If anyone counted us out after reading yesterday’s post about frustration at peak levels, I can just tell:

We’re back in….. 🙂

Today we did 143 km and climbed 1126 vertical meters. We started extra early to avoid the wind. Wheels rolled at 7.20 and it was a pleasant morning with sunshine and almost no wind.

Today’s altitude profile

The kitchen opened later than our departure so we got our breakfast sandwiches packed in paper. It was a sandwich with a wiener scnitzel in it 🙂 We stopped to eat half of it after 20 km and continued. Next stop was at a gas station after about 35 km where we had a cup of cappucino each and made a Facebook status update that some of you might have read by now.

Eating our breakfast sandwiches from the motel

Next stop was in Zalau. When we entered the town we did first not know which way to take. The sign posting was a bit confusing, but we followed the traffic and ended up in the city where we had yet another cup of coffee at a gas station. It was +15 degrees in the shade so we sat outside to have the coffee and the reminder of our breakfast sandwiches. At the gas station we met some guys who told us that there would be a major climb south of town and that would be difficult. They said they never heard of anyone cycling up there.

Go straight or turn right for Zalau???

The climb was indeed high, about 400 vertical meters but the gradiant was OK and the road was in perfect condition so we rode up slowly and gently. The sunshine was still strong and about 500 meters into the climb we stopped to take off our jackets. This was a great moment for us – it only took us one month, four days and about 1350 km before we finally could wear only cycling jerseys and no jackets.

We passed a lot of switchbacks like this today

Zig-zag cycling over the mountain

After the hilltop we found a couple of hotels but it was too early to quit cycling. We decided to go on and either camp somewhere or try to go for Cluj-Napocha. The kilometers went by easily. We have passed two major climbs, but apart from that it has mainly been slowly downhill in the afternoon. It would have been much worse to ride today’s route in the reverse direction.

Now we are super tired and need food, so today there will be no more updates. Just this story about the road, rather than any story from the road which I prefer to tell.