Clear skies at sunset and low cloud this morning, but no rain overnight. Nice to pack up a dry tent and be able to pack away the gear without worrying about it getting wet. Porridge with mango chunks this morning, we are asked to make a lunch because they can't set up the lunch van in the hotel parking lot.
About 5km of gravel road to start, but then a narrow but paved rural road heading right into the face of a 30-50kph southerly wind. Thank goodness the sun is breaking through because that does have a psychological benefit.
Gergo has arranged a visit to a Bicycle Museum at 38km, and the owner shows up early so we can see the accumulation of bikes, badges, and parapanalia produced/found in Latvia over the past 120 years.
Most interesting was a wooden bicycle, carved by a local cyclist, using a leather belt with holes for the drive train.
Our route crosses highway A1 and connects with a road which parallels the coast, occasional views of the Baltic Ocean. Eventually our route merges with A1 and all that wonderful heavy traffic for about 10km. Experience has now shown me that trucks and buses routinely travel along the 1m paved shoulder of these highways (because the rumble strips are always along the centre line) unless they overtake a cyclist, then they move over for a few seconds, pass the cyclist, and then move back onto the shoulder again. Sure hope they can see flashing red light clearly!
Our route follows another side road along the coast for several km, but then at 58km merges back to the A1. This time the A1 doesn't even have a decent marked shoulder, and the right track of the lane has been rutted by the heavy trucks, so the cyclist has to ride that narrow (est. 1/2 metre) ridge between the rut and the shoulder. Quite exciting.
Peter (the Brit) and I have been playing tag for the past 20km or so, but we cooperate and chat as we enter the industrial edge of Riga. Zig here, zag there, follow this possible route sign, and suddenly we're though town and heading over a beautiful cable suspension bridge for the south bank of the Daugava River.
Peter (the Brit) has purchased the map package and programmed his Garmin for the Bellevue Hotel, so it's no trouble finding the 10-storey building (located adjacent to a large city park) about 11:30am.
Peter (the Slovak) and Vilma are still unloading our bags from the van, so we give them a hand. Reception finally relents to letting us check-in three hours early, so I head upstairs to unpack, have a shower, hang up my clothes line and do the laundry, plug in my electronics and log in to the hotel WiFi, etc.
About 1pm I purchase a tram ticket (E2.30 return) from Reception and take the #5 tram across the river to the Old City. Three hours of walking, poking my head into churches, etc. just to make sure I get some good photos while the sun is out. Most poignant memory is the two Latvian soldiers who are marching in front of the Independence Monument, the officer says this happens from 10am-5am every day, a continual reminder that freedom can't be taken for granted. Quite a timely reminder, since NATO has been steadily increasing its forces in this region in response to an increase in Russian forces on the other side of the border - another Cold War?
Back to the hotel about 4pm to have another shower and plan my evening. Head back to town after the latest stage of the Tour de France and meet up with George (a rider from Switzerland), we enjoy a supper together, then coffee and dessert on the way home.
Wow, I really like the old bikes!
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