Special K takes a nap.

What a great night’s sleep.  Given how damp and and warm it was at our camp we were sure that mosquitoes would descend but for some reason, maybe the altitude, they never did.  However, the threat of them was enough for us to work quickly and effectively when it came to our evening administration and we were in our beds by 8:30pm and I was asleep shortly after 9:00pm.

Having got our heads down so early we both anticipated our alarms and were awake when they went off and short time later we’d packed up and where eating a leisurely breakfast on the abandoned lodges veranda.  By the time we finished packing up and leaving the place in good order it was 6:30am and time to ride. 

Continental Breakfast.

The remainder of the Transalpine was very different from the Transfagarasan.  For a start it is well surfaced and far more flowing.  In places it reminded me of Scotland then Wales and then it was definitely Romania.  Because we had slept on the pass and got up early we had an almost clear run across the remaining miles and we ate them up quickly to the soundtrack of Bavaria and Hinckley’s finest motors being worked hard.

James and Special K ready to take on the traffic.

We knew the pass was done when we hit the off-road section.  A long stretch of unpaved road that the Triumph had no issues with but life on board Special K was a different story.  James’s speed had to drop almost to walking pace while I enjoyed the view from the well sprung Triumph.  Fortunately for James the off road section didn’t last too long and we found ourselves on some dodgy woodland back roads with pot holes that had to be avoided as best one could. 

A good part of an off-road section.

With the temperature climbing and the physical and mental load increasing we soon had a sweat on and were relieved to re-join a main road.

A short while later we re-fuelled and checked the maps before continuing, the roads where easy but the drivers where as bad as ever and, finally, the fatigue of the last 2,250 miles and the 30°c+ temperatures caught up with us. 

We pulled off the road and discovered that we were both feeling the effect and had noticed it in the others riding.  Small things had started to go wrong; a missed gear here, late breaking there, bad overtakes and the list goes on.  It sounds small but these mistakes quickly add up and you can’t afford them on a bike.  The first thing we needed to do was take on some water, coffee, food and have a brake.

At the top of the Transalpine.

After an hour and a half we felt ready to head back onto the roads.  Given how we were still not 100% our plan had to change and we shortened the days riding accordingly.

Just before we left the UK we had installed intercoms so have been able to talk as we ride, during the rest of the afternoon and evening they came into their own.  To help keep each other from drifting into dangerous lethargy a steady stream of rubbish chat flowed until the batteries died and each was left to his own thoughts for the final hour of the day.

Shortly before the comms died we crossed from Romania into Hungary, the boarder is a simple one consisting of two passport checks.  The Romanian side didn’t seem to care who was leaving their country but the Hungarian side had a different view.  We filtered to the front of the que where I was stopped by an attractive boarder guard who asked to see my passport then told me to remove my helmet, which I did.  Once she was satisfied I was let go.  While this was going on I was letting James know what to expect and he came forward as I pulled away.  I knew it would be a matter for seconds before he pulled up alongside.  After a longer pause then I thought was needed he hadn’t appeared so I turned around to see that Special K had decided to lie down on the boarder in front of the guards and other traffic.

Special K taking a nap while the border guard looks on.

I dutifully filmed the minor boarder incident as best I could and watched James pick up the bike before he came over to join me.  After checking he was okay I had a little laugh then asked what had happened.  It turns out that he had dropped his passport and the border guard refused to pick it up so he lent off the bike and reached for it and the bike came with him.  With no chance of saving the fall he had to let the bike drop.  With the score at one all we hope it’ll stay that way until full time.

Hungary was uneventful and soon we had set up camp for the night in a site where we were the only guests.  For the princely sum of £7.00 we had gas, electricity, a covered seating area and great showers.  Just what the doctor ordered after today’s ride.