On day 15 i got Up very early and packed all my stuff, before heading east to Metsovo where i would get Back on the trail. The ride there was nice and i Rode small, Curvy roads for an hour.
When i arrived im Metsovo i went around town a bit and stopped at a Café. I had breakfast and then headed Off to the tet.
Immediately the Ride was awesome. The small, paved Road curved along a steep mountain and to my right was a beautiful scenery. Then it went Offroad and the Ride got even better! I suddenly had Tons of grip due to me lowering my Tyre pressure. I could really unwind my Bike on the small curvy roads and steep serpentines. The roads Were Made Up of packed dirt and there were bigger Rocks and potholes in Them. Some time it Changed Back to small paved roads, but not for Long.
Then i was suddenly riding on a very open mountain road. There was very little civilization and only a few shelters for Herd animals. After looking at the beautiful View for a small while, i continued and quickly i was on forest roads again. These were again very fun to ride and i got into a nice flow that Made Kilometers feel Like Meters.
After some time i got Back on paved road, which lead uphill. It was a mountain Pass so i had Kilometers of curvy roads in Front of me. I saw a few groups of Bikers on the Pass but apart from those i was alone and could really Test my new tires to their (and my) Limits.
I stopped at a small Restaurant and had Lunch while talking to some local Riders that had also stopped there. They were very nice and helped me choose some awesome food.
When i Set Off again, before me laid a empty, Downhill Road that seemed Like it never wanted to end. I Put my Bike in neutral and rolled for a Long Time while looking at the beautiful scenery.
Some time later i arrived at the foot of a big mountain. The track went Offroad again and it went steep uphill. Soon i noticed that the Road would lead me far Up and over the mountain.
My Plan for the day was to be at the sea in the evening while skipping parts of the tet to arrive in Patras at the Same time as my Parents. However riding the mountain looked really fun so despite the dwindling daylight, i decided to do it.
I turned towards the mountain and it went steep uphill, the narrow serpentines nestling on the mountainside. The Road was Made Up of loose, round Rocks. Most of Them as big as a human Fist. This Made riding (and Not Starting a fast and unwanted descent) difficult. The heavily loaded rear of my Bike dug into the ground and the Lighter Front end struggled to find grip on the smooth, Sometimes wet or mossy Stones.
I noticed there were a few Tracks of other Riders on the trail so i looked for people, but i could Not See any. When i was on the highest Point of the path i was fully inside a Cloud. The GPS App in my Phone stated that i was at about 2400meters above sea Level! (i don’t know how accurate this is however…)
I started my descent on the other side. The road was still not easy to ride, but now the fact that there were angry shepherd dogs chasing me was my biggest problem. They did, however, not attack me so i just ignored them and went on. I went through the town of Theodoriana before riding along a valley.
When i crossed the first big road in what had felt like hours, i decided to head to the town of Preveza. It was still a 3 hour ride to my destination, a campsite close to the sea, and the sun was already going down. When i arrived there, i was extremely tired. I put up my hammock and, after eating a quick snack, almost instantly fell asleep.
While it was close to 500km, and therefore a bit shorter than when i crossed bosnia and Herzegowina in one day, it had a big portion of tet, and therefore slower paced sections. This made for the day being the longest ride of my whole Jurney to greece.