Day 34 - Orsova to Calafat - 136.2 kms

30 Jun

The day started early again with us up and about at 5.30 am

The aim of the day was to ride to a bike shop in Drobeta to get a few things seen to on our bikes then move on for the red of the ride. The bike shop was at the 30 km mark

The first part of the ride was on a busy main highway with a lot of trucks. Later cycle.travel took us on some very seedy back roads to the bike shop. We arrived at the bike shop at 9.00 am and unfortunately it was not open.... we have been assured that it will open this morning so we found a coffee shop to have a coffee and wait in a more comfortable place.

After coffee we were in contact with the owner of the bike shop and were able to get our bikes serviced.

I must John did a wonderful job of checking brakes, wheels , chains, crank etc.He had a wonderfully clean workshop and was very thorough in what he did.

My big problem was not enough oil on the chain and I will need to get my crank checked when I get home.

The whole serving was about 2 hours and the bikes were a lot better for it...there should be a similar service for the riders!!!

After having a light lunch courtesy of the local supermarket we were on our way for the remaining 90 kms.... bearing in mind we started after lunch at about 1.00 pm ... this was gooto be a long afternoon.

The ride was mostly on a major artery road and the surface was great... there was plenty of shoulder to allow us to be off the main part of the road but the traffic was terrible. For a Sunday the numbers of trucks was amazing.

Chris and I took turns on doing 5 kms each and as it was very hot ( early 30’s) we used the change over as a time to have a drink to keep the fluids up.

This worked really well on a very busy road and although the ride was challenging with a few short climbs, the time went well.

We arrived at the accommodation at about 7.00 pm completely knackered ( Aussie term for being tired) and checked in to our room. I would love to know how many times our room is not on the ground floor on this ride.... well for tonight we have a room the first floor which is accessed via a staircase outside the hotel much like a fire escape. The stairs themselves are probably spaced at normal height plus another half which after a long ride is the last thing you need.

Before we had a shower, the first thing we did was to down a soft drink.... I had 2!!!

Today was a good day of riding with most of the ride being done in the heat of the day

Getting our bikes serviced by John was a real win for us both as the bikes rode well after their service

Tonight it will be a quick dinner and bed!!!

Now for the photos.....

John and I in the work room getting my bike seen to!!!