Wind in the Willows
Krakow to Budapest Stage 6 – Kromeriz to Straznice 58 Km (Mon 24 Sep 2018)
Weather: 4⁰C min – 13⁰C max, mainly cloudy, rain showers, windy
“Life is a journey, not a destination” ~ Cliff Nichols
The Weather Channel app on my phone alerted me to the fact that there would be a 32 KPH wind and a maximum temperature of 13 deg C following an overnight minimum of 4 deg C. My heart sank. But hang on, if the temperature is that cold it must mean that the wind is from the north … and I am riding in a southerly direction!
For once in my life I had the benefit of wind assistance, so I was able to sail along effortlessly and simply enjoy riding on the incredibly good Bata Canal cycle path built on top of a levy bank. This was cycling at its best, even if the scenery became a bit monotonous after a while (just river and more river). Oh well, it just means fewer towns and less stops for photographs.
Every now and then I could feel a blast of icy cold wind, but it mattered not because I was well layered with a Kathmandu long sleeve thermal under vest, a long sleeve riding jersey, and a Madison rain jacket. At one stage the drops of rain developed into a heavy shower, so I turned into a service station for shelter and sustenance. Machine coffee can be alright sometimes!
Strážnice is only a small town with few shops or eating places of interest. However, the hotel where I am staying is comfortable and has a good restaurant where I can eat tonight. First thing I did when I arrived was hop under a nice hot shower. Can you imagine how good that felt!
If I could influence the weather man tomorrow I would ask for a similar strength wind from the north, but just a few degrees warmer and no rain please!
Good on you Kevin – looks like no wind or rain can stop you from having a great time. Keep it up. You will love Budapest, one of the great cities in the world !
Thanks Ursula. Loving the ride and Bratislava where I am staying for two nights. Can’t wait for Budapest!
Hope you enjoy the “Wind in the Willow” if you have double Wind in the Willow there is no stopping you now. ??
yes life is a journey not a destination. Instead of singing in the rain you are riding in the rain.How lovely some people have not seen rain for months. The road looks rater lonely !!