©stefan rohner

Bilal Agalliu in marble, (text in Albanian) and some wonderful butterflies made my day …how have been Albanian roads when he cycled on them?

this morning I wanted to move a bit my body and leave dusty Tirana behind, there must be some nice country side air outside the city. I don’t want to judge nor critique, so this is only my personal impression. on the “real playstation” roads the only goal seems to be: who is the fastest! I cycled for 4 hours through horrible architecture, strange sceletons of unfinished buildings, putrescent animal carcasses, sharp acid smoke due to burning garbage beside the roads, small rivers smelling as effluents from washing maschines, every bus or truck brings with it a large platoon of stinking cars, always covered in a cloud of black dust, sometimes somebody has the need to throw some bags full of garbage out of the driving car. “Lavazh” (car washing places) are a big business, every 100 mt you find one, but I wonder what reason there is to have a clean car when all around all is dirty? even sunglasses do not protect they eyes from the dust in the air, a dry mouth and lips from dust, even if drinking a lot of water….

@stefan rohner

Tirana – Qeparo (in car;), with Bevis and his family some nice days at the beach, thanks! the way to the beach…. mhhh Albanias roads to me are a big smogy dust hole! top pollution. for Bevis a “real playstation” no laws no order, really crazy driving (not Bevis ;) but most of the Albanians.

©Bevis Fusha

Yesterday: Budva – Petrovac – Ulcinj – Vladimir – Shkoder 114km 5:40h

Today: Shkoder – Tirana 97km 3:20km ( a little time trail ) in a cloud of dust! they are building a highway into Tirana.

cycling days: 16
total: 2219km,
time: 109,10h
max daily average: 25,7km/h
max distance: 202km
min distance: 97km
max speed: 88,7km/h

it was a great! specially the food in Italia.

thanks to all ;) also to the Albanians who have been interested in my journey.

©stefan rohner

picture taken at Morinj, looking at Dobrota.

Dubrovnik – Gruda – Herceg Novi – Bijela – Risan – Perast – Dobrota – Kotor – Budva: 118km  5.54h

after having 3 very nice days with my family at Castellana Grotte I moved with the ferry from Bari to Dubrovnik.

here another Trulli and hand made Orecchiette, Orecchiette in Wikipedia.

the first 1,5h I wanted to kill some truck driver, man! I dont know what happend, but these guys had NO time today! cuting me all the time! also there was a lot of WIND, TOO much of it. no water, no gasoline station, no fountain, no shop…. GRRRRRR!!

thank you Carina, Eva and Luigi, for helping me out with google maps. after finding the right way I had a wonderful ride from Herceg Novi – Bijela – Risan – Perast – Dobrota – Kotor, specialy the village Perast was very autentic.

today I passed the 2000km ;)  2008km time: 99.36h

©stefan rohner

picture: part of Alberobello

Yesterday: Foggia – Barletta – Bari – Castellana Grotte: 184km 8:49h

the last two hours crawling on the floor ;((

©stefan rohner

picture made near Ortona.

Loreto – Pescara – Ortona – Vasto – Porto di Vasto: 201,29km 8:02h all on the coast, near Ortona some heavy ups and downs..

real fun today, the first two hours I made in a 30-40men peloton ;) 60km in 2h, then alone the speed was still ok, but not 30km/h anymore. had to take the train to Foggia from Porto di Vasto, all hotels FULL around the zone ;( so now, do I go back to make the missing road or do I go on?? ;)) would like to visit Castellana Grotte, my mothers town, where I have some very nice memories from my childhood. maybe thats what I will do tomorrow ….

thanks Eva for helping me out with the train and hotel situation.

update: if your ever in Foggia, Trattoria “Pinogrigio” Via Nicola delli Carri!

©stefan rohner

wonderful Umbria mountains, this morning.

Yesterday: Siena – Rapolano Terme – Sinalunga – Bettolle – Valiano – Castiglione del Lago – Perugia 127km 6.34h

che casino! crossing several times the highway, chaos! until Bettolle, I lost myself, did some 20km dirt track in the wonderful hills of Toscana. at Lago Trasimeno I met my brother, he came from Perugia with his race bike, the last 30km I did on his wheel, what a pleasure. from Perugia we went on by car, into the mountains of Assisi, he had a place in a camping on 1100m, I was really suprised how beautiful the place was. thanks brother Markus, also for the very good food.

Today: Gualdo Tadino – Serradica – Bivio Ercole – Castelraimondo – Villa Potenza – Porto Recanati (NO room ;( – Loreta 116km 5:31h

Umbria! wow, what wonderful mountains, what wonderful narrow roads, what green valleys! big big surprise….

