Grant decided to stay in Udine for an extra day.
The day before had been tough - not because there was climbing but the conditions were extraordinarily tough as it was hot and Grant had cycled over 180 kilometers at the average speed of 28km/hour. This may not seem very fast - until one takes into consideration the weight on the bike, the terrain and the speed as well as weather conditions.
By the time he reached Udine at the end of the day his legs and feet were burning from pushing so hard and he decided that it was a good time to have a rest day.
The plan was to go into Slovenia well prepared and in good physical shape and the last few days had taken their toll.
Crazybikeguy did washing, disinfected all his paraphernalia, had an afternoon nap, charged all his devices, ate a lot and tried to keep his legs raised for a while and had an early night.
He took a taxi out of town to a big sports store to stock up on batteries for the satellite tracker, re hydration powder, protein bars etc.
Unfortunately there were no taxis coming back into town so Grant walked the five and half kilometers home!
It was unusually warm - the locals told Grant that it had rained solidly for a month and this was the first warm dry day they had had in all that time!
The town was deserted as most of the people were taking advantage of the beautiful warm weather by going to the beach an hour away.
A two minute parade graced the main square, the Mayor, some military personnel all dressed in official regalia gathered to celebrate the freedom of the city at 5.30pm.
Grant got a very garbled explanation in half Italian and English from a bystander.
Crazybikeguy battled all day with very sore eyes and nosebleeds - he thinks it may have been from the manure spray that he rode through and also from the huge combine harvester cutting long grasses in fields in the farm area he rode through causing some kind of allergy related reaction. It was rather unpleasant and quite sore. So today also offered some relief from having to breathe heavily while cycling and being exposed to more allergens out on the road!
Slovenia awaits on the other side of the border! Ready to tackle the day tomorrow!
Our mission. Their future.
"What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
-Jane Goodall
Please click on the pink DONATE button. If that doesn't work ( we have had some glitches) please find our bank details on the opening site page with international swift codes so you can EFT or money transfer your donation. We would appreciate it very much!
Follow Grant's daily ( real time) mini updates on Instagram @grantcrazybikeguy and on FB Crazybikeguy