I was woken at 5am by a cacophony of birdsong, which I supplemented with porridge and strong coffee. Then back on the road, still following route #11, and with some trepidation about the coming hill climbs.
But I needn’t have worried, I was in Neveklov no no time, picked up some water and went to see the Jewish memorial in the the busy town square.
All local Jews had been rounded up and deported during WWII. There are similar memorials all over.
After Neveklov the road went up quite steeply and then plateaued, with a short respite before more gradual, but very long, climbs. The only thing to do is to find a comfortable gear and keep the head down. Never look at the top of the hill, it always seems further away.
Having said that, there were a few times when I had to walk the bike. The whole question of weight is being answered. I need to lose some cargo. If the hills here are tough, then what about the mountains of Greece?
By now the sun was really warming-up, but there was still a cold breeze, which became a strong headwind for a few hours, slowing the pace.
Next town was Sedlčany where I had a peak at the town square (eh), but nearby was the red castle Červený, which seems to be a private residence. Lucky people!
There were more steep climbs leading to Sedlec-Prčice and after, including a particularly hard one to a tiny village called Červený Újezd. From there, a smooth ride down to Borotín. By now I was pretty knackered, but the weather was close to perfect and my legs had begun to adjust past the pain barrier. They now seemed happy to pedal away without me consciously wiling them-on.
Tabor is a big, busy town. I planned on looking around at the medieval buildings, however the traffic was too much. But by now I was regaining energy and decided to crack-on, so I did, on the lookout for a camping site. Found one about 10km south, in a field just off the road, but well hidden. I’ll making an early start – it’s nearly 100 km to Slavonice, my target for tomorrow.
My GPS tells me I did 87 km today. I’m pleased with that.