The Wobbling Sprocket

Well this is a big day. Lots of climbing but before that all begins we had to get to the mainland on the Superfast Croatian Speedboat…a hydrofoil to get from the island of Krk to the mainland. The pictures can tell the story.

Here are Steve and Ray:

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And Graeme and Brian

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Duane got bike holding duty:

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After the big climb, Duane looked pretty happy…I’ll leave it at that:

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Cres to Vrbnik

The morning was free for everyone. I rode on my bike to Beli. What a great road! Higher up it carves the side of the island and has a steep drop off. As I rode I saw one of the endangered Griffon’s vultures that the island is known for circling…BELOW me. There is no one driving on the road to Beli. There was a great view this morning.

Croatia

Croatia

It is a small village. There is one pension though. I stopped in to check it out. There are 8 rooms, it could work on a future trip. It would be quiet very quiet. That would not be bad though.

From the village to the beach is the steepest road yet that I have encountered in Croatia. I crept down it going really slow. I was afraid the bike was going to get away from me. It’s about 1k long and I would say a solid 20%….perhaps a little more in spots. There were a couple cafes and beach houses at the bottom as well as about 20 boats in a small cove. I met up with this shaggy sheep on the way. He didn’t have much trouble with the steep road:

Croatia

Croatia

When I got back to Cres, this gentleman literally ran over to me when I was getting off the bike.  I didn’t understand what language he was speaking much less what exactly he was saying…. I did pick up that he rides or used to ride and had a bike that weighed about 9 kilograms.  Our “communciation” went on for about 10 minutes.  I told him I’d put his pic on the blog and here it is with my bike:

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I made it back in plenty of time to catch the 12:45 ferry to Vrbnik.

Everyone made it to Vrbnik in plenty of time to enjoy a swim. Our hotel overlooks the Adriatic and the towns swimming beach. The water was more than a little refreshing.

Sept 9 Rabac to Cres

Graeme and Steve opted for the cruise and everyone else is biking. On the way to the ferry this morning, I was pulled over by the Croation police. I thought it was some sort of check point, but it turned out to be speed trap. I was apparently going 71k in a 50k zone. I ended up paying 500 Kuna on the spot (about $100) as a fine. Just down the road (where it is much less straight and smooth) the limit is actually 70k. A little frustrating. I don’t think it helped that I was an American, driving a Mercedez Vito, registered in Slovenia. Worse things can happen though.

Right now I am sitting in a shady spot at the top of the climb on the island of Cres. There is not a cloud in the sky. It really doesn’t get any nicer. Here is the precise spot that this is being typed from:

Croatia cycling

We ate port side at a nice seafood restaurant. Most people had seafood. The sea bass and Dorado were terrific.