What started as a slow, relaxing beach day, turned into a mad dash through a torrential downpour to an uncertain destination along sand roads. I totally misjudged, but landed on my feet.
Day 19. 144km. Riga – Kuivizi. Map and gpx.
Today I had to cycle out of Riga. My guide book warned that there was no good way out of Riga. It gave two options – both which involve cycling on very main roads. I planned to be on the main road around noon when there should be less traffic. Then I planned a beach recovery before cycling some back roads to a camping ground on the coast.
Well, I was prepared for the worst. Getting to the A1 was not a highlight cycling along some main roads in the hot sun, but it wasn’t as bad as I had feared. I went to the beach near Saulkrasti and lay there for about an hour. It was a beautiful beach and very relaxing.
The road I chose to Limbazi (a major town inland – not on the A1) was wonderful. A nice bitumen road, almost no traffic, and passing through rolling fields.
I felt pretty clever having chosen that road. Then, 10km out of Limbazi, the bitumen abruptly ended. I stopped to contemplate the map before being hurried on by carnivorous flies. But, this time I couldn’t cycle fast enough to leave them behind me – the sand road was too bad. I cycled about 5km towards Limbazi waving my arms around and swearing. Then the bitumen started again and – goodbye flies!
In Limbazi I filled up with water and planned a road back to the A1 where all the camping grounds and hotels are. I chose a road that looked quite main in order to avoid the sandy roads.
Just out of Limbazi it absolutely poured down.
Again my route tracker EveryTrail decided to pause, so I missed a leg of the trip. The rain really came down in buckets and was very refreshing. I realised, though, that sand roads must be avoided. They would just be a horrible quagmire guarded by ferocious flies. My planned turn off to return to the A1 was a sand road. The road I was on – a major road, according to my map, kept parallel to the A1 for some time before joining it again in about 40km. I would have to continue on my main road. It was 1900.
I checked booking.com. The only hotel on the A1 in 40km was €130. There was a camping ground a bit further along. It was going to be late though. I pushed as much as I could to get the speed up.
Then my main road turned into a sand road with 15km to go to the A1.
Grrrrr. I pushed on. It wasn’t too bad. No bad corrigations, and I could cycle about 20km/h on it. But it went on and on. Only the last km or so was bitumen again.
Through the town Salacgriva on the A1. No camping grounds there. Then, in Kuivizi, the camping ground I was heading for turned out to be a conference centre too. And they had a free room for €50. I took it and admired the sunset before going for a big feed in the quality restaurant.
arctic-cycler.com 