenti térképen a fekete csík, összesen 112km), amennyire csak lehet:

Valamennyire létező utak mentén menjen az út - legalábbis az OpenStreetMap tudjon róla

A szárazföldön menjen az út, úszni meg vizen keresztülgázolni ne kelljen

Kerítésen átmászni se nagyon kelljen, kivéve ha van rajta kapu vagy átkelő (kétszer nem volt)

Búzamezőn se kelljen keresztülgázolni ha nem muszáj (kétszer szükséges volt)

Ha több hasonszőrű lehetőség is adódik az útvonalra akkor inkább kívülről legyen az a határ megkerülve, ne belülről, hiszen a körülsétálás a cél.

Az eredmény a fenti kékkel jelölt útvonal, összesen 110km, plusz egy 17km-es zöldeskékkel jelölt bónusz szakasz, ami a főváros urbánus és vidéki részének választóvonalán hajt keresztül.

[magnetictapedatastorage]

The outrage among students was immediate. By the next day, another protest camp was established at a different lawn just a few metres away. A day later, another protest camp was set up just over 70 miles (112km) north-east of Columbia, at Yale University in Connecticut, another elite institution. By the middle of this week, demonstrations were taking place at dozens of campuses across the country.

[beardedmrbean]

Two men are facing a court in south-west France accused of beating a bus driver to death after they allegedly refused to wear face-masks.

The defendants, now aged 24 and 25, are accused of "dealing mortal blows" during the incident in the city of Bayonne in July 2020.

Philippe Monguillot, aged 59, died in hospital five days after the assault.

The two accused, Wyssem Manai and Maxime Guyennon, could face a 20-year prison sentence if convicted.

Prosecutors say Mr Monguillot was set upon after asking three men on his bus to show their tickets and adjust face-masks they were wearing over their chin.

The incident occurred after the end of France's first Covid lockdown, when masks were mandatory on all public transport.

In an ensuing confrontation, Mr Monguillot was kicked and punched and his head hit the pavement as he fell.

The city's mayor condemned it as a "barbaric act".

Mr Monguillot's death caused shock across France and thousands of people took part in a protest march led by his widow in Bayonne.

The trial opened on Friday at a court in Pau, 112km (70 miles) east of Bayonne.

[jow99]

It’s officially summer

Tuesday morning is cycling morning and Marjolein decided we should meet with the group and start out with them. We both agreed we didn’t have enough food or legs to do a 100km+ ride with them. Having said that we were hanging in there really well so next thing we know we’re almost at the border with France 😳 We had taken a slightly easier option and missed one big climb.

With a little help from our friends we made the whole ride (112km) and collapsed two very tired girls into the bar at the end. A clara (shandy) has never tasted sooo good.

Thankfully we had leftover moussaka for lunch and it was a pretty quiet afternoon. Later in the afternoon we met Marjolein and Martijn for a swim and a drink down at the beach. It actually ended being a lateish night.

Wednesday is Spanish day. Jose had a meeting this morning so I cycled off to the Spanish conversation group on my own and he joined me later. From there we headed over to storage via a bar for a glass of wine and some patatas brava.

This afternoon was housework until it was time to go for my Spanish lesson. They’re so much more enjoyable now I’m not under the pressure of my exam.

It had been windy and overcast when I left for my lesson so we decided against a swim. Of course by the time I came out of my lesson the sun was shining. Annoying but we consoled ourselves with a sangria and people watching.

Nibbles on the balcony and then we retired inside to watch tv. There is so much rain, flooding and hail in other parts of Spain but it’s missing us. I’m quite happy with that as long as the dams are filling up.

[cedricfaitsontourdupilat]

LA MADELEINE

A St-François-Longchamp, le 4 août 2024

Nouvelle épreuve en haute montagne ce week-end avec l’une des plus dures du calendrier pour le grand parcours dit de la Croix de Fer : 135kms pour 4700m de D+, le D+ se faisant même en 112km seulement puisque les 23 premiers kms sont plats ! La météo est au rendez-vous cette année : beau soleil même s’il fait un peu frais pour se rendre au départ en vallée, à la Chambre pour 7h45.

