Great nights sleep and up early as this is the last day and Susie is waiting for me in Riga. Breakfast didn't start until 0800 and then I got chatting to Mark so wasn't on the road until just after 0900. Was really looking forward to the ride today as the road looked like it hugged the coast all the way.
After a brief cycle soon joined the E67 going south again and off I went. Followed the Eurovelo 13 signs as I decided that taking the inland Eurovelo 10 would not only be a little less interesting but also 40km longer which translates into 2 hours more cycling and no chance of seeing Susie who was catching the ferry back to Stockholm tonight at 1730. At some point the signs took me onto some back roads and what looked like a pleasant few KM through the forests to my right. OMG it was Poland all over again. Can somebody tell the guys who make these bike routes that a road made of sand is not a bike route. Might be fine on the mountain bike you used to scout the road but on a touring bike with road wheels and god knows how many kilos of luggage we just sink into the stuff. It was a nightmare because the forest floor was to littered with branches to go around and find an alternative route. Took me an hour to do 6 KM and I saw my time with Susie ticking away
Rejoined the E67 and vowed to ignore all subsequent signs to leave the road and just put my head down and ground out the distance. The day started heating up and temperature was soon up to 29 degrees and the sun was relentless. No cover at all and of course the closer I got to Riga the traffic started getting heavier. At one point I ran out of water so had to try and cross over to the other side of the road and to a cafe where I could restock my water. Also took the opportunity to slap on more sun cream as I was baking. Thank goodness I did as I was able to avoid getting sun burnt.
Hardly saw the sea all the way down as it was always tantalizingly close but just the other side of the never ending trees off to my right. What glimpses I did get were off glorious sandy beaches. Also the closer I was getting it became slower and slower because of the junctions and lights and I was getting very frustrated
Found the hotel that Susie had booked for me and where she had stayed. Was great to see her again and she made a big fuss of me having arranged a protein drink for me and an evening of luxury in the spa with a massage. What a lovely way to finish the ride :)
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