April 11th: Gyor -Esztergom, Hungary

94km with 330m of climbing.

1078 Km! Past the 1000km mark!! Whoop whoop!!

Not only are the Crazybikeguys dealing with cold and snow and interesting mechanical issues as well as denture glue shenanigans, the latest addition to the challenges in Slovakia and Hungary is a serious outbreak of Hand, foot and mouth disease! As they cross borders they are having to cycle through disinfectant trays in the same way that cars are forced to do as the disease is spreading fast in rural communities especially in cattle and on cattle farms and alerts are being posted in the media.

Thankfully there have been nothing more than the precautionary measures at this stage and we’re hoping that once out of this area the threat may have passed.

A solid average speed of 22km took Grant and Julian on tarred roads with fast moving trucks as opposed to their preferred Eurovelo tracks, with a forceful wind (up to 45km/h) battering them for most of the day and the reverberation of moving vehicles on the road, it took a lot of concentration to stay upright! Thankfully the sun shone and the temperatures climbed into very early twenties which was a change and very welcome.

The idea was to stay in Hungary and not cross over to the other side of the Danube, which meant cycling on more uneven surfaces and having to watch the traffic for some of the route today.

Julian’s observations were as usual centered around the car factories en route and the fact that most of the trucks were carrying Suzuki cars ( it is the European Base for the Japanese automative brand) which are manufactured just outside of Esztergom, the town they are staying for the night. The factory produces a massive 300k vehicles per year and is the largest employer in the area.

The boys managed to stop at a wonderful spot for lunch and dinner was also a very nourishing delicious affair with a compulsory visit to the pub for the local brew.

Esztergom lies on the right bank of the River Danube, about 46 km Northwest of the Hungarian Capital and was actually the capital in the 10th to the 13th Century, so it has a very rich history which includes the Esztergom Basilica, the largest church in Hungary. Sadly it is being refurbished so Julian and Grant could not visit it. Interestingly it is the seat of the Hungarian Catholic Church. It is a very pretty and interesting town with Medieval castles and a wonderful riverside lifestyle highlighted by the sunny weather and blue skies of the day.