Il n’y a pas que le parcours de difficile ici ; la concurrence s’annonce féroce avec un contingent étranger de qualité (les Belges du granfondoteam.be, Tim Alleman ou les Italiens Michele Negri et Fabio Lanzone). Côté français on n’est pas en reste avec Antoine Boudsocq, Julien Bérard, Arnold Reifler, Aurélien Philibert, Jordan Manenti, Kenty Blanc, Alexandre Banegas, Pierre Berger ou Guillaume Cloître parmi ceux que je connais le plus.

En première ligne le départ m’est simplifié et je reste à l’avant alors qu’un grand costaud du team granfondoteam.be nous emmène entre 40/50 km/h empêchant toute tentative d’échappée jusqu’à la petite bosse du km13 : même pas 1km et là ça attaque très fort ! ça s’étire mais vu la faible durée d’effort et le peloton conséquent, je me dis que ça ne va pas casser et rentrer dans la petite descente qui suit mais non ! 7-8 gars prennent 10’’ et la poursuite tarde à s’organiser. Notre ami Belge revient à l’avant et on reprend un bon rythme avec 2-3 autres qui l’aide un peu mais devant ça creuse : les favoris y sont tous à l’exception de Tim et c’est certainement la raison pour laquelle ils vont rouler très fort. Dans les longues lignes droites vers St-Jean de Maurienne on ne les voit plus et je m’attends à une grosse entame sur la 1ere difficulté du jour : le col du Mollard depuis Villargondran (16,4 km à 6,1%).

Enfermé au pied, je vois un trio qui se détache : le temps de me dégager j’hésite à tenter de les rejoindre : on est déjà sur 5,2w/kg et je me dis que sur ce rythme on devrait revenir… mais non ils continuent de creuser ! Je vois alors Alex et Tim remonter : le belge prend les choses en main mais pas loin des 5,5w/kg dans les roues, il ne va pas falloir que ça dure trop longtemps et au bout de quelques minutes tout le monde le laisse filer. Bob Adriansens (un rival sérieux dans ma catégorie) et Alex prennent le relais et nous 3 seront les plus actifs dans ce groupe que va se réduire : on passe au col de la Confrérie (Albiez-le-Jeune) à 8 après 51’ à 313W soit finalement à peu près la limite que je m’étais fixé. Après quelques replats et talus nous franchissons le col du Mollard de nouveau au-delà des 5w/kg mais là pas le choix il faut absolument que je reste dans les roues pour la descente qui suit. Alex y fait le guide et tout va bien dans sa roue même si la 2eme partie sur une route en mauvais état m’est plus pénible ; au barrage de Belleville nous sommes trois avec Pierre puis bientôt 3 autres qui reviennent mais sans Bob qui a pris un tir dans cette descente !

On est alors sur la route du col de la Croix de Fer : 14,6 km à 5,6% et on va y passer 43’ à 300W moyens. C’est roulant jusqu’à St-Sorlin-d’Arves où on se relais bien tout en se ravitaillant : l’allure n’est pas folle mais permet de maintenir l’écart avec nos poursuivants à défaut de reprendre du temps aux gars de devant. A St Sorlin, il reste 5,5km à 7,7% et Alex accélère : bien dans la roue je ne regarde rien d’autre que ça ! Puis au bout d’un moment je me rends compte que nous sommes plus que tous les 2 sur un rythme assez soutenu parfois au-delà des 320W : tant pis je continue et c’est Alex qui fait l’essentiel ce qui me permet de sauver quelques watts dans sa roue ; je prends un ou deux relais pour qu’il souffle un peu et on prend 1’ d’avance sur nos premiers poursuivant tout en montant ses 5 derniers km plus vite que certains membres de l’échappée qui a explosé.

