Sunday, April 23, 2006

On such a beautiful day it would have been criminal to not ride. So I’m glad I went… but it was challenging. I was tired from not sleeping well and had still not recovered from yesterday's climbs. I wanted to meet up with my friend Darrick again, but he went off to ride in Italy – on some Giro d’Italia climb. No thanks.

As an aside, Stephen had gone to a bike race in Slovenia on Saturday and did a great job . There were approximately 200 entrants in the race, it was about 80 kilometers long and he didn’t know the course or understand the language or the race protocol. The race finished without a banner across the road or any notice the race had finished… so he stopped racing when he saw other bikers sitting on the side of the road eating donuts and drinking hot cider (on a 75+ degree day). Pretty funny experience.

Today’s ride was 50-miles through the tiny towns and up and down the local hills I have come to love during my stay here. It was another picture-perfect sunny day, about 70 degrees, a light breeze and hardly any traffic on the roads I chose to ride. I started in Ŝempeter pri Gorica, went to Vrtojba, then to Miren. Out of Miren there was a 200 meter climb, which I did very poorly on. I turned to go through Lokvica then to Kostanjevica where the guesthouse/hotel patio was full of locals enjoying Sunday afternoon drinks in the warm sun. In such a tiny town, I was easily identified as “not local ”. My American “Joyride” bike shop jersey was also a dead giveaway that I am not a European cyclist.

I went on through Koman to Kobjeglava and climbed up to Ŝtanjel (where I was a few days ago, but approached from the other side). The downhill from Ŝtanjel is one of my favorite rides, swooping through the trees and around tight corners. Arriving to the valley floor, I took a small road to the left – a secret biking paradise Stephen found earlier in the year ant told me about. No traffic at all for about 6 miles.

On the way home I planned to stop at the home of the local bike club president, Branca Rutar. He rides with the Goriŝka Brda club, which is sponsored by the largest winery in the region – the same place I visited a few days ago. To get to his house I could ride the known route … or choose an unknown “shortcut” and save so me miles and a couple steep climbs. Of course I decided to try the shortcut.

The shortcut certainly saved some distance but sent me on the steepest climb of my trip. Luckily the hill was short so I only got a chance to complain to myself for about 20 minutes. I reached the valley on the other side of the mountain out of breath and ready to rest for awhile. Branca and his wife graciously let me collapse on their lawn and brought out snacks for me to devour. It was interesting to hear Branca and his wife talk about their jobs and lives with ease yet constantly apologize for their “poor ” English. The truth is, they speak better English than many native speakers do. I have found that to be the case with many Slovenians and Italians I met on this trip. They don’t realize their English is completely acceptable and they would have no problem functioning in the US.

After about an hour I looked at my watch. It was 6 p.m. and cooling off fast, so I decided to head home . I was thrilled to find out from Branca there was a shortcut back home and took this unknown road without any fear of an unknown “killer” hill looming ahead . I realized as I put my bike away, this would probably be my last ride on this trip.

I’ve learned a lot about biking in Europe. The most important things are that 1)Europeans treat bikers with respect, and, 2) another trip like this is mandatory for me.

Friday, April 21, 2006

Yesterday’s ride was by far the most beautiful of any so far. The weather was perfect, about 68 degrees, and sunny. Today I debated my ride choices – flat and long (translation: busy roads with cars), small hills and medium distance to towns I’ve already visited, or a new unexplored area northeast of Nova Gorica. I had a map of the area which gave elevations and distances… but you never really know what it will be like until you ride it.

Luckily, I felt adventurous and chose the unexplored area to ride. A nice warm up for about 6 miles soon turned into the hardest climb I have ever done on a road bike. It was a quiet, narrow road (my favorite kind of ride), that traversed a steep limestone bluff. The entire climb was in a forest, offering much-appreciated shade on this warmest day so far during my stay.

