Day 25: From Golem to Radhimë (Vlora) (120 km, 500 vm)

Another early start today. When I was ready to start cycling the boss of the hotel asked if I wanted some food to take along. Since I didn’t have breakfast as it started later I was very glad for the offer. Shortly after someone from the hotel came with a lunch box for me. I had one sandwich right away and took the rest along.

I started the ride along the beach front to the end of Golem and then went on a road that ran next to the main road. On this road there were hardly any cars. When I came to Kavaja I had to change the side of the road and go through the town. Again, a very poor town with many run down buildings, but with a small bike lane. The first one I had in Albania. Shortly after I left Kavaja a guy in a trike pulled up next to me. On the pick-up back of the trike he had clothes he was probably going to sell at one of the local markets. He signalled something to me which I didn’t quite understand. I told him that I was going to Vlora and he signalled to follow him. For about 10 kilometres all the way to Rrogozhina he was going at about 30 kilometres per hour so I could follow him. Occasionally I was cycling next to him having one word conversations with laughing and nodding and not really understanding anything. At some point we passed through a local market. Again, it looked a bit like in Africa. Cars, donkey-pulled carriages and people selling local produce and clothes on the road on the floor.

After Rrogozhina we stopped where the high way started. He told me I should go there. We just had passed a sign that said that bikes were not allowed on that road but since he said it is ok I went with local expertise. The high way had a shoulder which I was using most of the time. It was gravel but ok to cycle on. After a while I actually felt safer than on other road since no cars passed me close to me. I also saw some other bikers, among them an older man with quite some speed and a cage of doves fixed to the back of his bike.

So I got to Lushnja and to Fier quite quickly. In Fier I took a break in a café in town. To get out of Fier I had my first step ascent of the day. Not really used to climbing any more after two days of mainly flat surface. From Fier you could see the moutains I was cycling towards. From here it would get hillier all the way to Greece.

I took another main road which runs next to the new high way. There were hardly any cars on that road and those that I saw were often going quite slow as the road condition was really bad. Parts of the road were gravel and, again, had massive holes. Often I was going faster than the cars since they had to me more cautious manoeuvring through the pot holes. On google maps the road looked liked one of the main roads south, in reality it looked like some deserted path towards nowhere. Everytime the road diverted from the high way more inland I had to make some vertical metres. At some point at a higher point I could see the city of Vlora in the distance and the sea behind it. A very different view compared to Durres which was all flat. I cycled into town all they way to the port. The city centre looked a lot nicer and well-kept compared to what I have seen so far in Albania. Many shops and new buildings, a new bike lane financed by the EU, palm trees seaming the road ... like a holiday town. I took a break at the port, had a Pizza and coke there for 4 Euros in a quite nice place and then found myself a nice hotel close at the beach front about 14 kilometres outside of Vlora. Cycling along the coast was quite scenic. With the mountains in the background and the peninsula across from Vlore it was like I had arrived in a different country again.

After I checked in, washed my clothes I went down to the beach, had a swim and now am writing this. Greece is not far anymore but there are quite many mountains in the way. I was already warned by the owner of the hotel that I will have to do quite some climbing tomorrow. Let’s see it positive. Climbing usually means greater views.