Au col, direction le Glandon pour une descente facile où je peux manger un morceau puis cette fameuse descente du Glandon que je n’apprécie guère : je laisse Alex faire le guide et suis sans trop de problème jusqu’à St-Colomban-des-Villards. Je pense le plus dur de fait, mais c’est dans la 2eme partie de cette descente que je souffre le plus : beaucoup de circulation et il faut bien rester à droite dans des virages qui referment souvent. Une fois en bas les parcours se séparent et Alex file sur le 115km : on s’encourage et bonne nouvelle je vois tout de suite le retour de Pierre qui a fait une grosse descente : à 2 pour le petit bout de plat jusqu’aux lacets de Montvernier ce n’est pas de refus !

Après 3h de course, voici le col du Chaussy par les Lacets (13,8kms à 7.7%). Entre 300-310W les jambes semblent encore bonnes : on marque un arrêt express à la fontaine de Montvernier puis on continue alors que c’est moi qui dicte le rythme : toujours la barre des 300W avec quelques passages plus roulants mais aussi un peu de vent contraire. Au passage difficile contre les rochers, Pierre lâche prise et m’encourage à continuer tandis que j’aperçois un concurrent se rapprocher : je m’applique à maintenir l’effort jusqu’au sommet pour empêcher son retour et me laisser le temps de remplir 2 bidons au ravito où on m’annonce top 10 (9eme ?). Tout seul à faire le tempo en 51’30 à 300W moyens, je suis dans les temps (1’ voir moins) de Julien, Aurélien ou Antoine par exemple ce qui n’est pas si mal. Je repars pour la descente où bientôt Joris Costermans finit par me rattraper : plutôt une bonne nouvelle puisque je trouve de nouveau un pilote pour rallier La Chambre (ND de Cruet). Petit gel arrivé en bas qui me fait perdre sa roue et 5/6’’… pas bien grave avec les 18kms à 7,6% qu’il reste.

Le col de la Madeleine par Montgellafrey, en fin course après 120km : voilà qui peut tout changer ! Je commence sur un gros tempo autour des 310W : insuffisant pour suivre Joris qui creuse doucement mais surement. Les jambes sont toujours bonnes mais je sais que je ne dois pas en faire plus : toujours 300W moyens passé la mi-col et je vais alors en l’espace de 500m dépasser 5 dossards vert (grand parcours en principe) ! je reconnais Antoine qui paie les efforts dans l’échappée et qui m’encourage : moral regonflé à bloc je me dis que je dois être quasiment top 5 ici (en fait je dois aussi doubler Andy Davies du grand mais les 3 autres bien qu’inscrit grand parcours ont dû bifurqués sur le 115km). Tout ne va pas trop mal jusqu’au lieu-dit bien nommé le Replat : j’y avale un dernier gel puis file sur St-François-Longchamps où on doit cette année descendre au niveau de l’office de tourisme pour remonter au cœur de la station ; j’y récupère un petit bidon de boisson énergétique pour les 5 derniers kms. La lassitude commence à me gagner à 4km du sommet où la puissance chute sous les 280W : visiblement je n’ai plus personne à reprendre et suffisamment d’avance sur mes poursuivants (bien que sans le savoir, Bob fait une grosse fin de course…). Je finis donc sans me faire violence et peux savourer les 2 derniers km pour arriver en 7eme position et 1er des M3.

17’ plus tôt, Tim a remporté une course mal engagée pour lui : grosse remontada et victoire avec 5’ d’avance sur Fabio qui aura aussi fini très fort. Arnold sauve de très peu la 3eme place après une très difficile dernière montée. Personnellement une très bonne gestion de course à l’image de ce dernier col : 5eme temps en 1h14 et sans se mettre la misère dans le final ! Les zones de puissances parlent d’elles-mêmes : record approché sur 1h45 (l’enchainement Mollard-Cx de Fer de début de course et malgré une descente au milieu !) et des records égalés sur 3h45 (soit jusqu’au Chaussy) et de 4h40 à 5h20. La seule frustration est de n’avoir jamais été à l’avant à cause de cette échappée mais je pense que si j’y avait été j’aurai grandement compromis ma deuxième moitié de course (et quand je vois les écarts sur la Madeleine, beaucoup de ceux à l’avant y ont plus ou moins bien coincé !)