The ride went through the tiny town of Solkan, to Grgar, where the climb began. From the map, I’m estimating I climbed for about 2 miles and gained about 500 meters – about 1,600 feet. When I got to the top, the road became everything I love about road biking… more narrow, windy, free of cars, and views to rival any tourist brochure. But in the midst of all this biking glory, my map suddenly turned into a distinctly unhelpful puzzle. The sparse road signs all pointed to towns that were not on ther map. So, where was I, exactly? Which impossible hill should I ride up next? Go left or right or turn around here before I became too tired to ride home?

Evil map experiences are not new to me. Matter of fact this phenomenon is long-running joke in my family; during cross-country vacations it seems we often found ourselves on winding mountain roads that eventually turned into tense, knuckle-whitening mazes of impossibly narrow roads. This resulted in much yelling, map shaking and frustration for everyone who dared try to find out where we were. Consequently it’s familiar territory for me, and has the same effect on me years later.

Luckily, Stephen came back to find me, having left me miles behind an hour ago, and said, “we just go this way, it’s obvious”. Huh, it seems that some people have internal navigation even when road signs and maps make no sense. We eventually came to an intersection in the middle of nowhere, pointing to the town of Kanal. Success! I enjoyed the rest of the ride even more, knowing I was not lost.

The ride took me along a ridge for a few kilometers and the views were simply jaw-dropping. The town of Kal is in a postcard-perfect setting, surrounded by high meadows just beginning to flower and unobstructed views of the sparkling snow-covered Julian Alps to the north. Again, it was lucky I didn’t have my camera. No way could I capture this scenery!

I flew down a long and winding descent into Kanal, located right on the Soca river. I stopped in the town square to refuel on strawberry juice and met up with Stephen again, then rode along the river all the way back to Nova Gorica (about 10 miles).

The day’s ride wasn’t the longest on this trip (41 miles) but certainly the most physically challenging because of the elevation gain. The climbs were easier for me because my bike has a triple chain ring in the front. Without that, there would be no hope for me to ride these hills. "Real" bikers claim to not need a triple, but I’ll keep it.

Tuesday April 18

I met up with Stephen again today, who had a day off from teaching in Nova Goricia, and we debated whether to ride or not because of the predicted rain. After waffling all morning we decided to skip the bike ride (and skip getting cold and wet) and walked across the border to Italy to go shopping. In Italy we found a farmers market, a great candy shop (I’ve been craving licorice), a bazillion bakeries and a great restaurant. It is about 2 miles from where I’m staying to walk to Gorizia, Italy. After all the biking I’ve been doing a walk felt great.

During lunch a well-dressed gentleman walked in to the restaurant we stumbled across and as soon as he placed his cane on a chair, his lunch was delivered to his table. No words were exchanged between him and the waitress as he happily read the newspaper, drank his wine and ate his lunch. There is no better way to choose a restaurant, or a place to feel like a local, as the silent recommendation of such a regular customer. I was happy to have good “restaurant karma” while in another country – it doesn’t always end up that way but when it happens, it’s a meal to cherish. Too bad I won’t be able to find that restaurant again – we were totally lost. And that's a shame because there I devoured the most amazing artichoke I have ever encountered. It was tender, stuffed with cheese and grains and tasted like a million bucks.

After shopping, eating, walking and deciding the skies still looked a lot like rain, and we decided (again) to not ride. Then we changed our minds and got on all our gear, prepped the bikes and headed out of town. And in just a few minutes, the weather turned… beautiful!

Today’s ride made me wonder when I began considering a 24-mile ride “short”. What was supposed to be a short easy day turned into what might be considered a “class 3” climb in the Tour de France.

We were aiming for an easy loop starting in Nova Gorica and staying on the flat roads through the valley. But in the tiny town of Volca Draga we turned right in order to explore a narrow road thinking it would be a fun and easy side trip. Wishful thinking.

