September 1, 2019
Sunday 1st September The Climb To Tábor and Slightly Beyond to the Rain at Plana nad Luznice.
September 1 Sunday 44Kms
The Climb To Tábor and Slightly Beyond to the Rain at Plana nad Luznice.Managed to depart Pension Dalmo by about 9:30. Met a German cyclist at the door- he was making for Sarajevo so had a few fast kilometres to cover. We passed by the church leaving town. Mass was being celebrated and the church itself was a pleasant relief from the overly ornate styles elsewhere.
From Sedlec Prcice it’s a 7 Kilometre climb to the top of the hill. The climb is gradual but taxing. We opt to take the road rather than the Green Route as its more direct and today there are fewer cars. The landscape is one of farms and rolling hills with a ski slope at one point. The climbs have some swift descents but we always know there’s going to be another uphill. Fortunately the gradients are quite manageable and any cars are driven by very considerate drivers.
Our Goal is Tábor, indicated as 29kms from our leaving point, but the kilometres tick over very slowly. Finally after a good downhill run, we enter the town. We cycle around the lake where there are swimmers making the best of the last of summer. Ann buys bread rolls from the mini market close by and chats to the Vietnamese owner who is interested that we hail from New Zealand. He says he arrived as a 6 year old. We’ve noticed that it is Asian owners who have their stores open on a Sunday.
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Following lunch, the afternoon’s ride takes us out of town on the 11 route around the river. With a few short stiff climbs we look back to Tábor and head for Lom. Ann says hi to a couple of Aussies coming the other way- they want to know if there’s a town down there. She manages some brief repartee but cannot stop her low gear climb.
Dark clouds are appearing overhead but we keep out in front of them and arrive at a pretty town on a river- Plana nad Luznice. We stop for an ice cream and decide that with rain threatening and since we’re in easy reach of a hotel, we’ll call a halt for the day.
It’s good to finish early and have time to read and put our feet up, especially when the rain starts to come down. The young woman at reception is helpful with storage of our bikes. Her English is good, and she tells she’s worked in Tunisia and Greece in hotels.
At 5:30pm we head for the terrace bar, enjoy pork schnitzel, gherkins and potatoes, with a coleslaw and horseradish salad.
Today's ride: 44 km (27 miles)
Total: 1,588 km (986 miles)
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