Day 13, the Honey Badger still has it

Out at 5:45 this morning. Cool air, quiet roads and a beautiful start through Serbia. For the first few hours I felt great and deliberately kept the effort easy. I knew I had almost 90 miles ahead of me.

That turned out to be a good decision.

By late morning the heat arrived, along with a headwind. After Paraćin came a long exposed climb, and then the final 25 miles became a grind into the wind on tired legs. At that point there wasn’t much sightseeing going on. Just pedal, drink, eat, repeat.

88.6 miles (142 km) and 2,914 feet of climbing. I was tired when I finally rolled into Svilajnac, but very happy.

And then the day changed completely.

My hostess had actually seen me riding toward town about an hour before I arrived and called her daughter saying she thought she’d spotted her Cycilist guest. She said I was the first American to stay here. With the nearby restaurants closed on Sunday, she drove me to a beautiful restaurant outside town.

After nearly ten hours on the bike, lamb roasted with potatoes and carrots, vitamin salad, Serbian brandy and red wine tasted ridiculously good.

She came back to pick me up afterward, and we ended up sitting and talking for probably 30 minutes about Serbia, politics, family and life. I’d been wondering why some people here seemed distant toward me. She told me not to take it personally. Her explanation was simple: people have their own frustrations and worries and sometimes just don’t pay much attention to anyone else.

Now I’m sitting on the balcony. Laundry is done. The bike is downstairs. I’m fed, tired and very happy.

Tomorrow I’m taking a train toward Belgrade. I could ride it, but I don’t like the traffic and there’s no reason to prove anything by taking unnecessary risks.

What a trip.Read more