Day 17 - Tábor, Czech Republic- Up, Up and More Up

Joan's View

One big rain was passing through this morning but showed clear beyond that. We were both up early in case there was a chance to get far enough south and beat that rain. Even if we would still have a fairing, the engine's decision to wait to leave until it passes would have been the same. The decision took lots of thought and a little loss of sleep because we have an 8 hour ride today.

The view from our window

We got an extension to stay in our place until 10:30. This is Tony walking the bike down the curved stairs. Remember, this was a ground floor apartment. 🤔

Leaving Prague I acted like Tom Winslow (he rode behind us from New Orleans to The Villages). Tom would alert us to everything he saw, so we called him "Safety Tom." I was doing the same today. Trolley. Bus. Person. Car. Dog. Street sweeper. Motorcycle (they drive anywhere they want). Scooter. Bike. Stroller. Just as we were almost out of the city, Tony did an "Oh no!" The magnet that he superglued to the handlebar came loose. It has to make a connection when he applies the brakes to regen the batteries, and today was our biggest drain on the batteries. He did his best engineering work using tape, and we moved on.

The first 10 miles out of the city were relatively flat. We passed this massive outdoor bar along the bike path that had everything - kayaks, volleyball, playground, stage, workout equipment, and more.

The first climb of the day, the biggest, genuinely warmed up the legs, and Tony's lungs. 6% or higher grade, up to 10% on the Garmin, means lots of work. We obviously made a few stops on the way up to recharge and refuel.

Crossing a wooden bridge in a small town.

At this stop, there was a shrine across the road, and look whose name is on it, Bud! No wonder you like the WCT so much! 😂

Another  refuel spot at a gas station.

Tony, the planning geek, had a restaurant stop planned out at either 30 or 40 miles depending on when the batteries needed charged. At 30 miles, we had only used 70% of the batteries, so we rode on. At 40 miles, the restaurant Tony planned to stop at had a sign on the door saying they were closed today. I tried a house supply shop down the street, but the lady did not speak English. Tony was searching on his phone for another place. He had gone into what was supposed to be a bakery, but was more of a small grocery store. He came back and said that I could go ask. The woman who spoke a little English was skeptical and wanted to see our bike. She agreed and we bought some food and paid her a little extra. She has 3 kids that were hanging around the store, but said that her hair wasn't good enough for a picture. You get the picture of Tony instead sitting outside of the store while our batteries charged. He also charged with a few beers.

Back on the road, we had one more giant climb. There was lots of heavy breathing behind me and a few more breaks until we could mostly coast into Tábor. The last 10 miles went very slowly especially since we made a few wrong turns and had to U-turn and back track sometimes up a hill again.

We had several PRs today - 66.5 miles, 5,975 elevation climb, fully spent batteries even after recharging. Tony estimated that with the late start we might get to Tábor around 8:00. Amazingly we made it by 6:30! It also comes with some tired legs and riders. 

We are staying at probably the nicest place that we have ever had on all our bike trips. Olga and Gas even gave us 2 slices of her fresh apple cake. I'm in heaven!

That apple cake was actually after dinner because we ate a restaurant called Bugy Tábor right around the corner from our place. Amazingly, 2 riders, Laura & Andy that we passed, then they passed us, then we passed them again on the ride today ate at our same restaurant. Perceptive Tony actually recognized them from our ride. We had a great conversation about biking because they have biked in so many countries using different biking companies like those that Tony & Wade used on their cross country trip. Laura & Andy, from California, also started from Prague today, but took a train part of the way. They have biked so much that they know what they like and try to limit their rides to 30-40 miles in a day so that they can stop at beer gardens and bakeries as well. 😁

To sum it up, today was grueling and extremely tiring, but so rewarding to be way were are!

Tony's Extras

We thought we were signing up for 4,850 feet of climbing, but somehow it turned into 5,975 feet. Needless to say, it was a brutal day! Joan was a great cycling partner today, though that's not exactly a surprise. We already knew she was a wonderful wife!

As we were approaching the last 15 miles of today's ride, we spotted a Biergarten kiosk right off the path. The concept was genius: scan your credit card and pour your own beer. Now that's not something you see every day. I love this country... self-serve biergartens!

After we got back, I texted Wade and told him about the ride. I also told him I was so exhausted that I had to put extra effort into pouring my beer. That's when you know you've had a tough day.

Here is a picture of our two granddaughters in matching dresses. I may be a little biased, but they are awfully cute. We also have seven grandsons. They aren't quite as cute 😂, but they make up for it by being tough, adventurous little guys.

I wanted to share this picture because this is a big part of Joan's motivation for taking on these long, brutal, exhausting rides. When you have grandchildren like these, finding the energy for one more climb somehow seems a little easier.