In the High Tatras

August 24, 2015

Last night I found out that there is an ATM in Zuberec. The route to get there is much better than going to Trstina, so I was happy to go that way. It took me through Oravice, which is the entrance to Tatra National Park. The ride there was gorgeous, along a river and with a nice new bike path part of the way. As soon as I passed the park, the road got steep, so I wasn't allowed to forget I was in the Tatras. In fact, I hit another 12% climb.

This ski lift was next to my hotel. I didn't see it until this morning.

Very nice path part of the way to Oravice. I didn't recognize it as a cycle path right away, as it is signed for no cars and motorcycles. Since lorries don't fit, that leaves bikes and pedestrians. What about farm equipment?

The ride to Oravice followed this river most of the way.

I was following cycle route C for much of today. I didn't know that, but kept seeing the signs. Sometimes it was just a 'C' painted on a tree.

I got to Zuberec, and got some cash so I can breathe easier. There were some German bike tourists outside the shop there. The first other bike tourists I've seen in a long time! But we couldn't communicate too well. I think they said they're doing a loop through Poland and Slovakia. I'll admit they didn't look the part, as they were wearing jeans and the woman had her long hair loose. I had been sweating buckets on the hills, and couldn't imagine wearing full length jeans.

I haven't discussed my uniform. It feels like a uniform because I'm wearing pretty much the same thing every day. I've been wearing bike shorts with a pair of nylon hiking shorts over them, and either a bright green biking jersey or a blue wool t-shirt with a nylon plaid button up shirt over it. I have another set of clothes to change into in the evening.

I've been seeing a fair number of recreational cyclists here. They seem to wear team jerseys and lycra shorts.

Back on topic. In Zuberec I also stopped by the information center and bought a more detailed map of this part of Slovakia. The woman there had some very definite advice on where to ride. She told me to take the road to Huty. That road is good for bikes. The other road is good for cars, not good for bikes. So I took the road to Huty.

The road went up and up, and past some sort of quarry operation. The wind was really blowing, and the dust from the quarry took visibility down to zero for a moment. After the turn to Huty, the road dropped quickly to give up too much of the elevation I'd worked so hard for. Huty was a picturesque small rural town.

After Huty, there was a junction where I expected to find a road. There was sort of a clearing, and then a gravel track. It was labeled with a 'C'.

The beginning of my mountain biking adventure. It doesn't look too challenging here, but that didn't last long.

I double checked my map and my location on my GPS. This was indeed the way I was supposed to go. If I didn't take it, the road turned in the wrong direction, so either I took the path or I turned around. I took it. It turned into some challenging single track. I pushed my bike up some hills that seemed steeper than the ones labeled 12%. I rode some, when I could, and I even walked some downhill sections as they were steep and rocky and the loaded bike was hard to handle on that terrain. There were a bunch of hikers on the trail. They looked at me like I was crazy, and I probably was. But I came out in the right location, and there was a snack bar at that end of the trail where I rewarded myself with a Fanta, paid for with my recently acquired Euros.

The rest of the ride was okay, with a few more hills. I've stopped for the night in Besenova. There are a lot of hotels and guest houses here. I'm at a hotel, a Penzion. I stopped at a guest house before I came here, but there was a sign to call reception and my phone isn't working here. I was told I should be able to get a SIM card in Ruzemberok, where I'll be tomorrow.

The end portion of today's ride followed the shore of Liptovski Mara. All the town names start with Liptovska.

Today's ride: 55 km (34 miles)
Total: 1,527 km (948 miles)

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