Veles (North Macedonia) to Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria)

This morning, three of us started cycling before breakfast. The plan for the day was 160 km (almost 100 miles) with 2000 meters (about 6500 ft) of climbing. Since it's been getting dark around 6 pm, I was worried that we couldn't possibly finish it in time. Plus, at the peak of the climbing, we had a border crossing at 132 km (82 miles), which required all twelve cyclists to cross together with the van transporting our luggage. We have some very strong cyclists on this tour, which is why three of us wanted a super early head start. Diane, Claudia and I left at 7:15 am.

The first section of the ride was a long flat section. Perfect for those of us in Minnesota (Diane) and Canada that struggle to find any hills. We settled into a groove against the headwind; and, I was even able to help a little by being in front for a small portion of the time. However, Claudia despised the flats. She'd start with us and then fall behind, catching up again on any climbs or descents. The terrain in this area reminded me of southwest Minnesota. We saw the first grain silos of the entire trip and fields of dry cornstalks. Wind towers sprouted from the horizon. For awhile, there was even a shoulder on the road!

Climbing to our final refueling stop

While it was mostly flat, we were gradually going up. We kept our stops to a minimum, stopping quickly for snacks for facilities, not taking time for photos. The first cyclists to catch up with us caught up at 96 km (60 miles) into the ride when we'd stopped at a coffee shop for quick refreshments. Seeing them zoom by, we quickly finished up and started cycling after them. The plan was all to meet at kilometer 121 (75 miles) at a gas station / deli / market to fuel up and then start the 11 km (7 mile) climb to the border crossing. The best thing at the market was a Mexican tuna bean bowl with its own little spoon. There were also lots of fruit juice pouches, which have been wonderful cycling treats! Today, I've drunk peach, blueberry and pear.

The climb to the top was an interminable 560 meters (1840 ft) over 10 km (6.2 miles). My legs struggled to even pedal after the refuel stop. When they did start working, my butt really did not want to sit on the bike seat any more. Yet, I wouldn't let myself stop; or, I knew that I wouldn't get back on the bike. Other cyclists started passing us with what appeared to be the greatest of ease. As we got closer to the top and yet another cyclist pulled up next to me, somehow my legs started rotating faster to keep in pace with him. Then, he pointed out the flag for the border crossing; and, my legs had newfound energy to spin energetically the rest of the way to the top.

Snowcapped peaks in the distance on the descent

All twelve cyclists had to clear the borders together with the luggage van. The quickest ones had the longest wait in "no man's land" between the North Macedonia and Bulgarian borders until the last cyclist arrived. It was quite chilly at the top in the shade between the crossings. We were pulling more layers out of the luggage van to warm up and prepare for the descent. When the last cyclist crossed from North Macedonia, we could all move onto the Bulgarian border, which took even longer, as many of us had to be photographed or fingerprinted as we reentered the EU. By this time, we were even colder. As soon as a cyclist would clear, they'd quickly start cycling the 28 km descent to our hotel. It wasn't long before we were noticing a significant difference in the cars on the Bulgaria side: much more modern and expensive. We'd gotten used to Yugos, Ladas, VW rabbits, and many older Mercedes. Now there were recent models of Volkswagens and BMWs, even a Maserati on the road. The views of the mountains on the descent were also spectacular! At least Diane stopped and took a photo.