Rather than turn back, we chose to continue on this road that climbed 1,300 feet in a series of about 15 amazingly steep switchbacks. In 2 miles we crawled along at about 6 mph on 8% to 14% grades. When I was about ready to bail out and turn around I took a big swig of energy drink and grunted up the last three turns. It was worth it! The views of the valley towns, castles perched on hillsides, beautiful forests, cherry trees in bloom and river winding along the valley floor were breathtaking (not that I had any breath left anyway). Luckily, I didn’t bring my camera and will consequently not be disappointed by how the photos completely fail to capture the incredible view. In other words, my poor photography skills will remain a secret for yet another day.

Once we crested the top of the mountain, the rest of the ride was a series of sweeping downhills. We darted into and out of towns in the blink of an eye, and it felt like flying. An hour and a half later we were back home, and the threatening rain clouds had disappeared to the north. We laughed at the local weather report on the website that still predicted rain and cold temperatures.

Wednesday April 19, 2006

No biking today – I needed recovery. I visited a local member of the Nova Gorica cycling club and he graciously took me on a private tour of the largest winery in the region. In the town of Doborov we arrived at the Goriska Brda winery and he whisked into the giant caves full of oak barrels and casks of wine. It was an incredible experience and well worth taking a day off.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Today must have been “friends and family bike ride day” in Slovenia and Italy. It’s the Monday after Easter and is evidently a holiday in at least Italy and Slovenia. On the ride today I passed hundreds of road bikers and mountain bikers of all ages, abilities, and on all kinds of equipment. I was interested to see the many brands of bikes I’ve never heard of and to gawk at the outrageous colors the serious bikers are wearing over here. Their outfits are not like anything like bikers wear in the US; they include bold color combinations and wild graphics.

I rode a 64-mile loop today, taking a beautiful tour of the Adriatic region of Italy. Starting in Nova Gorica I rode south through the tiny hamlet of Doberdob then through Ronchi Legionari then onto the city of Monlfalcone, which had too much traffic for my comfort. Back onto quieter roads, I headed to the coastal town of Duino which is perched on the cliffs above the sea. I walked my bike through the woods for an epic view of the Adriatic. The harbor was full of sailboats, fishing boats, container ships, and yachts.

Next I headed on to Sistiana and Prosecco (home the eponymous white sparkling wine) then to Opcina where I crossed the border back into Slovenia. A long line of cars was waiting at the border crossing, so I rode up to the front o f the line and looked hopefully at the border guards. He glanced at my passport and waved me on through, saving at least a 20-minute wait. Along the Italian side of the border are spaces for vendor stalls, but because of the holiday they were closed today. Luckily, the Kompas store on the Slovenian side was open. This national chain of stores are located at every Slovenian border crossing and my interest was in simply refilling my water bottle.

The next towns I rode through were Kriz , Tomaj, Dutrovlje and Kopriva. Just before I got to Stanjel (the only town I had ridden through before), I turned onto the MOST beautiful bike riding road in Slovenia. Only 10 feet wide, it is to be treasured because it winds through the forest, across vineyards, and along a couple streams. And… best of all very few cars.

I reconnected to the main road after about 10K of perfect road riding. This region is also a popular mountain biking destination because off to the side I saw lots of mountain bikers trying out the dirt roads.

The town of Branik was next and although there were lots of little stores along the road they were closed today so no point in stopping. In addition, I am not riding with a typical bike touring group… I am always pushing myself to ride faster and harder. I talk tediously with my buddies about average speed, total ride time, heart rate and race positioning. It’s fun when I feel strong and dull when I feel tired and sore. Today I felt great, had plenty of food, water and energy, and could have ridden a couple more hours. But I was back in Nova Gorica after 4 hours and called it a day on the bike.

For some reason, though, thought a 4-mile walk sounded good, so I trekked up to a 400 year old church on the hill and marveled at the frescoes and marble. After such an adventure-filled day I certainly felt like I earned an excellent dinner, and found a great little restaurant for a huge meal.

