Safe Return Doubtful

57 miles (92 km) – Total so far: 1,497 miles (2,409 km)

I had a hitchhiker this morning..

Leaving Lądek-Zdrój at 8:00 am, trying to beat the weather. It had been a stormy night, lots of thunder, lightning and heavy rain – and not a good forecast for the day. But dry for now..

Most traffic heading north goes around the hills on a faster road. There were a handful of cars only on the 390, a wonderful road to ride on whatever the weather.

The road goes up 300 metres but rarely more than at 6% gradient.
There is thunder all around – small rain at the moment and I’m protected by the canopy of the forest mostly.

There’s an MTB downhill single track at the Pass. It’s at 703 metres.

And so…despite best haste the storm caught me.
As the discomfort takes effect (blurred vision, spray gushing from the front wheel, completely soaked through) it is the time to take a moment to appreciate the sheer beauty of where I am. Not a vehicle or another person anywhere near. Deer playing on the road edges. It is superb. It’s why we do it.

These are memories to savour.

A fast and kayak-like descent into Zlaté Hory.
This wasn’t so much a passing thunderstorm, so much as 3 hours of torrential rain.

Much of the fun riding was over for the day, but there was still some height to lose, and the roads I took were still quiet, so it was pretty fast and very wet until the suburbs of Wroclaw, then a bike path / lane into the city.

Arriving into Wroclaw city centre and the rain has eased.

I’ve an AirBnB apartment just to the left of the road.

It’s the end of another tour, and as usual, a great feeling of achievement, but tempered by the fact that it’s all over. I’ll write up some stuff for a summary in the next day or two, but this has been a route of real variety, tremendous fun for nearly all of the time..