Cycling in Greece

geoffnelder

Last week I borrowed a Dutch road bike - a Batavus (not the sit up and beg, but a Champion drop bars made nearly 30 years ago) - to cycle away from the writers' retreat holiday and into the volcanic hills of Methana in the Peloponnese. In spite of the untrue wheels, lack of panniers, dodgy tyres that eventually burst on the hgh temp 50C road surfaces, it was amazing. I only saw one other road bike on Methana and there are few cars so had the hilly roads to myself much of the time. There are photos and a few words on my escapades in my blog at
http://bit.ly/RFWXJM

Geoff

capt_slog

It looks idyllic.

I've driven on the Islands of Kos, Rhodes and Crete, and from that experience I'd be a bit cagey about riding a bike there. I don't know what it is about the Greek mentality, they are so laid back normally but turn into complete arseholes when they get into cars. You could say the same about a lot of drivers here I suppose, but the difference there is so marked.

I chuckled at your "explosions". I was once in a Greek taxi and the driver's plastic cigarette lighter blew up in the tray next to the handbrake. The driver went mental! He thought it was something I'd done and was all for chucking us out of the car until my mate in the back seat realised what had happened and we managed to explain it through ringing ears and dust. It was a laugh watching him tell the story to the other drivers at the taxi rank in Greek + gestures.

geoffnelder

I hear what you're saying about Greek drivers - applies to Italian too - but the island-peninsular of Methana is so hilly that most roads have hairpin bends forcing road-calming on everyone. The only time I had to emergency brake was for goats!

MattMTB

One of my best biking experiences was in Greece, on the island of Lefkas / Lefkada. A friend of mine lives over there and now has his own off road cycling touring company but at the time I just borrowed one of his old bikes and off we went. We cycled up mammoth hills over difficult terrain, through streams, massive spider webs, etc. There is some fabulous natural single track down goat tracks and through olive groves. At one point I came a cropper on a bumpy downhill section, coming off at about 20mph and landing upside down in the verge with the bike on top of me, smashing up my elbow and knee. Fortunately there was a local hostelry nearby where I got cleaned up and sank a couple of Mythos's to ease the pain, before heading back to the house for a BBQ.

I'm going back there a week on Sunday, can't wait!

Cheers,
Matt

geoffnelder

Sounds exciting, Matt. For me, after a doing a somersault with a MTB on Penmaenmawr Mountain in Snowdonia resulting in a dislocated shoulder and hairline fractures here and there, I've been told to keep on the roads by Mrs N. it's adventurous enough on Methana on-road with the goats, steep hills, and dusky goat-herderesses.

Enjoy your cycling on Lefkas and happy Mythoses
Geoff

MattMTB

Cheers Geoff!