Thursday April 13, 2006

Today was cool but sunny and involved a 48 mile ride east of Nova Gorica toward Viapva in search of new scenery and the elusive locally-produced drink called Vinac which is made in the same manner as Cognac. Sadly, I never found the Vinac but the ride was well worth the energy I expended.

From the Branica river valley I turned south and headed up a long climb to the picturesque town of Stanjel. I recovered from the long climb in the courtyard of the Stanjel castle built in the 16th century. In case that isn’t old enough , a guidebook pointed out the current castle was built on the foundation of the original medieval castle. All I know is that looked really, really old and was a heckuva climb. Nearby was is the church of St. Daniel (named after the martyr) which would be worth revisiting without being forced to clatter around in biking cleats.

Looking down into the valley where the road would take me next were orchards of pink cherry blossoms and tiny towns with red tile roofs and castles of their own. The trees are just beginning to leaf out and everywhere is the brilliant green of spring.

After a fast downhill I arrived in the town of Vipava. The winery there is huge and is attached to a very classy restaurant. I was amazed to see a Rotary International plaque designating this as the meeting place of the local Rotary club. Too bad I didn’t have their meeting information because it would be fun to “crash” a rotary meeting in bike clothes.

The winery didn’t sell any wine, but I found a tourist office in town with two women who spoke English. They told me to go to the next town and find the store that sells fruit juice (at least that’s what I think they were trying to tell me) in the difficult-to-pronounce town of Ajdovŝĉina. Sadly, it was not that easy and I sailed through town without scoring the vinac or lunch. Missing lunch would prove to be a big mistake for me.

About 10 miles later I took a hard climb up to the tiny town of Kriz for lunch, which didn’t pay off because the only restaurant in town was closed. Starving, I sat on the side of the road and proceeded to eat all the food I brought, digging desperately into my saddle bag for anything I could find that resembled food. I drank all the energy drinks I had and was still hungry. The 15 miles home was a struggle but I knew I could make it okay. A rainstorm made the roads messy but not wet enough to be dangerous or soak through my clothes. Note to self -- bring extra food!

The post-ride meals are the best and tonight was a real treat for me… tofu! Yup, even in Slovenia there are people like me. In case you ever come here, you can find tofu in the grocery store right next to the kielbasa.


Friday April 14, 2006

Today is the best weather of the trip by far. Perfectly clear skies and no hint of rain. The ride today was short – only 25 miles – but it climbed out of the Soca river valley for 1,000 vertical feet. I am tired today and felt slow, sluggish and draggy. It happens I guess. Tomorrow and Sunday I’ll rest and recover by going to the Saturday outdoor market in Gorizia, Italy. Maybe I’ll find something good to eat (ha, ha).

Wednesday April 12, 2006

Today I rode a total of 50 miles. The destination was Cividale via a ride through the green foothills of the Alps. From Semeter Pri Goricia (right across the border for Gorizia, Italy) I climbed about 800 feet out of the Soca river valley. The roads were narrow and windy and I enjoyed riding past many vineyards, old castles on hills and along old stone wall. The trees are in full blossom filling the air with the fragrance of flowers, earthy smell of freshly turned soil and the sound of bird songs. It seems like the local people have been awaiting this season through the long winter. Homeowners and agricultural workers are all outside cleaning up from winter and preparing to plant.

The hilltop town of Ŝmartno (in Slovenia) had everything featured in a brochure: stunning views of the alps on one side, steep hill planted with grape vines on the other side, a terribly old castle straddling a cobblestone street, a man on his roof repairing the chimney and a solid sense that this place is like nowhere in North America.

I crossed into Italy in Venco and turned north along a small river. This was one of the most beautiful parts of today’s ride with a view of the snow-covered Alps ahead, vineyards on both sides of the road and green grass carpeting the entire valley. Evidently other bikers have discovered this road as well because for the first time I saw lots of other road bikers. Eventually I got up the courage to say “ciao” as I passed a biker and got a smile and “ciao” in response. It made me happy to feel like I was part of international community of cyclists.

