A Day in the Life of a Cyclist

 

 

 

a stop at the stadium of Kourion

Routine is important to me and the one we have developed as we bike pleases me greatly.  We try to have breakfast reasonably early and then Minas starts his check of the bikes to ensure that they are in tip top condition while I pack, tidy the room and get the bottles and the lunch ready so that we can get on the bikes by nine o’clock.  

Aphrodite's Rock - the most photographed view in Cyprus

  

water stop

With twenty – five pounds of baggage, I am not very fast. Well if truth be told, I am never fast at any physical activity. On the bike I need to stop for a stretch and a rest every hour and of course, I prefer these stops to be in a scenic location where I can also take some pictures.  Being a klutz, I can never manage to drink water as I bike so I have learned that with the temperature in the high twenties here, I need to factor in lots of water breaks.   So it is stop the bike, drink the water, mop the face, drink the water, blow the nose, drink the water, smear the lip salve, drink the water, get on the bike and off we go again.

When you are doing hills in the heat, sometimes water isn’t enough and we have to stop at a roadside stand for a sugary drink like iced tea. The other day I quaffed down two at the top of a hill and then felt much better. 

iced tea works wonders

And, on this trip, I have not been too proud to push the bike more than a few times.  In fact, I have walked with my bike more on this short trip than I ever have in the last ten years of trips of much greater distances. Probably has something to do with aging.

it doesn't look like much of a hill

lunch break on the toughest ride of the trip

Eventually, we stop for lunch. If we have been lucky enough to be in a hotel with a substantial breakfast buffet (not too frequently on this trip) then I make sandwiches to eat on the road. Here we have not found the local shops to make us a panini for lunch as we did so often in Italy. But we have found some bakeries where a tyrokopita (cheese) or a spanakopita can be bought. At lunch-time, I park my bum on the nearest rock or log and somehow, no matter how humble the sandwich is, it tastes like a gourmet delicacy to a hungry cyclist.

 

Minas stops to adjust the map

When biking, I always follow Minas, as the sight of him ahead gives me courage to keep going no matter what the terrain.  If we are doing hills, he is much further ahead and never stops until he reaches the top while I stop frequently on my way up. I manage to divert my mind with the flowers or the butterflies or thoughts of home. And then presto – I am at the top.

my personal mechanic at work - luckily on his bike

Unfortunately, some of our stops are the unwelcome kind and Minas has spent more than a few minutes fixing flat tires. On one occasion, he had back to back flats on two successive days and eventually we had to take a bus to a big city to buy a new tire. That one has held, fingers crossed, as we have just one more day of riding to go.

the road stretches onward and upward

Most of our biking days this time have been short, although many of them have been tough. We have only managed 1000 km when we usually do more than twice that. But it is a small island and the mountains are fierce so we have had little in the way of distance every day and we have spent many days off the bikes.  

Usually, we reached the hotel just after lunch and sometimes even before. We have had a couple of nice places to stay and some were authentically Cypriot.

 

The Nikoklis Inn - a peek through to the courtyard

In a few villages, our accommodation was in traditional stone houses that have been turned into a small hotel. These are usually all the buildings of one extended family and their animals, built around a courtyard. Now even the animal shelters and the farm machinery storage sheds are rooms for the tourists. I love these walled enclosures with their profusion of flowers in the courtyard. In so many Cypriot villages, you do not get an idea of how lovely the houses are because you are walking down narrow stone streets bounded by high stone walls and the massive double doors to the courtyards are always kept closed. Such a pity!

late afternoon coffee

After a shower and a nap, we usually go looking for a café for coffee and then wander around the town.

Minas records the day on the computer

Back in the hotel, we do our journals, some computer work (if we are lucky enough to have a connection), laundry or nothing.

Dinner here has been around 8 pm and we usually had recommended restaurants to try out. I think there is altogether too much food, from a portion perspective, on the plates in Cyprus and unfortunately, I have always managed to put it away. We have been pleasantly surprised with how much we have enjoyed the wines of Cyprus. The indigenous maratheftiko grape makes a hefty , full-bodied red , not unlike a shiraz, and the xinisteri is turned into a fruity, light dry white wine. There is also the sweeter commandaria wines served with dessert, that are a novelty at best.

the sea on the north side - near the Baths of Aphrodite

After dinner, we turned in for the night.  Perhaps, you might think it a little early and a little boring but it suits us as we bike around this tiny island of Cyprus. We have already had the discussion of where to bike next and we both agree that we must go back to France as the biking holidays there are just about plain-perfect.

there is always something to keep you riding