Classement

Sur le site altichrono :

ou directement sur ce lien

Strava

[ssorknimajneb]

Do. 02.05.2024 (Tag 18):

Heute morgen verlies ich Termez wieder in Richtung Norden gegen 8:30Uhr. Heute Abend werde ich zurück in Samarkand sein.

Nach ca. 2h Fahrt auf der "Autobahn" big ich nach Osten ab in die Berge. In der Nähe der Stadt Boysun liegt eine Festung, welche ich besuchten wollte. Der Weg dahin allerdings so eine Sache für sich. Nachdem ich die letzten 100km an keiner Tankstelle Benzin bekommen hatte, war ich heil froh mit 112km Restreichweite in Boysun angekommen zu sein. Viele einheimische Autos fahren mit Metan/Propan. Am Ortseingang von Boysun stand ein großes Polizeiaufgebot, offenbar ist Stadtfest. Entsprechend war ein Teil der Straßengesperrt. Kurzum hatte ich mir bei einem Polizisten nach der nächstem Tankstelle erkundigt, weshalb ich final Kreuz und quer durch die Stadt musste. Nach dem Tanken durfte ich den gleichen Weg zurück und südlich aus der Stadt raus bis zum Bahnhof (ca. 6km). Dort endete die "Straße" und es ging nach der Karte nochmals ca. 2km auf einer Schotterstraße weiter. Das Navi war schon ausgestiegen...

Angekommen, lief ich ca. 1km weiter nach Süden. Dort liegt die kreisrunde Ruine einer Festungsanlage namens Kurgansol, welche Alexander dem Großen zugeschrieben wird. Die Festung liegt spektakulär auf einer Klippe. Die Anlage ist die besterhaltenen hellenistischen Stätte der Region und auch die älteste erhaltene Alexanderfestung Zentralasiens. 2009 legten Archäologen des DAI eine Badewanne aus Ton frei, die den ersten Fund dieser Art in Zentralasien darstellt. Der Ausgrabungsstätte Kurgansol wird heute großes Gewicht beigemessen, da sie eines der wenigen erhaltenen Zeugnisse des Feldzuges Alexanders in Zentralasien ist. Die Aussicht auf die umliegenden Berge/Hügel war wirklich spektakulär. Auch hier lagen wieder Keramik-Stücke einfach frei auf dem Boden herum bzw. waren Reste von eingegraben Gefäßen zu erkennen. Ob das von Archäologen oder Plünderungen herrührt ist für mich nicht abschätzen.

Wieder zurück auf der "Autobahn" M39 ging's weiter Richtung Norden. Eigentlich hatte ich noch einen Abstecher nach Langar geplant. Nachdem nach 15km die Straße, welche in der Navi-Karte vorhanden war, plötzlich im Nichts endete, müsste ich umdrehen.

Also entschloss ich mich aufgrund der Zeit, weiter nach Samarkand zu fahren. Unterwegs nahm ich noch eine min. 80jährige usbekische Omi mit, die am Straßenrand auf eine Mitfahrgelegenheit gewartet hatte. Am Ende war sie überglücklich zügig angekommen zu sein, wer weiß wie lange sie schon gewartet hatte. Final bedankte sie sich mehrere Male, weil ich auf die eine Bezahlung natürlich verzichtet hatte. So wie ich es einigen anderen Ländern auch kenne, stehen alle Menschen ohne Auto an der Straße und warten auf ein Taxi/Sammeltaxi/Bus.

Gegen 18:30Uhr erreichte ich wieder Samarkand und brachte das Auto zur Sixt-Station zurück und fuhr mit dem Taxi zur nächsten Unterkunft.

[bigmacsg]

Tour of Friendship 2024

ToF used to be my goto race of the season. 5 stages racing on good roads & usually pretty close to my Thai house made it super convenient. 

With Covid & excessive work, this is my first time back since 2018. A lot has changed. The total race is shrunk to around 100 riders only now & we’re now racing in Krabi rather than around Kanchanaburi. On the plus side, the resort is quite decent with better than normal rooms.

