Macedonia & Greece

If you don't know, I use komoot for most of my route planning, because it integrates nicely with my wahoo computer. (How much easier it is nowadays, compared to having to constantly stop and look.) Well, sometimes komoot likes to think some paths are roads, tracks are paths, and nothing whatsoever is a track. And it isn't nice when that happens.

On tuesday I had a nice route planned that would save me from following the highway all the way south — or so I thought. Well at some point the road became a horrible loose gravel road became tractor tracks; and I was too far in to turn around. Managed to push myself through, chilled out in front of an old house in a small town somewhere, had a nice not-talking hanging out with some old guy (well he only spoke macedonian, and my utalk knowledge is pretty much useless), had some coffee, and then tried to push on: then the road stopped and komoot basically fckd me. So back to the old road along the highway.

However, in the evening I stumbled, having already set up my tent somewhere where it wouldn't bother anyone, on a huge flock of sheep and a turkish sheepherder. Nice and cool unexpected meetings. Then the next day — god was I tired in the morning — I had the roughest gravel road ever again. Am I happy I'm running tubeless, everything held up and I really did not hold back. I was then greeted in the town shortly after by a guy waving at me, who turned out to be from Israel and also to be touring with his family. Super relaxed couple although they aren't able to go back home now, due to the war.

Oh, short explanation is needed for the picture of the horrible handwriting. I intended to always keep a diary. Well, I frequently have thoughts I want to jot down, but with such (fully coked up from adrenaline) gravel riding that gets kinda hard. So I forced myself to write down those lines, to know what to write here ;).Read more