A bucket of water please

Day #72

Saturday, July 11th

From Trogir to Vrana

Country: Croatia

Even though I go about things quite systematically and eat half my breakfast while packing, it still takes me about two hours to get in the saddle.

For a short while, I ride along the main road until I head towards the mountains in a more secluded manner.

More elevation for less traffic is an acceptable compromise.

Until I turn onto a gravel road that takes me past olive trees.

It's a great bumpy ride that shakes my entire body.

It really loosens up the arms.

Sometimes there are even bike path signs, either for local routes or occasionally the EuroVelo is marked.

Fortunately, I have my GPS, so it's still the easiest and safest way to follow the route.

Here and there, I pass through villages and I’m fascinated by some of the old roofs still covered with thick slate plates.

By thick stones, I mean, and it's no wonder that some have caved in.

And while I pedal through the area, the thought arises that the end of the tour is slowly approaching.

On one hand, that's nice because Jenni and I will see each other again and there's a big group of friends for the festival.

On the other hand, the journey is amazing. Starting with magnificent landscapes and many nice people I’ve met, to joyful moments because there was once again a thrilling downhill ride.

And along with this comes the need to consider my further route to be able to arrive in time at the Tolminator.

Currently, the priority is a bit focused on covering distances.

The repeatedly appearing gravel paths complicate the planning, but today I am spared from them for the most part.

What definitely helps is the nice tailwind that pushes me along.

And it gets really fast on a fantastic descent with an incredible view of the bay of Grebaštica, which lies beneath me.

Which quickly changes, and when I reach the water, I take a break first.

When I want to set off again, I find out that the situation has occurred, which I thought was almost impossible: I've got a flat tire in the front wheel.

So much for my great plans to cover some good kilometers.

So, off to the beach to have space for the repair.

Which has already cleared out quite a bit since a thunderstorm is brewing.

And after I spread my tools on the towel and start searching for the hole with the tube in the sea, the downpour begins.

I quickly ask at the beach café, where it's anyway quite quiet, if I can spread out there.

Which is no problem, and I can continue to take care of my issue with a coffee.

From the tire, I remove a thorn from the side and discover that additionally, the tread is already very porous, and the protective layer underneath is visible.

No hole can be found, and I simply decide to install the spare tube.

A guest is quick to get involved, maybe a bit overzealous, trying to help pull the tire onto the rim.

It's interesting to ask why I don't have a tube from xy on.

I do, but that one can have its weak points too.

With the principle of hope that the protective layer will hold, I can finally continue.

The small town of Sibenik, which I pass through, is very nicely situated by the coast, and the old town climbs the hill up to the castle ruins.

But I need to keep going, and to make that work, I stop briefly at a bakery for a börek and cola to have the needed energy for it.

However, this turns out to be a laborious affair.

Basically, I make good progress. The roads are nice, there’s a pleasant ups and downs, and I still have a tailwind.

Unfortunately, the tire continuously loses a bit of air, so I have to stop and pump every few kilometers.

I want to deal with the problem at my leisure once I’ve found a campground.

With a change in the route, there’s a conveniently located one.

I also intend to skip a section of the EuroVelo; the shortest connection between two points is still a straight line.

Even if it means I have to miss Zadar, which is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

Along with that, there’s the gravel road I need to turn onto shortly after.

Everything has its price.

The fact that there is still some kind of infrastructure for bikes here shows at the repair station that I pass by.

When checking in at the campground, I still ask for a bucket of water so I can fix my flat, and I’m a bit puzzled by the surprise of the person at the reception as to how water will help me with my problem.

A brief explanation brings enlightenment.

First, I set up the tent to establish my sleeping quarters, then I pull out both tubes.

The holes are in different locations, which I find odd.

For tube 1, it's on the outer side and would have been caused by the thorn that I already removed.

For tube 2, the hole is on the inner side, so I carefully inspect the rim, but it’s all smooth, just as it should be.

Since there are two small holes next to each other, I suspect it occurred when the tire was pulled over the rim with hasty help.

Good intentions are sometimes just that, and after I’ve patched both spots, the tire is carefully and thoughtfully pulled on.

Hopefully, the air stays where I want it now.

I take a short walk to the lake, but since it's already dark, that gets cut short, and I head back to the tent to prepare my dinner.

For a change, there are pasta again before I can finally crawl into the tent.

Song of the day:

Human Waste - Agony Euphoria