The flaky organisation has also reached new levels - but it still seems to work out in the end!

Stage 1: 82km

50s has the 2nd largest peloton of the race with 30 riders. No teams are big enough to dominate - with Matadors (3), Quantum Racing (keiichi & I) and 3 US guys being the largest. 

The temperatures were super hot - it hit 46 yesterday but Day 1 speeds not so much. The race felt like an easy bunch recovery ride for the first 10km so I attacked out of sheer boredom. An excellent noodle, US & Matador came over so I thought a good group mix but it lasted only 5 mins. 

I went again at 25km and we stayed out for 15km with just the Excellent Noodle for company. The signposts were not well marked and we hit a junction with no marshalls and had to stop - letting the peloton get back. 

I made a few more attacks later to drop a few off the back of the bunch. We ended with a super dodgy bunch sprint along the beachfront. Keiichi took 5th and I rolled in 15th. Happy with the start.

In 30s, Dom took 2nd so we’re looking good as a team.

Stage 2: 13km ITT

Having 2 stages in a single day is nuts - especially at 4:30pm in this heat. 

After a gentle 7km spin to the start, I was met with the superb last minute news that aero bars were banned. As I hadn’t brought any, i thought this change was fantastic (and fair)!.

The course was 13km out & back with slightly more climbing on the return.

I felt great and averaged a 39.8 for the race - catching 4 people before me. Despite losing 10s on the junction, i still managed 5th on the stage. My best ever ToF result - 1st podium in 32 stages!

Keichi took 2nd on the stage and is now 2nd overall. I’m in 6th on GC - 1 second from the podium.

Stage 3: 83km

Legs felt ok but not as sparkling as Day 1. Fortunately the day started out easy with a 30 average for 1st 10km. Excellent Noodles and the German took off and quickly were out of sight as we all felt it was too early. They got lost at a roundabout and we collected them 5km later.

After 20km there was another missed turn & Dan Smith took advantage with a sneak attack. Noodles and I jumped over but that lasted for only a few km before the yanks Made America Great Again.

We hit the rollers at 40km and the group splintered then - with only 8 hanging on. The climbs were punchy and Bintanesque.i went for the KoM only to find it was the next hill along.

As we got back to main highway, Mike Pryde suddenly appeared after getting towed by a motorbike!

The sprint appeared unannounced and i ended up in 7th. Retaining my GC 6th. Keiichi still in 2nd overall.

Dom had hired a pickup so we were safely on our way back to the hotel within 5 mins of finishing. Good marginal gains that hopefully pay off tomorrow. 

Stage 4: 83km

The legs felt even less sparkling today. Overall it felt like rerun of Stage 1 but at a slightly faster pace. We averaged closed to 38km and even caught the 40s peloton with 30km still to go.

I had a few digs but nothing that stuck. The race ended in a huge sprint with the 40s group. Given the dangerous finish, it sat up and rolled in 13th position. Keiichi got 3rd in the sprint.

Im still 6th GC. Tomorrow has a hint of a big hill on the profile so lets see how the legs recover.

Stage 5: 53km

Originally slated for 112km, the stage was dramatically slimmed down overnight to a short fast stage.

The course was easy so there was little opportunity for attacks. I launched the first on the slight rise out of the ITT dogleg. I got a 100m and then brought back pretty quick. Nothing else stuck & no-one else seemed motivated to try.

We hit 55km on the road back into town before degenerating into traffic hell at the sprint. I sat up and cruised in with the bunch. I retained my 6th GC but disappointed not to take a few seconds out of Dan Smith to get on podium.

