A homage to Fanta - cycling in a heatwave
Throughout our trip, the temperature has been ratcheting up as we've progressed. We expected this as we went further south, but the extent has taken both of us by surprise.
The first few days cycling across England were a little on the chilly side, and we had to layer up with nearly all of our clothes, as we ate lunch in various parks, heading eastwards to Harwich. The first day in the Netherlands was windy, and we've had to cycle in the rain a couple of times since reaching mainland Europe. Otherwise our two month trip has been warm! We thought it was warm in the early days of following the Rhine, and we were told by WS hosts that it was unusually warm for the time of year. However, we never had to worry about cycling in the heat of the day; the breeze generated whilst cycling was always cooling enough.
When we reached Trieste, we thought that was hot! But again, particularly with hindsight, it all seemed manageable enough to keep hydrated, and with the help of ice cream, to we could happily regulate our temperatures.
In Croatia we had wonderful swims in the crystal clear Adriatic waters, another fantastic way of keeping cool! Temperatures were around the low 30s at this point.
Bosnia was the first time we really had to think about carrying enough water. Normally we carry 5l of water between us, and will refill sometimes (cemeteries are a great place to find water taps!). Before the trip I admit to balking when Rhys spent £40 on a bottle cage (!) in order to carry his favourite 1.5l water bottle, but I was very grateful for it when we were on the road. When we researched the Ciro trail, we'd read that there are hardly any water sources along the route, and when we searched for shops we could only see one along the 120km we'd be cycling. At the border town of Metovic we bought an additional 3l of water that we stashed in our panniers. This is also where our love affair with Fanta began, having downed 2l before crossing the border. After drinking litres of water every day, the crisp cooling sensation of Fanta was something to behold!
All of the liquids
Cycling through Bosnia was an amazing experience. Until the town of Ravno, we barely saw a soul; indeed I think we passed more tortoises and snakes than people. We were pleased to have enough water on us, though there was the occasional collection of houses we could have knocked on, if we'd been really desperate.
Montenegro was where the heatwave really hit us. The sun beat down on us all day, and every pore was working overtime to keep us cool. We began to wonder if we would ever wee again! This was the first day of the trip where the temperature began to fractionally mar the experience. All day long we had the most beautiful views of Lake Shkoder, but it was always out of reach. The sun felt scorching, and every hill we cycled up felt like so much effort, with our eyes streaming from the sweat and suncream that inevitably irritated them.
Such an idyllic lake, if only it were closer! The first day that we struggled with the heat
A hot mess: the reality of cycling in a heatwave
Even the downhills offered little respite, though at least we weren't having to pedal. It's such an odd feeling descending at some speed and having warm air rushing past you, doing nothing to cool you down. It was at this point, with temperatures in their high 30s that we realised we needed to make some changes to ensure our trip was as comfortable as possible. These were:
1) Starting earlier, ideally before 7am, though this was rather aspirational and we didn't often achieve this!
2) VERY long lunch breaks, featuring shade, aircon, or the sea. We'd stop at about midday for three or four hours. Whilst it still could be 38 degrees when we got back on the bikes, at least the shadows were much longer and the sun slightly less overhead.
3) Fanta! Ideally a 2l bottle, consumed in a couple of minutes. I'm sure this is awful for our teeth, with no nutritional value, but I feel like it doesnt stay in our bodies long as we've become so proficient at sweating it out!
4) Abandoning our sleeping bags. We both have quite heavy duty sleeping bags that we knew were overkill for the trip, but with so many upfront expenses, we didn't want to buy newer lighter ones. These were fine when it was cooler, but now we don't even bother getting them out, and just sleep in or on our liners, with our tent doors wide open hoping for a through breeze. After a few nights camping we treat ourselves to aircon!
5) Shorter distances. Combined with long lunch breaks, this helps to make the days more manageable.
Overall, cycling in the high 30s/low 40s has been a challenge, but somehow not quite as bad as one would think. On our day off in Tirana, we found it less comfortable walking round, than we normally do on the bike. The other benefit of the hot weather is the Albanian dogs seem more docile in the heat, and less likely to chase us!
The realities of the heatwave were really brought home to us as we reached Borsh, on the Albanian coastline. I was convinced I could see smoke rising from Corfu; Rhys was less convinced as it was a fairly small-scale white plume that didn't look too dramatic. We couldn't see anything on the news about Corfu wildfires, so didn't think too much more about it. By evening however, the flames were clear to see, and it began to hit the headlines. Thankfully the Corfu fires didn't sound too serious in comparison with those elsewhere, but hearing about evacuations really brought home to us how serious this heatwave is, and how many people are affected.
We'd been toying with the idea of extending the trip and going to Athens, but with the very high temperatures, we realised it was probably time to head home, to a much cooler Derby, and plan our next adventure.
Comments
Post a Comment