Podgorica (Montenegro) to Shkoder (Albania)

Today was the first morning that was sunny! Before we started out, one of the other cyclists was able to index my gears so that the easiest one worked for going uphill. With that, the bike could now do a couple of easy gears, a couple middle gears and the highest couple of gears. I was ready to take on today’s climbing. However, first we had a flattish section to the Albanian border, along a river, with mountains on either side. After the Albanian agent meticulously copied my passport details into a paper ledger, it was time to conquer the switchbacks. With that lowest gear now available, grinding upward felt easier. The views from the top were magnificent!

Morning switchbacks in Albania

After a snack break, we started down on the other side. We’ve been really impressed on road quality. Today was no exception. The road on both sides of the border was very smooth and well maintained. I applied much less brakes than I normally would on a downhill. At the very bottom, there was a flock of goats crossing. A couple of the goats were butting heads. After a few photos, I passed under the bridge and to our coffee stop.

Goats on the road

After coffee, it was a flat and busy road into the wind. I started out with four other cyclists and managed to hang onto the rear. They were nice enough to wait for me when I’d fall behind on a slight uphill or one of the many roundabouts. It was a sprint! Strava lists the ride from the coffee stop to Shkoder as my fastest 30 km ever. 

Shkoder two way bike lane

Shkoder is known as a big cycling city; and, there were bike lanes and people cycle commuting everywhere among the cars and motorcycles. No one is wearing a helmet. These aren’t fancy road bikes, either. People in Shkoder ride practical bikes for transportation.

Bike mechanic examines the rear derailleur hangar

Once we arrived in Shkoder, we started searching for bike shops to buy a replacement a rear derailleur hanger. The one that the tour leader had sent me was closed. The next closest on Google Maps didn’t sell them but recommended another place. That bike mechanic didn’t have the specific hangar for my bike but recommended me to a fourth place. There, the owner didn’t have the specific hangar for my bike but offered to make one out of aluminum. We also had some neighbor kids come by for something on their bike as well as to check out mine. Feeling that we’d expended sufficient energy and that we weren’t going to find any better options, I’ve decided to ride with my bike as it is currently for Albania and North Macedonia.

Stolia Coffee house lunch

By this time, my friend who’d come with me to find a bike shop and I were very hungry. We biked up to the cafe where the other cyclists were eating, stopping at a bank first to withdraw some leks. The meal at Stolia Coffeehouse has been my favorite so far in the trip: a matcha latte (!) and a greens salad with tomatoes, cheese and shrimp.

Rozafa Fortress

Feeling reinvigorated, we picked up some water for brushing our teeth and for our water bottles in the morning. (It’s recommended to avoid drinking the tap water in Albania.) Then, we slowly cycled a little around central Shkoder, a town first built in 400 BCE! On our way out of town, we stopped for a photo of Rozafa Fortress, also from 4th century BCE, although rebuilt by the Venetians and the Turks. We needed to save our legs for tomorrow; and, it was already almost 5 pm, so, we didn’t attempt cycling up to it. 

View from tonight's hotel 

Plus, we knew that there was one more steep hill up to our hotel tonight. There was also a hot tub. Hopefully sitting in the water jets will give me legs the extra energy needed for tomorrow’s long day of climbing.