My best ever ToF result & first time I’ve ever made the stage podium. The joys of a depleted peloton compared to its glory days! Ultimately I did not enjoy as much as previous years - due to the dodgy sprints, lack of marshalling & courses that weren’t really selective. If 2025 really is the last edition and back to the classic Kanchanaburi course then I’ll be back

[causeofchernobyl]

my dad out here going 109mph(175km) on the 70mph(112km) British motorways

anyway the police hide in tree or smthn stupid like that so wouldn’t be surprised if we get a ticket

[nevebennett-viscom]

aragvi river

Situated in georgia, the river is 112km long and there are two streams in different colours, this means that it is the subject to much story telling.

the river is within the valley

the Aragvi River and its basin are running along the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia. The Zhinvali Dam, that was built on Aragvi river in 1986, and its 130 MW hydro-electric power station generate much of Georgia’s electric power, form the Zhinvali Reservoir, on the north-western shores of which rises the Ananuri castle with its 17th-century Church of the Assumption.

this could be where some of the folklore comes from

edit: whe i looked at making it 21st century, the AI somewhat drew upon this by saying the factory and pollution which is interesting, which is more like true folklore since someonething new/unknown became the subject of unrest or discontent and fear.

the minerals and colours of the rocks as well as the shape of the landscape change the river formation and make up with created the phenomenon of the two different coloured rivers.

[i-may-be-an-emu]

For reference for my fellow metric system users that is just over 112km/h

[loiswolf]

Day 54 July 24 Spanish - Sheguiandah 112kms

This photo was taken from my bed this morning so you can get an idea of how “busy” the cabin was.

I did enjoy staying there and the hostess, Carmen was particularly lovely.

Cycling out this morning I had a snigger when I passed this sign

The song by the same name was playing on my iPod but the description of their “downtown” was nothing like the downtown of Spanish. There was a couple of vans which sold food last night, a dusty looking restaurant and takeaway shop and a general store where I was unable to get even one piece of fruit.

This was the reason I was really looking forward to my second breakfast today. It was 23kms to Massey where I was hoping for more sustenance. On the way I passed at intervals, a couple of men and a schoolboy cycling the other way all wearing braces over their shirts and a hat. Closer to Massey I could see a bike in my mirror but couldn’t make out any details except that he was trying to catch me. There was no shoulder to ride alongside so I sped up a little ( hehe) and after a while he gave up trying. I slowed down in the town and it turned out to be a gentleman dressed like the others I had seen. I think there might be an Amish community around here, or something similar.

So the place I had scoped out for breakfast was open. Yay! I ordered my favourite

and it came with whipped cream. Awesome! It was also rather expensive. That’s ok, I’d rather splash out on my second breakfast and just have a $4 frozen meal ( heated of course) for dinner.

The first 53kms to Espanola today were pretty easy. A few kilometres before Espanola I had to turn off the highway. This was a good thing as it was getting pretty busy.

I’d scheduled a stop at Espanola to do some shopping. I had planned to stay at the place I’m in today for two nights. It’s pretty remote so I made sure I had enough food for a day and a half. Somehow I managed to get it all on the bike even resorting to cutting the florets off the broccoli and throwing away the stem. There was a Dollarama across the road so I topped up my chocolate supply a little too. No, I haven’t finished the last cache I purchased, I’m just making sure it doesn’t run out.

From there things suddenly got a bit harder. Continuous hills! Even the hills between Nipigon and Marathon had stretches of flat road between them. Not this, there was 30kms of non stop up and down. Naturally I managed it ok. It just wasn’t expected.

Even here on these islands and peninsulas there is not much to look at. Mostly trees with the occasional water view.

After 30kms of hard work ( remember I was carrying at least 5kgs of shopping extra) I came to a little town which had this rather pretty church.

There were no shops there but around the bend was a gas station with a small portable building. I wasn’t able to get a coffee but a cold Diet Coke was a pretty good substitute on a hot day. The lady there was able to reassure me that the road flattened out ahead. She was right but the next 20kms I copped headwinds. Sigh.

At 100kms I came to a little town called Little Current. It’s actually bigger than where I’m staying if you can find it on your map.

The road turned out of the wind a bit from there and it was only another 12kms to my destination.

I’m staying in this really nice RV

but it wasn’t until I unpacked that I realised it had no Wifi or TV. Doh! Rookie mistake! The TV doesn’t matter but there really is nothing to do here tomorrow when I have no car, am on my own and have no wifi.

