After four days in Prague, back on the bike for the Tibetan Shatsa Organisation library in Ladakh. I start my last 1000 km, now with the front wheel already pointed back towards Antwerp.
Today was an immediately tough ride: 15 km of non-stop climbing along a hot, busy road to get out of the Vltava Valley/Prague. Then 20 km undulating through vast fields without a line of shade, with again more climbing than descending. The last 25 through a wooded nature reserve - half an hour of which was in the rain - with one long calf bite that I had to pause to de-acidify my leg muscles.
By 6pm, I arrived at the holiday park near Rakovnik, with very few holidaymakers left. The summer holidays are clearly coming to an end.
There were no interesting photo opportunities today.
After the tough climb to get out of Prague, I opted for a less strenuous day today and chose a campsite a good 30 km away. Initially it went very well, but after some steep calf bites I felt my legs were getting tired faster. After 20 km a few more kilometres of difficult dirt road followed, so I was glad I had chosen a short day. I passed many vast hop plantations today. I guess that's normal with the litres of beer moving around here.
Vast hop plantations
The campsite in Podborany is unmanned. You have to dial a number and the wide gate slides open. It is right next to a large swimming pool, which allowed me to end this sweaty day with a refreshing dip in a 50-metre pool.
In the evening, another film was playing in the open air on a big white wall, but I couldn't watch it because it was in Czech.
The toughest ride of this tour, and one of the tougher ever. But bloody beautiful, worth it. Almost 40 km uphill, with a calf bite at each village to get out. The villages here are usually in a sinkhole. Yet I only had to push twice: the first time in front of the church in Valec, a village with a large church - I suspect a place of pilgrimage because there was also a cloister - and a castle that, I read afterwards, would be worth visiting.
The second time just after crossing the Ohre River. I thought I was on a flat riverbank path, but first I had to go around a house built on a rock. Totally unexpectedly, I was faced with a very steep slope. Head and legs were not ready for that. The advantage of climbing a lot is that you have time to look at the scenery.
The last 5 km beside the river Ohre to Camping Hubertus, a very rudimentary campsite, were the only flat kilometres of this ride.
Path next to Ohre
In Camping Hubertus, there are only two dry toilets and a cafe. You can wash in the river, but it was rather steep and deep down, or in a bucket. I opted for option two. At least then I didn't bring my pliable camping bucket for nothing.
28-29 August: Hubertus campsite is next to a rapids with slalom poles for kayakers. It was nice to see those at work in the evening.
It is also a car-free campsite because it is not accessible by car. So only for tent campers with bikes, kayaks or on foot. That was also nice.
I stood next to it Peter from Moravia. He had cycled from +100 km to here in four days. I had given him a flyer and sticker with the Tibetan flag on Wednesday. When he returned from a local bike ride on Thursday, he carried a small Karlovivian doll for me.
Peter Moravi at Camping Hubertus near Karlovy Vary
Tomorrow I cycle to Karlovy Vary To take a thermal bath.
A very weak cycling day today, despite the fact that it was not a tough ride: only 40km and I obediently followed Eurovelo 4 along the river, with only one tough climb for Karlovy Vary and at the very end. Otherwise, pretty much right next to the Ohre River (Eger in German). And yet the legs didn't really want to cooperate....
Was it because of the deep relaxation in the thermal pool yesterday? Was it because of the heat? It has been 30 degrees for days and I rode in the shade almost all the way. Not quite recovered from the tough ride the day before yesterday? Or was it because of my wrist, completely decongested and no longer blue, but still seriously sore under my thumb? I fear that something is no longer right there and am going to have it looked at in Germany anyway. Or a combination of all this...
Loket is a pretty town; I held my lunch stop there. After a tasty risotto with fungi, the cycling improved for a while, but I still got tired faster than usual. I was glad when I arrived at Sabina's camp site.
Again, a very rudimentary campsite for kayakers, with wooden toilets with the heart in the door and bathing in the river. I did that today because there was a beach. How nice, swimming in fairly fast flowing water.
When I arrived there were only a few tents. By evening, many more campers arrived. It is weekend and this campsite is reachable the car. Everyone had a tent with them.
Hopefully better legs again tomorrow.
River at Sabina campsite
Thankfully stronger legs again today! I continued Eurovelo 4 to Cheb. On the way I passed two special bridges over the Ohre: a wobbly suspension bridge near the campsite at Sabina and a bridge with a wooden enclosure at Dolni Pochlovice.
There were many kayakers and canoeists on the river. Apparently a favourite sport of the Czechs. They also do multi-day trips and then camp at these simple riverside campsites.
To cycle to the centre of Cheb, it was climbing again, but it was worth it. A beautiful market square. And I spent my last crowns there in a little restaurant. I wanted to give my last change to a beggar or street musician, but of course now I didn't come across any. The next stop was Waldsassen in Germany. I must have crossed the border on a ravel (former railway line), but did not see a border post anywhere.
Waldsassen is a beautiful basilica town, definitely worth a visit when you are in the area.
Then it continued sharply uphill, with 10 kilometres on a good gravel road through a wooded nature reserve with ponds.
It was a long drive today and in Cheb and Waldsassen I took a long rest. The sun was already low on the horizon when I made the final kilometres to Camping Schweinmühle deposed.
After two river rinses, I had a lot of joy from the German shower with soap and shampoo. Tomorrow will probably be a cycling rest day to wash my clothes and update my Flickr photo albums.
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
