Day 15 – Rain, a steep climb and an interesting barman

About to leave Tolmin

It was wet, very wet, when we ventured out into the daylight. This was to be another one of our shorter rides.

Before leaving we spent time trying to waterproof our gear especially the phone so we could follow the route to our next destination. Fortunately, some very waterproof plastic pouches and a different phone holder provided a suitable solution.

Then we were off following a bike path along the Soca river. A few kilometres after Tolmin we reached an intersection. We managed to miss the actual road we were to take twice as it looked like a private driveway. As we rolled along on an undulating road come path the little communities became smaller and then we were on a gravel path that seemed suitable only for four wheel drive vehicles and our mountain bikes.

Each climb seemed to be steeper and then we came to a wide stretch of concrete where the descent seemed almost vertical. Being wet we wondered how slippery it would be but it was ok although it was heart dropping stuff with us proceeding very slowly and gingerly. We rounded a corner and stopped where the path had levelled out a bit and became gravel for a few metres. There was a small stream that we had to ford at the bottom of the descent and then it was straight into what looked like a near vertical climb. I immediately put the power into purple (the second highest level of assist) and as I carefully rode down the gravel I quickly put the bike into its lowest gear. I sped up a bit as I reached the bottom and began pedalling like mad. The bike felt like it was almost vertical and I was precariously balanced between tipping backwards or losing traction by being too far forward. I crawled up the fifty metres or so until it levelled out a bit and then stopped. I got off the bike and got out my camera waiting to capture the others coming up the track behind me. They didn’t appear. I walked down the path and then the top of their heads emerged. They were struggling to walk their bikes up the very steep incline. Bev told me that she had enough power initially but had not dropped her gears to the lowest and came to a grinding halt very quickly and fell sideways into the bush. She needed Graham’s assistance to retain an upright stance. When it was Graham’s turn to ascend the path, he took one look at the gradient and said he would rather have his feet on the ground that run the risk of falling off backwards. It was one the most exhilarating things I have done. The thrill of doing it, the adrenaline and the achievement brought a big smile to my face despite feeling cold and wet.

Where are they?

The heads appear

Oh no, they are pushing their bikes

We had been warned about this part of the trail but I had not taken too much notice. Our notes said it used to be large rocks and clay. Concreting had made it possible to ride it. We pondered how they managed to get the concrete stay in place as our estimate of a 60 degree angle would surely have had a heap of it land in the creek below. Our estimate of 60 degrees was probably completely wrong and it was probably 30-40 degrees but it felt very steep.

The rain continued! The track flattened out and a couple of kilometres later we rode around a sign which we think it said in Slovene “ROAD CLOSED”. The road undulated along the side of the hill for another few kilometres until we again began to descend into Kanal ob Soci or Kanal for short. We were wet and cold and ready for a coffee. We saw this rather seedy bar (it seemed to be about the only thing open) and decided to call in there. It was full of old men drinking and smoking outside under cover who looked at us with suspicion when we walked into the kaffe/bar.

The track after the concrete gently climbing

The bartender was very friendly and asked in English where we came from, made us coffee and eventually we ordered a pizza. It was so good to be in the warmth for the hour or so we spent there. We even started talking a politics with him after he asked where we came from.

One of the things that he said and others had also said is that they would like to come to New Zealand because of it being green and clean with great scenery. Usually, it is Australia everyone wants to go to but not in Slovenia.

Our bartender

We had our last ascent into our destination of Goriska Brda. It was a relatively steep 2-3 kilometre climb and we were meant to see wonderful views but with rain on my glasses and a focus on a warm shower I didn’t see much. After the climb we had a descent to our accommodation. Without knowing it we flashed past what we discovered was our village. Fortunately, we had not gone too far past the accommodation and we were directed to the village by a very helpful man. We called into a wine bar to ask if anyone could direct us to our rooms. Fortunately at the wine bar (we found out later was owned by the same person who was renting us our rooms) a very nice young man knew who we were grabbed keys and took us to where we could leave our bikes and then to the rooms.

After a shower we went to the cute wine bar for a drink and charcuterie. The waiter was a lovely man from Serbia who came to work at the bar for the season then went back home to family for about four or five months. The wine was good and it was relatively warm. Then we went in search of a meal. We called into another wine bar and discovered it too only served charcuterie. There was an English couple there drinking copious amounts of wine with whom we chatted. We had another plate of charcuterie and a wine. Unfortunately, the waiter was not as friendly and the wine and charcuterie was not as interesting.

We cycled about 38kms and climbed 768 metres.