ICT Pärnu Lauci Riga

Tuesday, June 18:

On many lightly trafficked paths and roads, we reach the town of Töremaa in glorious sunshine and 25 degrees. After 40 km, we enjoy a coffee in the sun. It is the perfect day of cycling in the best weather, often close to the Baltic Sea coast and mostly on good roads. Shortly before Pärnu, the summer capital of the Estonians, the trail runs along the beach, which is sandy and arduous. Despite the old wooden houses, Pärnu already has a southern feel in this weather. Near the coast, we head south and find good accommodation after 110 km of cycling. Today we encounter the E 56 for the first time, the Baltic main traffic axis with corresponding traffic volume. The alternative cycle path is not easy to find, so there are always surprises on forest paths and small detours. This will probably accompany us for the next two days on the way to Riga.

Wednesday, June 19:

We ride on a barely trafficked road to Häädemeste. There we do some shopping and then quickly cover the 30 km to the Latvian border at Ainazi. It is not far to the next larger town. The official cycle path continues along the coast but soon proves to be sandy and impassable by bike. This leads to a heated argument between Dominique and me as we assess the conditions and how to deal with them differently. In my opinion, walking on sandy trails should not be part of a cycling route! We have our lunch break on a lonely sandy beach, but the shallow water does not invite swimming. Pushing our bikes, we continue to the main road, where we decide to forgo further detours. From now on, instead of sandy paths, we struggle with passing trucks on the Via Baltica. Once we get used to it, we make good progress. Eventually, we turn towards the sea, where we find a nice accommodation and enjoy delicious fish in a restaurant with a sea view, processing the day's argument appropriately. We have different opinions on what constitutes a normally passable cycling route and what can be expected of cyclists. But the beautiful place and our discussions put the challenges of the day into perspective!

Thursday, June 20:

We have reached another big goal with Riga. After making good progress yesterday despite the sandy section and covering 120 km, there were only about 70 km left to Riga. After a swim in the cool Baltic Sea and breakfast, we let the navigation system guide us today, which had chosen paved roads. There wasn't much to see along the route, and the ride to the city center was more cumbersome than interesting. The outskirts of Riga are far from attractive. Overall, Latvia does not seem as well-developed as Estonia.

However, the old town of Riga is beautifully restored with numerous magnificent buildings such as the castle, the cathedral, or the House of the Blackheads. It was striking to see the high percentage of Russians here in Riga, despite numerous returnees after independence, still making up the majority of the population.