Riding the length of Cres

We were up very early to have breakfast and be on the road by 7am. It's quite a big deal to herd 24 people with their baggage, bikes, and random last-minute questions and get everyone on the road on time. This morning, we had to be on the ferry from Brestova at 8.15am to Porozina on the island of Cres. It was a misty morning and a bit cooler (well, not for us tough Canberra folk) as we rode the 13kms to Brestova. After a little bit of a climb and some photo stops, it was all downhill to the ferry. The views down in the morning with mist over the mountains and the views to the Adriatic Sea were just stunning.

The ferry ride was only 15 minutes, and the views of the mainland and of Cres and other islands in the distance were amazing. We pushed the bikes off the ferry, and that's when the hill climbing began. It was a 10km climb to begin with, but a relatively consistent gradient - we climbed from sea level to 458m at the peak. This was followed by an undulating up and down - there was another small climb of another few kms and then downhill to the town of Cres on the Island of Cres for morning tea. We were now 40kms into our ride for the day!

It was so good to refuel with fruit, cakes, and fluids! The local custard filled cakes the team supplied was awesome. Feeling somewhat rejuvenated, and with the day starting to warm up into the 20s, we started our next 10km hill climb, rising a little less than the previous one. It was then a mainly downhill trip to Osor for lunch - there were still a few smaller climbs that were starting to bite!

All in all, we clocked up 74kms, our biggest day yet, and the biggest of our bike tour. I was proud of myself for using no more than level 1 assist (there's 3 levels), which given all the climbs was great! Gayle went well on her limousine, making it all the way on one charge.

Lunch was another great and healthy meal designed to recharge us after a long ride. There was an option to do an extra 24km ride to the hotel, but we opted not to push our luck and rode in the van.

We checked into Hotel Bellvue, which is quite flash. At 4.45pm, we took taxis into Museum of Apoxyomenos
Muzej Apoksiomena, where we went on a private tour. The museum is beautifully modern and focused around the unique discovery of the ancient Greek bronze statue of Apoxyomenos, which was found in the sea near Lošinj.

We were pretty spent after all the day's excitement and opted for a quiet dinner in our room.もっと詳しく