Last ride and arrival in Dubrovnik

We were up early for a 7am breakfast and roll out at about 7.45am. A short 2.5km ride to the ferry back to the mainland. The weather is not just chilly, it is cold and very windy, almost Canberra weather - 11c, but feels like 5c!

We dont really have cold weather cycling gear, so sleeves on plus a long sleeved shirt and rain jackets will have to suffice. Once off the tree ferry in Orebic, the plan is to ride 57km to the small town of Ston, where we then are taken into Dubrovnik by bus.

Once on the road out of Orebic, we followed the coastline on a busy road, and after about 4km, the big climb of the day commenced. The climb was over 6km at an average of 5 to 6 gradient - everyone knows what my thoughts are on this misleading average! The climb was a series of switchbacks up the mountains overlooking the sea, and nd the views were breathtaking. The winds were strong but in gusts at intervals when we weren't protected by the mountains.

We both managed to make it to the top of this somewhat treacherous climb, which was quite an achievement given the wind and traffic. However, our Odyssey support team told us that the weather ahead was getting worse, with even more windy conditions on the way. A number of cyclists had already called it quits, opting to ride in the van.

We continued onto a tunnel through the mountains at the 19km mark, where the remaining cyclists gathered for pick-up and transport into Dubrovnik. The tunnel was approximately 200m long and a single lane, so we did ride through to take a look while waiting for our bus. We couldn't believe that cars drove through this tunnel, but they did and both ways.

The temperature was cold, and as we were just standing around waiting for the bus, our bodies cooled down. Our bus arrived and ferried us into our hotel, which took over an hour, but it was warm on board!

The Odyssey team organised early check-ins, and we also had our picnic lunch in a conference room. I can't say enough about how professional the team are and how they quickly adapt to these curve balls - you can't control the weather!

In the evening, we walked to a nearby pub, Public Bar, where we had some drinks and a cheese burger. It was a relaxed night where we chatted to a lovely Swedish mother and daughter. We returned to our hotel and played some pool with Henrick and Henrique.もっと詳しく