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//Day 52 /02-05-22 /Himare-Fier

Pff….what a day. The full post will be for tomorrow…when I’m in Tirana. I arrived at my hotel at 18.30 after having been on the road for 10 hours and most of it in the rain, climbed 2000 meter and……fixing 5 (yes 5)…punctures…I’m now an expert in fixing punctures. I met the most helpful cycling couple ever….but more about my eventful day tomorrow.I will shower and find something to eat and sleep……Anyway vive les Suisses….


Hererby the extended version. 

When I wake up in Himare it was heavily raining and forecasted to rain most of the day. I packed and put on my raingear, bough some breakfast in a bakery and started cycling towards the 1100 meter mountain I needed to climb today. Behind the mountain it would be mostly descending and flat until Tirana.








Before climbing the 1100 m mountain I needed to climb hill of around 350 meters, getting out of town was only 150 meters…The 150 and 350 appetizers were quickly digested. After 20K I could see the 1100 meter mountain and it’s hairpin turns, I counted 6, after each turn a straight road of around 1,5 K each…Komoot informed me that the incline would be around 8 and 14%. A lof of cars climbing the mountain as well. So I started climbing…The climbing went well but I would not have managed without Black Horse to help to get my lugage also over the mountain. It kept raining. The higher I climbed more clouds and poor visibility. 
When I passed hairpin #4 I noticed that black Horse started wobbling  strangely…..I look at my rear wheel and I noticed I had a flat…I was expecting to have a flat during my trip but the moment was not ideal ; raining, cars passing by, a steep road….I unpacked Black Horse and replaced the flat with the spare inner tube I have with me. I had checked the tire for what caused the flat but couldn’t find anything. Pumped the tire, packed BH and was ready to ride…Just before the top it stopped raining and a shy sun came out..I made it to the top where there was a bar so got a drink to celebrate my climb and to warm up a little.









30 minutes later I started descending. Descending a 1100 meter mountain is fun, even if it started raining again. When I had descended 700 meters Black Horse started wobbling again…..another flat. This time I had no spare tube so I had to fix the puncture  the classic way with “rustinekes” and glue…Something I had done only once before…It was starting to rain harder but luckily I could shelter under a shelter from a small “bar”. I was even more lucky that at the moment a Swiss couple passed by. I explained them that it was the first time I was going to fix a puncture…The young man (I forgot his name - I know) showed me on how to fix it. The young lady (I forgot her name as well - but hope she will connect on Instagram) checked in detail my tire and found a small piece of glass buried deep in the tire. The tire was fixed….I packed black horse. It was still raining and already 14.00 so I had a drink and something to eat together with the helpful couple. After lunch I stepped out to leave….unfortunate the tire was flat again….We went trough the same proces, unpacking BH, taking of the tire, search for the puncture and search for the source of the puncture….There was small puncture…and I found a something really sharp in the inner side of the tire; a tiny torn….The torn was taking out and a new “rustineke” applied….eventually everything was ok. I said a big thank you and safe trip to my rescuers…great couple.

I continued my descent to Viora, a bigger sea resort. Just before I entered the city…..Black Horse started wobbling again…….yes indeed another flat….I could not find any new source so my assumption was that the tiny torn had created 2 holes. I had stopped at a shop-bar where some people where having a celebration. One guy wanted me to help, he was friendly but not the best “rustineke”-sticker..When I pumped the tire to check it immediately went flat again. So I friendly thanked him and fixed it myself….It was now almost 16.00 and I still had 50 K to cycle to the hotel I booked in Fier……
Due to puncture troubles and the bad weather I had not spend a lot of time sightseeing. The mountain I climbed and the valley I descended were beautiful though…









The last 30 K it started raining again. The closer to Fier I came the harder it started raining. In addition I was concerned  to get another flat…I was happy I did arrive at Fier…without an additional flat….

Today I will remember as “Puncture day”……the day I lost my puncture virginity and helped by super Swiss couple…

Lessons Learned :
  • When a puncture always check for the source….there is always a source.
  • Thanks to puncture day I have learned to apply “rustinekes”
  • Never let an Albanian guy try to fix your puncture. 
  • Swiss cycling couples are the best ! 
  • At the end of the day there will be a rainbow.
Song of the day : Puncture repair - Elbow



Comments

  1. Leentje Vanlee5/2/22, 7:43 PM

    Have a good rest and some jummie jn your tummie!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Liliane vanlee5/2/22, 8:33 PM

    Wat spijtig voor jou, zo een rotdag.
    Eet maar lekker en ga dan vlug slapen.
    Hopelijk voor morgen een betere dag.
    Slaapwel.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5/2/22, 10:39 PM

    It can only get better tomorrow👊

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lieve meirsman5/3/22, 8:00 AM

    ben benieuwd naar je verhaal morgen, zal wel een zware dag geweest zijn,

    ReplyDelete
  5. Leentje Vanlee5/3/22, 10:19 PM

    Congrats ’Rustinnekes-sticker’!
    It looked like a cloudy and wet day, yikes!
    Love the photos again!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lieve meirsman5/4/22, 7:47 AM

    dit is wel de moeilijkste dag geweest tot hiertoe niet alleen het slechte weer maar ook de pech van zoveel platte banden op 1 dag je zie het ook aan de foto's dat het weer niet optimaal was, morgen hopelijk beter

    ReplyDelete

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