We were approaching our 5th and second last day of the trip and I woke up a bit anxious to start the ride. Yesterday, xxx approached me and said she was looking to leave the trip early. It had nothing to do with us, but she has been going through xxx and I think the stress of keeping up with us was not making this experience enjoyable for her. I don't want to go into any detail out of respect for her privacy, but we chatted for a long time and I insisted that she stay and that we spend the day together and do the ride at our own, slow pace. I also told her how proud of herself she should be for taking this physical challenge on after not working out for almost a year. In the end, she agreed to try cycling for one more day and see how she feels after. So it was just the two of us on this ride and it turned out to be a great idea. She just needed some attention, the feeling that she is not constantly racing to catch up, and a slower pace, where we could chat and enjoy the environment we were in. To be honest, I did too.
Our ride today was just over 51km where we cycled through the countryside to the fortress Mycenae. We left quite late as xxx's bike got a flat tire even before leaving our hotel. She was in good spirits and walked her bike to the bike shop (15 mins away) and got it fixed prior to starting the ride. We didn't know what to expect, but I was slightly scared about the heat and the profile - gradual uphill all the way to Mycenae with some aggressive hills at the top. However, a change of pace made all the difference. We took it slow and gradual and fuelled up with lots of water and sugary drinks to keep the energy levels up. At the 12 km mark, we were both thirsty, drinking our water at a record pace so we took a small detour to a shop and fuelled up. And by fuelled up I mean, I downed a pepsi and a bottle of water and ate a mini ice cream right outside the shop -- and then went on to purchase two more bottles of water and a 1.5L bottle of cold lemonade. In rides like this, glucose is a requirement to keep the energy going.
Otherwise we were doing absolutely fine. We cycled through 'false flats' for the first 15km (a term used in cycling to describe a road that looks flat but in fact is a steady incline from the start) and didn't even notice, as we were chatting the whole way. I wanted to keep xxx engaged, so I asked her a lot of questions. We received a text from xxx and xxx telling us how hard the ride was for them (as they had already made the peak by that point) and if we wanted to reconsider going the whole way, but we didn't feel it was that bad after all. Personally, I found it a lot more manageable despite the heat. And even with the extra time it took us, it was really worth it. We had a great day together.
For this ride, we left the seaside and cycled inland through the countryside, which was surrounded by groves of oranges, lemons and limes. It was pretty much the same landscape through rolling hills and groves. There were really no shops or places to sit the whole way, and most of the route was under the hot sun. We were met with some aggressive dogs barking from behind the fences (I really have never seen such aggressive dogs anywhere - they must be trained just to protect their owners from trespassers – otherwise, there is no reason for such hostility!).
Then we hit the hills that xxx and xxx were talking about. Fortunately, they were not bad at all, especially with a few stops for drinks along the way. We made it to the final hill - Mycenae. The climb and essential incline for the entire journey was worth it - it was absolutely stunning and I really couldn't fathom how old it was. It is one of the most important archaeological sites from the bronze age in Greece. The fortress of Mycenae was built some 3300-3500 years ago, and it is one of the most important cities of antiquity (once a centre of Greek civilisation). It basically sits up on a mountain and you can see views all the way to the Sea from this fort. I marvelled at the world famous Lion Gate which is over 3000 years old. There were so many things to see in the fort itself - cereal storage, a citadel, a grave site (as old as the Pharaohs) and relics showing the mechanics of how water was collected and stored. Walking uphill (and a lot of uphill at that) and seeing all the sites really opened up more questions than provided answers. How the hell were they able to build something like this 3000 years ago? How did they have the knowledge to create an underground cistern for water collection? (apparently, the water source was an aqueduct about 360m from the citadel)
We also visited the Treasury of Atreus, which is a tomb constructed in the bronze age around 1250 BC. It is huge - the stones on the doorway apparently weigh 120 tonnes. We were able to walk inside the cool interior, which is 13.5m in height and 14.5m in diameter. Apparently it was the tallest and widest dome in the world for over a thousand years until the Pantheon in Rome (or so they say).
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and were not too fussed about the ride home because it was basically downhill. We realised how much we had climbed just by experiencing how pleasant the ride home was - speedy, minimal effort, no gear changes and other than a few kms of stony gravel - where I was afraid I would get a flat tire - totally painless. We stocked up on water about 7km from Nafplion and rode the rest of the journey back with the final 3km stretch along the coast.
We arrived around 4:40 pm - exhausted but happy. xxx felt a sense of achievement and felt positive about the day tomorrow. After coming home and showering, I needed some alone time (down time) - the last 24 hours were emotionally exhausting for me too (as well as physically), so I went for a walk and ate a huge plate of pasta and salad in this nice little Italian restaurant close to our hotel. The waiters were so kind and the portions were huge.
I then walked to the harbour and sat and watched the sunset while (attempting to) read my book, and then waddled back to the hotel, meeting the other three in town at different points :)
I have mixed feelings about tomorrow being our last ride. The profile looks excellent and easy - but I am also exhausted and ready to just sit on the beach and relax for my final day.
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