6:30 on a beautiful Spring morning in Banja Luka. The atmosphere was heavy and moist, and you could feel that this would be a hot day. On the central square, about 30 colourful cyclists were preparing for a ride. Most of them were locally grown and seemed to know each other. As a foreigner I walked between the groups to breathe the friendly ambience. A few riders had come over from Slovenia. One had come cycling from his home town Kiev, in Ukraine, before starting in the race. This showed me a reality that we often do not realise from a Western point of view: a life is happening here in the South-East of Europe. Budapest, Dubrovnik, Ukraine are places within reach. They don’t need Brussels, London or Paris to exist and liaise.
The local tourism office was present with two roll-up banners that constantly flew away. After a short speech by the organisers and an official group photo, we set off behind a police escort. People in Banja Luka were very curious about this whole organisation. Five kilometer later, as I wanted to reajust a strap of my food pouch, I fell over a slippery kerb. Nothing bad, luckily, but everybody got scared to see the ambassador injured. The next days I would nevertheless feel muscular pain in my thigh at every pedal stroke. After the first 30 kms a gruppetto of 4 separated from the peloton. Nikica, Seb, Zvonimir and Sasha. I felt very fresh in the next long climb to CP1 and accelerated alone to the top. Strangely enough, nobody followed in my wheel. After 10 minutes of refuelling by the Soviet-style Makrovica monument, Nikica and I went back down.
As Nikica resupplied in the next town, I headed on to CP2 under a baking morning sun. A resupply would have done me good as well, but I set my mind on the Krupa waterfall 40km further, where cold water flows endlessly. Long hilly backroads took me there. The photographer enjoyed the cascade background to take a few refreshing shots of me. I stopped at a nearby supermarket to buy burek and drinks. The numbers 2 and 3 took me over during my break. There went my pretended supremacy. Starting again after 30 minutes of inactivity my legs hurt a lot. Now I completely felt where I fell. It almost felt as if I had to abandon here. But my cycling instinct whispered « Wait and see before you decide anything ».
The muscular pain faded away gradually as the heat increased. 38, 39, 40… CP2 seemed days away, and the road took us up and down with no apparent reason. But at every spat of shadow I could notice that the two leaders are equally struggling, and resupplying at every possible gas station. I took good care of my body, stopping regularly to let my heart rhythm go down. The climb after the golden church of Mrkjonic Grad was just too much for me, so I decided to walk my bike up that hill (6km/h instead of 9).
Then it was all downhill to the waterful valley of Jajce. Youngsters were taking a dip in a lush green environment. No need to go to Thailand for clear blue water. Jajce has it all! At CP2 we were welcomed by the tourism office and the race organisers. Other participants were there, suffering like I did. During my rest, I learned that Yugoslavia was created by a famous treaty in Jajce. The mighty waterfall still stands symbol of the Yugoslavian union… which made local politicians joke when they visited Niagara together a few years later.
The following kilometers only went up. First following a gentle valley (my legs felt better). Then with steep bits of 10% and more towards the pass of Kupres (1200m). After a surprising short tunnel, I reached a wide valley with fields as far as the eye could see. CP3 was there, near the precious white and red church of Kupres. Three smiling ladies formed a welcome committee at Hotel Maestral and stamped my sweaty brevet card while I ate free dinner with the other riders.
Only 110km left to the sleeping place. That’s the type of moments when you wish you were only on a short bike trip. Kupres seemed like an inviting place to stay. But the road was calling already… With race organiser Nikica, we left into the dark, dark night, following the light of our spotlights. I lost him in a climb and went on alone in time trial mode, without even stopping for about 90km. The good surprise was I arrived 3rd at CP4 in Ljubuški around 1:20AM. Local volunteers welcomed me and took a short interview before I crashed down on a mattress in the middle of the school’s sports hall.
- Distance: 373,76 km
- Moving time: 14h58
- Average speed: 25,0 km/h
- Elevation: 3973 m
- Maximum speed: 70,6 km/h
- Temperature: 25*C average (max. 39*C)
Sebi Cicleta 
3 réflexions sur “B-HARD Leg 1 : Banja Luka to Ljubuški 373km”