April 7, 2015
Day 82 - Frankenstein to Wroclaw: The snow is gone but I found something worse
Headwinds? Check.
Cold? Check, but warmer than yesterday.
Hills? No, nothing serious.
Rain and snow? No, not today!
Cobblestones? Oh, yes.
That pretty much sums up my day. The roads in this part of Poland are far worse than the roads I previously experienced in Poland, and a quick check of a population density map offers an explanation: the corridor I travelled before is the most heavily populated in the country.
Today, when the roads weren't terrible, they were even worse. Poorly cobbled roads, not just in town centres, but stretching for kilometres at a time. If you've ever ridden a loaded bike on bad cobblestones, you know my pain. If you haven't, hm, how can I describe this? It's about ten times worse than driving a small car on a corrugated gravel road. It feels like every part of your bike is about to fall apart, like your body is about to fall apart, the rattling and jarring shaking your soul to pieces.
In fact, medical science has recently identified a serious illness caused by riding on cobblestones too long. It's called PCS, (Post-Cobblestone Syndrome), and it's somewhat similar to land sickness; its chief symptom is feeling like you're still riding over cobbles long after you have returned to smooth ground. This is often diagnosed alongside a related condition, PPRS (Post-Polish Road Syndrome).
Needless to say, I was pretty happy when I saw a lone highrise sticking up over the horizon, Wroclaw's tallest building by far, a beacon to a weary traveller. And not long after, there were bike paths to rescue me from the busy road and guide me into the city, interlocking pink-red brick, just like all of Poland's bike paths.
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Today's ride: 76 km (47 miles)
Total: 3,913 km (2,430 miles)
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