The departure from Tirana was quiet. Sunday morning 8 o'clock, the city was empty and from the city center I could use own bike roads (without car traffic!) - who would have expected that in Albania.
Otherwise, as an animal-loving person, I got my money's worth again today: Sheep, goats and cows on the way, turtles, snakes, donkeys, chickens as well as lots of free-living dogs and my dearest friends the herding dogs of the type "dertutganzsicherwas" - fortunately, they were all chained or on fenced property so far.
As the day progressed, however, the route turned out to be what one might typically expect for the country. In the travel reports about Albania one always finds the hint to make his planned "normal" daily stage clearly shorter. I took this into account today and for the next few days - and that was good.
From 20 km Komoot had first shown 6 km "unpaved road" and then "paved road". In reality, I pushed and carried the bile from kilometer 20 first 2 km up the hill and then 6 km down the hill. All the times with Komoot routes in Albania plan, is given the hint that with "unpaved stretch" is meant: yes, here you have made an intervention in nature and no, drivable does not have to be. With inclines and declines of 10-18% and subsoils from deep coarse gravel to riverbed-like paths with large chunks, was hardly to think of driving.
Subsequently, I had thought with the path surface "road surface" along a river actually on a lovely Sunday afternoon excursion - wrong. Here came further over 10km washed out paths, rough gravel and overgrown paths. The river crossings were no bridges but places where the river was flat enough to run through.
The 60 km of today had it thus with scarcely 1,000 elevator meters nevertheless in itself. I took a hotel approx. 10 km behind Elbasan at the road direction Ohridsee in the hotel Colombo. Here tonight will certainly not happen much more - I assume. Tomorrow I would like to come to the Ohridsee.
And here course and pictures of the climbing stage:
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