Námestovo to Liptovský Mikuláš

June 27, 2015 Margie Comments 0 Comment

Hills and Rain and Hills and Splat!

We pass a peaceful night in our Soviet style hotel, and share a breakfast buffet with the many guests who have appeared this morning.

Today’s route is a little uncertain. We plan to travel about 80km, from Námestovo to lakeside Liptovský Mikuláš, where we will spend a rest day. The Amber Trail veers off the main road (78) between Námestovo and Dolny Kubín onto a smaller road that looks somewhat dubious and which was obviously not a road the Google street view car chose to travel. The first street view I found of route 78 showed a very narrow two-lane road, with a large truck belting around a sharp bend – not a pleasant looking option. The 78 joins up with the E77, a main highway that we will meet up with in a few days, but which looks very unappealing for riding if there is a viable alternative. We elect the suck-it-and-see approach, and set off out of town on the reasonably quiet route 78.

The first 16 or so kilometres to Hrušton is uneventful. The morning is cool-ish, so we need to stop to shed layers after a 10km warm up. We stop for drinks on the other side of Hrušton, then I stop again while I contemplate the short, but sharp climb up to our decision point. A woman from a house at the side of the road comes out and offers water. We decline, gratefully, and push off. Neil, as always, disappears up the slope, while I make my more sedate way. The road is busy, with cars and trucks, and I’m already feeling that the Amber Trail has good reason to leave this road.

At the top we encounter a small clearing on the right hand side of the road. My Garmin is pretty determined that this is our turn off, so we take a little reccy along this dubious looking road to nowhere, and determine that it actually does go somewhere. We say goodbye to route 78 and enter the forest. The road is unpaved, but not unpleasant, uphill, but not difficult, and we are able to ride slowly and enjoy the view over the valley.

The route takes us up on a mostly gentle grade (with a few unpleasant >10% sections), and then lets us loose on a steep, slightly windy, but very comfortable downhill run that takes us to the Orava River and an industrial looking Dolny Kubín. It seems a small town, but the thing that strikes us is the prevalence of apartment buildings. The people who live here are certainly packed into small spaces.

In the centre of town we find a café, and pull in gratefully to rest and eat. We order pizza and drinks and we are quite surprised when the pizza arrives by delivery. This is obviously one of the many drink-only cafes you find in eastern Europe. We tuck into the pizza with relish, enjoying the memories of this morning’s pleasant ride.

We still have a good 50km to go today though and as we get back on the bikes the sky darkens, threatening a wet afternoon ride. We’ve lingered nearly an hour over lunch and it looks like we are going to pay for that!

It is nearly 3:30 by the time we leave Donly Kubín, and it is not long before the rain hits. The temperature drops rapidly and we cover up with rain gear, but keep moving, knowing we have still a long way to go, and feeling a little nervous about the weather. We stop once along the way to warm up with hot drinks, and try valiantly to get internet reception to check the rain radar. We are expected in Liptovský Mikuláš, and we’re running late, so we just push on. The countryside would give amazing views, but in the mountains in pouring rain, there is not much to see. We still have a couple of monster hills to overcome and we are shamed by a some local cyclists who cruise past as if they are riding on the flat. They aren’t pushing barges, though and we quickly pass them once we hit the downhill run. It is so cold. My fingers and toes are frozen and the wind whistles through me on a fast downhill. By the time we pass the town of Lučky (would have been more lucky if I’d chosen accommodation here), we have 20km to go, but the weather has warmed and we are both feeling a little better about the world.

There are so many times in our bike travels where we have had 20km to go and it always seems to be the hardest 20km when you have your tail up for the end but still have to get through the distance.

On paper, the trip around the lake to Liptovský Mikuláš appeared fairly easy, but in reality, after yet another hard day in the saddle, even the smallest rise in the road proves difficult (for me at least). Every trip we’ve made to Europe on the bikes, I have fallen off, and today is the day for this trip. I am barely moving up a fairly innocuous slope, when my tyre slips off the side of the asphalt and I go sprawling. Neil panics, thinking I’ve skidded and hit my head, but the worst damage (besides my pride, at falling off at low speed in front of many cars) is the black greasy gunk I collect on my leg from contact with the road.

I resume my bike and we continue on the seemingly never-ending road until we finally hit Liptovśký Mikuláš, 88.5km and nearly 9 ½ hours since leaving Námestovo. What a day!

Our host’s parents meet us and show us around. We had been warned by our host (who was not around at the time) that her parents did not speak much English, but they show us the little wooden cottage adjacent to their home, welcome us with a lovely sponge cake and, wisely, leave us be to dry off our gear, shower and de-grit ourselves.

We take ourselves for a walk, following our noses to the centre of town, where we find little open in the way of restaurants so we settle for Hotel Europa, where we have our end-of-day beer, and I indulge in yet another fried cheese meal. We are both looking forward to our rest day.

In only three days we have covered 235km, climbing nearly 3400m. It is time for a rest.