Two hours later, I discovered Cividale was worth the ride. Even a flat tire outside the city didn’t spoil the enjoyment of arriving in this unique historic place. The original Roman walls are still visible and stand as a testament to the importance of history to the people in this part of the world. The city center’s narrow cobblestone streets are lined with shops, gelaterias (great ice cream) and trattorias (cafes). A cappuccino really hit the spot after riding 25 miles and the gentleman serving us didn’t bat an eyelash at me wearing sweaty bike shorts, cycling cleats and other odd clothing. Really, all he cared about is that I paid in Euros.

In the days of Attila the Hun Civadale was the regional center. The Nattisone river runs through town and an stone bridge that was built hundreds of years ago connects the new part of town to the ancient part of town. I stopped to look down into the deep gorge and saw huge trout swimming in the beautiful green water. The water is worth a story in itself, with the brilliant color coming from the prolific abundance of limestone in this region.

In Cividale the temperature dropped about ten degrees and dark clouds showed up to the north so I began the hour-plus ride home along the less scenic but fast flatlands toward Nova Gorica.

The rain was close behind as I arrived at the Italy-Slovenia border and just after putting my bike in storage the clouds opened up with the kind of rainstorm that would have completely ruined the bike ride. Lucky me, once again!

Tomorrow if the weather is good I want to explore to the south – possibly Aquileia which is near Trieste and has a basilica which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Maybe I’ll learn something while earning that second serving of Tiramisu!

Tuesday April 11, 2006

I finally had my first bike ride last night. The arrival of the bike is a long, tedious story. It involved two baggage clerks at the airport who seemed to want to help me but gave me lots of excuses why tomorrow was a better day to deliver the bike. I finally got fed up after a half dozen phone calls and demanded they deliver the darn bike. Finally a charming delivery driver brought the bike to where I’m staying in Slovenia. Unfortunately he got lost and I had to scramble to find him before he gave up and went back to Italy. Turns out he was the guy on the corner looking frantically around for someone to show up and claim the bike. He only spoke Italian, but we communicated eventually.

The bike survived shipping in fine form and I reassembled it in about 30 minutes. My friend Stephen who is living in Slovenia took me out for a short 8 mile ride. He knows all the local towns and roads and took me on an amazing scenic loop. The roads are narrow but traffic is very light and drivers are extremely polite.

The picturesque towns here are similar to Italy. Except for the frighteningly foreign language I wouldn’t know I wasn’t in Italy. But with the Slovenian language it is impossible to “fake it”. Slovenian has strange hats over letters, very few vowels and a surplus of Zs and Ks. It’s tough to read the road signs whizzing past at 18 mph. Luckily I didn’t have to.

Towns are truly tiny here. Some of the hill towns are so tiny they have only one house visible from the road. Most towns have a little market abutting the road but that may be all there is. The buildings look very old – many were built more than 300 years ago. But the point is people are still living in the very comfortably. People were out manicuring rows and rows of vines and tilling the soil. It is a very labor-intensive agricultural area with small farms on steep hillsides, not very conducive to using tractors or equipment. Just manual labor. We got home in time to enjoy a roaring thunderstorm, luckily from indoors.

The next morning I awoke to wet streets, low-hanging clouds and cool temperatures in the 50s. Not a perfect day for biking but who cares? I’m here to bike. I rode a 30-mile loop over the Karst hills (limestone) and through dozens of vineyards. Steep climbs and even steeper descents added some serious technical and aerobic challenges to the ride. Finally, threatening clouds and fat raindrops helped make the decision to head back to the town of Nova Gorica and some serious eating. Pizza is a common food here, along with a buckwheat dumpling served in gravy or soup. But primarily it is a county of meat and cabbage.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and warmer. It looks like a good day to ride back into Italy and toward the Adriatic, and I’m looking forward to feeling like I’m part of the local culture and enjoying the scenery.