April 24th & 25th: Ljubljana, Slovenia to Trieste, Italy and a well-earned rest~ Rain, mountains and Italy!

101km in distance and 1.2km of climbing

1900km done and dusted!

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Amidst doubts of inclement weather Grant and Julian left Ljubljana hopeful that the sun was going to shine, only to stop a few roads down from the apartment to put on raingear as the first downpour hit them and the rain and sheets of water became their nemesis for the next 45 km of today’s ride.

Grant is unwell and should not be riding but the pull of the mountain pass is obviously much bigger than taking a train and admitting defeat to a cough and a tight chest and they rode off expecting the worst now – rainy, muddy climbing whilst being pummeled with water sprays from passing cars and trucks.

The first climb was on a gravel path where Julian was distracted by passing the biggest military base he has possibly ever seen and the largest in Slovenia, through mountainous paths with incredible views, lush greenery and trees swaying in the rain for as far as they could see. The difficulty was not only riding in the rain but on a bouncy gravel track with not a lot of traction with a bike that is heavier in the rear than the front.

They rode past their first bear shelter ( I asked if it was for the bear to shelter from humans or the other way around) and for the rest of the day Julian said that every time he looked into the forest or the shrubbery he felt like he could see bears watching him or silhouettes of bears all over the place. Thankfully the bears were not a menace at all but they saw huge black slugs everywhere- obviously enjoying the rainy weather making their way across the gravel paths.

Finally, at the end of this forest the gravel ended and changed to a cement path, but the rain was coming down in torrents and both Crazybikeguys were frozen and took shelter under an old shed structure to catch their breath and eat a banana and a jam doughnut washed down with a coke.

Julian was chattering from the cold, they couldn’t feel their hands as they cycled into the next hamlet after another climb and they stopped again to change their gloves to thermal ones and put on some more layers which wasn’t all that helpful as they were so wet already and less than 50km into the ride!

Their prayers were answered as they climbed the next peak with the path opening up before them (some classical trumpet music should accompany this part), the rain stopping suddenly with a slither of blue sky just visible in the distance.

The euphoria was short lived however because descending a mountain at speed in wet weather gear makes the wind feel like it could slice you up and they were frozen by the time they spotted a place where they could stop for a bite to eat and  a seat in the sunshine to dry off and warm up.

They set off with one more peak in sight knowing that Trieste and the crossing over into Italy meant that they were almost at their destination, on more gravel paths and narrow tracks on the climb but on cobblestone tracks for the descent into the town at sea level. The descent was so sharp, the paths so slippery that they could smell their brakes as they made their way down, concentrating on staying on their bikes and avoiding toppling head first down the mountain.

Little Fiats were continuously coming up the mountain and they felt like they were zooming past at a barreling rate while they were carefully trying to stay upright and make it safely into the Old part of town, which was proving to be a challenge as they had put in the wrong pin into the navigation! They eventually got the right address and made it into town and ended the day with pizza and a beer.

Thankfully their Rock Paper Scissors decision making that urged them to ride today turned out to be an okay one, albeit the rain and the cold; not the most pleasant to ride in but a rest day awaits with plenty of pasta, risotto, pizza, seafood and pastries waiting to be discovered this beautiful seaside oasis.

A side note: Both Julian and Grant have commented on the pristine wildlife encounters they have experienced. Not a scrap of litter, fish in the clearest water in rivers, incredible bird life and the beautiful rest stops and well-maintained infrastructure in Slovenia and through the countries they have been through.

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Rest day

25th April

Square cronut buns filled with interestingly enticing fillings and great coffee were calling the Crazybikeguys and after a cozy lie in after a rainy night, both boys decided some exploring was on the cards for the day.

They walked all along the foreshore, explored the castle and the harbour in the rain after succumbing to buying an umbrella and eating rich seafood risotto and enjoying the wonderful cafes and culture of this pretty seaside town.

Tomorrow the town of Udine is the next stop, not at sea level (obviously – an easy route through Venice would have been too obvious and boring) so more climbing awaits. Hopefully the rest day made a difference to the recovery and helped put those chesty bugs to rest

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