I was planning to pay the owner Jack, cash for tomorrow night so I wasn’t completely committed. I’ve just come back from explaining the situation to him and he is quite ok with it. So I will be moving on tomorrow but it will be a fairly short day. I guess my proper rest day will have to wait!

[subhashchandra]

Queensland, Australia - Sailfish Are Considered The Fastest Fish In The Sea, Reaching Top Speeds Of 70 Miles Per Hour (112km/H)

[112kms]

112kms

A gravity assist, gravity assist maneuver, swing-by, or generally a gravitational slingshot in orbital mechanics, is a type of spaceflight flyby which makes use of the relative movement (e.g. orbit around the Sun) and gravity of a planet or other astronomical object to alter the path and speed of a spacecraft, typically to save propellant and reduce expense.

Gravity assistance can be used to accelerate a spacecraft, that is, to increase or decrease its speed or redirect its path. The "assist" is provided by the motion of the gravitating body as it pulls on the spacecraft.[1] Any gain or loss of kinetic energy and linear momentum by a passing spacecraft is correspondingly lost or gained by the gravitational body, in accordance with Newton's Third Law. The gravity assist maneuver was first used in 1959 when the Soviet probe Luna 3 photographed the far side of Earth's Moon and it was used by interplanetary probes from Mariner 10 onward, including the two Voyager probes' notable flybys of Jupiter and Saturn.

[pedallingthepyrrhicpindus]

Day 3 - Smixi to Konitsa

The sun is shining. The view is stunning. John has been cleaning his chain since 6.00. We leave early. And straight up the long hill we came down last night. The views are amazing.

For a day billed as mostly downhill, there is a great deal of uphill.

Coffee in a pretty town square sets us up for the day.

The landscape is jaw dropping. Beautiful forests. Serpentine roads. Myriad hairpins. How to show you when you can't take a hand from the handlebars at 50km an hour hurtling downhill, braking for the next hairpin desperately hoping the cables don't fail.

There’s a moment when we all stop to watch a grpup of large dogs herding a flock of sheep. The sun is shining, They are on the grassy slope or a long mountain valley. The sheep are wearing bells. Time stops. The dogs and sheep are walking on at a relaxed pace. Bells ringing. It is so relaxed. And relaxing. We could have stayed for hours....

Not much further on, at the top of a particularly large climb, we reflect on a couple of dramatic changes in performance in the team and the probable cause.

Alcohol John is back to the climbing form we have come to expect. This is clearly down to his claimed reduction in alcohol intake. Martin too had a go at abstinence but couldn't hold out til the trip, which certainly explains his improved performance compared to last year. He may well have achieved the fastest time up some of the hills - on his electric bike.

Love Andy, by contrast, is a changed man. He is deep in love, which is truly wonderful to see. But this seems to have injured his knee, his back and his mental resilience. The poor man is suffering badly. But we've never seen him happier.

Life's swings and roundabouts.

We arrive at Konitsa and a small contingent of us carry on towards Albania for a bonus loop. Lightning flashes and thunder echoing down the valley. Light showers and one heavy one.Then sunshine again. The weather really has been unpredictable. The landscape has been consistently extraordinary.

Over this year and last, we have cycled the length of mainland Greece - from Nafpaktos to Albania. Up the Pindus - the spine of Greece. Really some of the most spactacular scenery we have seen.

We finish exhausted, low on fuel, but happy to have made it. Lovely hotel. And more food than we can eat at supper - with a proper royalist of a proprietor.

112km. 2000m climbed  2,700m descent

[btsqualityy]

Yoongi is making me naughty (I already was iykyk lol) 😭 I’m so sleepy after night 1 that I just wanna go to bed but I got stuck in rush hour traffic 😭 Haegum came on while I was on the driving on the national road where the speed limit is 100km/hr but it caused me to overspend to 112km 😬 but I made it home in one piece so I’m gonna shower, have breakfast and then go to bed 😭

Omg, not you speeding because of Haegum 🤣🤣that song will make you do that though lol