Day 14 & 15 (15-16/9) Brezice- Samabor 22 km

Our 14 th day looked promising, the sky looked brighter but it was very chilly. We planned for a good distance day through the mountains, as our forecast showed more wretched rain coming in mid afternoon.

We had a fairly uneventful 20 km dry trip to Samabor, then needed a rest for a coffee, just as it started to rain. It seemed the rain had arrived earlier than expected and the locals said it was due to pour all day; so much for my weather app!

We were planning to cross some 2000 ft mountains so decided to cancel our booked apartment , and find a local one to save riding in rubbish conditions.

The café owner recommended a place which was available that we could move in immediately. Perfect, as he had a garage shelter where I could work on my bike chain, which had been playing up.

We had a restful afternoon, after the chain was successfully repaired and adjusted. The rain started to reduce at 7 pm so we decided to go to the town’s oldest restaurant which, our host had suggested, but it was 2 kms away.

It was a great choice even though it drizzled on route.

We headed back along the narrow lanes, avoiding the mainroad. The route involved a ridiculously steep downhill bike ramp about 45 degrees, in order to avoid 10 steps.

It was a bit scary dropping into this ramp but I managed it OK. I think Sue wasn’t quite lined up, so when she completed the descent she was heading for a concrete wall, and ended up falling off and getting trapped under the bike.

I quickly returned and saw she was smiling, so couldn’t resist a photo🥴

She’d rubbed some skin of her elbow and had pain in her chest, but otherwise all seemed ok and we rode back.

The chest pain was worrying as we both thought she may have fractured a rib on the concrete wall. We both slept fine but slightly nervously as a rib injury would probably have scuppered our future plans.

Day 15 Samabor- Balkovici 85 km

I awoke nervously, waiting for Sue to get out of bed and half expecting her to be squealing with chest pain.

With great relief, I only heard the usual groans and moans regarding aching joints and stiff muscles. Even Sue herself was surprised that she wasn’t feeling too bad.

I think that her lovely left bosom, now a rather blue grey colour, had acted like an air bag and protected her ribs. 🤔

We set off at 9:30 into a steep sided valley with a gradual 2000 ft climb over 10 kms. As we climbed it became cooler and the inevitable drizzle started.

Expressing her feelings after climbing to 2000ft in drizzle!

We stopped for a satisfyingly long lunch next to cycle route and warmed up.

After lunch, our bike map app. advised us away from a busy road and onto gravel tracks. A slightly longer route but more enjoyable, I thought.

The track was fine to start with but then we were faced with a deep stream to cross, which was totally impassable😡. This then meant a frustrating back track. However, I did notice a track that made a shortcut to the main road.

The busy road was unpleasant with many trucks. We kept the speed up at 25 km/h and we were soon back on lanes and small roads into increasingly pretty countryside.

Most villages seem to have a Café/bar. Unlike UK pubs, where food or snacks are usually available, these all seem to be full of blokes who you can only just see, through the haze of their smoke.

The route then started to climb again. Our legs and batteries were getting low in energy so I hoped it wouldn’t last too long.

The information on Booking.com said that our accommodation had a riverside view, but it didn’t say it was a view from 500 ft!!
Our batteries were pretty much finished, as were our legs. We had to really work to climb to our destination!