Two days in, and Slovenia is already doing its thing.
Day 1 began slow and a little chaotic. The bikes didn’t show until 8, so we didn’t roll until past 9:30, and the roofing crew working on Risto’s house picked the same moment to jam up the alley with their truck. Traffic snarled behind us before we’d even made it out of Ljubljana. Once clear, the riding found its rhythm. The climbs treated me well. Every time I caught my heart rate drifting too high, I’d change cadence or pull over for a beat and settle back down. I didn’t love the village-to-town miles, the stop-start through the built-up bits, but the cars and trucks and motorcycles were patient, and that counts. We grabbed a bite before the ride’s end, and my legs went stiff rolling into camp.
Camp that first night was packed, reservations but no designated spots, so we squeezed in among the other tents and ended up a little separated. Tent setup at dusk is never fun, and we were digging for our stuff by flashlight by the time it was done. But the showers were hot, the restaurant was onsite, and after all the pedaling, beer and pizza fixed most of what ached. (Notes to self on the campgrounds this trip: they charge for power.)
Day 2 dawned on less sleep than I’d have liked. The site sits next to the road and traffic woke me early, but the quilt hit its temperature, so the rest I got was good. Anxious for an earlier start, we had coffee at the camp restaurant first. Mike discovered he’d left his stove at Risto’s, so now we have coffee, a gas canister, and a lighter but have to buy our daily fix on the road. Boo hoo.
Then the day turned lovely. We rolled into Bled and, after seeing the Instagram photos in person, had a supermarket lunch by the lake. The town over, up the hill, another coffee, and before the last climb, a well-earned beer. We reached the final town and realized the route’s actual start point for tomorrow was there, while our camp lay back the way we’d come. So we turned around and rode home to it, settling in at Camp Špik just after Mojstrana as the light held.
The sandal gave me trouble. Getting off the bike I found a broken strap. Still rideable, but no real upstroke, which will cost me on the climbs. Bike shops rarely sell shoes, so it’s unclear whether I can find proper SPD mountain bike replacements for the rest of the trip. We’ll see.
Across two days the hills are stacking up. 57 miles and 5,200 feet of gain on Day 1, then a lighter 46 miles and 2,800 feet on Day 2, and the numbers tell a nice story. 9.8 mph at 130 beats on the big day, versus 11.3 and 124 on the shorter one. Legs are loosening up.
Tomorrow brings the highest point of the whole trip so far, roughly 5,300 feet up, and the route data says it tops out there before anything else on the itinerary. The climb comes early, so legs should be ready. I’m more worried about the long valley grind after it, constant cranking on busier roads. Coldest night of the forecast is on us now, with rain creeping in later in the week. So tonight the quilt earns its keep.