The trip to Zagreb ended up going better than expected, even though it wasn’t entirely without a few minor hiccups, of course. Due to a complete closure of the A4 near Cologne Eifeltor, the drive to the airport took a bit longer, but I arrived on time. Check-in went smoothly; it was only at security that I got stuck for a good hour until my backpack finally made it through the scanner. After that, everything went surprisingly fast: five minutes later, I was already on the plane. The flight itself was uneventfully good—we landed on time, the bike came off the carousel quickly, and everything was there.
In Zagreb, I took a taxi to the home of a coworker’s father-in-law, where I took my time assembling my bike before setting off. The weather was perfect at first: sunny, 25 to 30 degrees, so I stopped at a gas station to pump up my tires and continued on toward Bosnia.
At some point along the way, I missed a turnoff to Petrinja and ended up in Sisak, which, in hindsight, wasn’t a big deal. When I realized my mistake, I decided on the spot to stop at a restaurant to check the weather and see what lodging options were available. Rain was on the way, and accommodations were looking scarce. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, it seemed like there was nothing available right after the border. According to Booking.com, there was only one (affordable) room left in Sisak as well, and nothing at all on Airbnb. So first, I had something to eat and reassessed the situation. I decided to book the room in Sisak and not cycle on to Banja Luka until the following morning. It turned out to be the perfect decision, because as soon as I got in the shower, it started raining heavily.
The next morning, I took it easy. I didn’t get up until 7:30, sipped a coffee at my leisure, and asked the landlord about a bakery. He showed me the way to a good bakery on Google Maps (which wasn’t listed on Google at all), and I rode there. They had chocolate croissants there, and I’d intended to get just two—but ended up with four because they were wrapped up right away, and I didn’t realize it until 100 meters later. I ate two right away and saved two for later. You could hardly ask for better snacks for the ride, at least if you’re a fan of Nutella. It felt like each croissant contained half a jar of Nutella.
After that, I continued on to the border. The route was undulating, and the weather took a sharp turn: instead of 30 degrees, it was suddenly only 13. Crossing the border was uneventful and went quickly. It started raining harder. On top of that, I got a flat tire—and of course, just then, I realized that the pump was broken. Luckily, I still had the rechargeable pump with me. It wasn’t fully charged anymore, but it managed to get just enough air into the tire so I could keep going, albeit with a slightly squishy rear tire.
The last 30 kilometers or so were correspondingly tough. At least I found a truck repair shop that pumped air into my tire. After that, I continued on in the rain. Cycling through Banja Luka during rush hour wasn’t exactly comfortable, especially since the bike lanes there often look more like designated parking areas. On top of that, I didn’t have internet at first, and the SIM card I’d ordered wasn’t active yet. It wasn’t until I got to a bike shop with Wi-Fi that I was able to contact the organizer of B^Hard. The people at the shop were very helpful, which, to be honest, was exactly what I needed after a day like that. I arrived in Banja Luka around 4:00 p.m.; the starter packs could be picked up starting at 6:00 p.m. So I had a little time to warm up at the DM drugstore—even though I was soaking wet—and use the store’s Wi-Fi. I also managed to grab a coffee at a nearby café. At 5:30 p.m., I drove to the location where the starter packs were being handed out, and luckily the guys were already there. So I headed straight to the hotel.
The check-in itself turned out to be a bit of a mystery: a hidden entrance, the 4th floor, having to carry my bike and all my luggage up again—but in the end, everything worked out. After that, I took a shower, took a quick breather, and realized that while the room was a bit noisy, it was perfectly fine for two days and at that price. Later, I went out again and bought a new pump, cables, and work gloves (to replace the long gloves I’d forgotten). When you’re out and about in the rain, it’s really handy to have a few things with you that don’t make life even more complicated.
On Friday, I set off at 10 a.m. right from the accommodation for the “Warmup Ride.” At first, I wanted to get some cash, but the first ATM wouldn’t accept my card. But inside the building where I was staying, there was another bank with an ATM that accepted my Visa card. After that, I was glad that issue was taken care of. During the Warmup Ride, I got to meet many of the participants, and we also rode the last 10–15 kilometers of the race route. That was really good, since this section also had a lot of large, deep potholes in the road. Allegedly, they should be fixed by Monday, though.
The briefing at 4 p.m. dragged on quite a bit—almost two hours in total—since each participant was introduced individually. This was a nice idea since you get to know each participant you will meet during the next days on the road. I still had to quickly pick up something for breakfast and get the rest of my things ready—just the usual pre-race madness. Shortly after eight, I was finally done with everything and just glad to be in bed.