©stefan rohner

Il Palio

a place to visit once in your life! for me two days of relax and doing nothing, with fresh pasta from Fedora ;)

©Eva

huhu… hard day ;)  164,39km 7:55h

Siena Piazza del Campo under WATER! when I met Eva there… HEAVY rain! ;) small rivers running through the city. here the very nice dirt track in the country side to Eva´s house.  the “kilometer recorder” went into the washing machine! took a 15min go, still works ;)

tomorrow first day of rest, after 9 days of pedaling. ;) total: 1269km

©stefan rohner

Yesterday: Albenga – Genova – Camogli, 124km 6:20h  first three hours rain rain rain, but weather got better. all on the coast.

Today: Camogli – Rapallo – Sestri Levante – Passo Bracco – Borghetto di Vara – Follo – Sarzana – Marina di Massa, 123km 7:30h Passo Bracco only 615m from sea level was hardcore, well hardcore with that bags on the bike ;( climbing uphill around 2:40h

by the way, thank you guys for the chinque terre tip, I know these wonderful villages, but that was not on my way ;) I take the express way ;)

©stefan rohner

All on the coast, wonderful places, maybe a little too much traffic.

167km 8:03h feelt great today. picture later ;) happy to get italian food!!

pahh… nearly forgot the most important: Giuseppe, a Italian guy who lived for 40 years in Germany, I meet him on the road, with his 50kg bike, pedaling without shoes, he had some spoches around his pedals. he started in Germany, went to Holland, drove down all the coast, France, Spain, Portugal, Spain, France all on the coast, 7650km on his bike! he will pedal down to Sycily.

©stefan rohner

Yesterday: Arles – St. Martin de Crau – Pelisanne – Éguilles – Pourriéres – St. Maximin La Ste. Baume: 122,00km 6:32h

meet a 7 cyclist peloton, they passed me by, brmmmmmm on WHEEL, cool, for one hour behind them ;)

3 coca cola, 2 red bull, 5 x 1,5l water bottles …

last 1,5h I was crawling on the floor ;( did not eat enough on the way.

Dinner, amazing place if one day your there: http://www.hotel-de-france.fr take my hat of for that wonderful meal.

Today: St. Maximin La Ste. Baume – Brignoles – Le Luc – Le Muy – “la tour de mare” Cannes: 124,81km 6:24h

2 coca cola, 2 red bull, 5 x 1,5l water bottles …

©stefan rohner

Narbonne – Béziers – Agde – Sete – La Grande Motte – Arles :  187,14km 8:03h

always something to complain, today it was very hot! I should buy a sun protector. wind on my side this time, only the last hour was blowing strong winds into my face.. lets see if I get good food now!

©stefan rohner

around 40km by train, 104,6km on bike, 5:26h

PENG!! again, this morning after 7km ;) second spoke broke. back to the village and train to Perpignan. it took me some time to find bicycle shops, but the two I found have been closed. decatlon! found a cheap 39€ back wheel, 36 heavy looking spokes ;) finally I went on, mother nature is not on my side, wants to test how brave  I am, HEAVY WINDS the whole way to Narbonne!

on the way I meet Nicolas, a german guy, he traveled from south Germany to the Pyrenees, did some Cols there, crossed part of the Pyrenees, and went up the windy Mediterranean coast. he had done already 2400km!! in one month. good luck Nicolas, hope you arrive well back home, buy a new tire! (his tire had a hole already ;) your rack did not look much better ;((

tired ,,,,,

“Tuchivay” rolls well again.

P.S. Dietmar, just read your comment: when I left Nicolas I had “only” 80km, he said: why do you not stop here? me: you know this is my second day, I want to see what is possible, (ausloten) I have a long way in front of me ;)

©stefan rohner

128,7km  6:15h

I started north barcelona, did not feel like to cross the whole city, would have been horrible.

after 34km on a uphill, the bilke goes PENG!! VERY LOUD. sounded like a stone crashing against the frame. a spoke broke ;( I knew that would happen, but my bicycle “repair man” ( yes Juan ;) told me: dont worry everthing will be fine. so I took the cable from the back wheel brake away and went on, with a DANCING wheel… all downhills with only the front brake…

the road between Llancá and Cerbére a real nightmare, up and down, up and down… and STRONG strong WIND ;(((

The Albanian School of Photography invited me to give a workshop in Tirana. I decided to ride by bicycle to Tirana. My old scott pro racing, MTB tank ;) got thin slicks and a rack, total weight with bags 30,8kg. Kilometers from Barcelona to Tirana:  around 2300km (1430miles). if I find wireless around I will send some travel updates on my blog. Barcelona – Perpignan – Montpellier – Arles – Canne – Genova – La Spezia – Lucca – Firenze – Perugia – Pescara – Foggia – Bari …. boat to Dubrovnik – Tirana

see you on the road…