Post #2

Hitting The Road: 08/17/25

After five days in Belgrade, we shook off the jet lag and hit the road. It felt absolutely exhilarating and freeing to finally be spinning the wheels and heading to Amsterdam. Obviously, we have a long way to go, but every journey starts with the first pedal. Fortunately, the weather cooperated with cloud cover and lower temperatures. The last few days had struck a little fear in our hearts, with temperatures in the high 90's.

Within the first two miles, we accidentally cycled onto streetcar tracks to get to a bridge crossing. It wasn't by choice! Arriving at the bridge, we found ourselves below it, but an elevator took us up to the road, and we were able to ride to the other side of the Danube. We were thrilled that our bikes fit.

At mile five, we stopped for coffee at a riverside (Danube) café. It was a beautiful European setting with cobblestone streets and a pleasant ambiance.

After coffee, we rode on and made a snack stop at a roadside produce stand. Craig and Susie did the shopping while Sarah and I watched the bikes. When they returned, they had big smiles on their faces because the vendor didn’t charge them for the produce. Even in Serbia, you find the best of humanity.

Soon, we were out of the city and riding through corn, apple, and sunflower fields. Suddenly, I noticed a car swerve up ahead. In less than a minute, we rolled up on an accident. Both cars were off the road, and one was overturned. It appeared that everyone was okay, but we felt lucky to have not been closer, or we could have ended up in that mess.

We arrived at our campground (Cyclocamp Vinogradi) around 2:30 p.m. We set up, showered, and cooked dinner. The camp host was a young British woman named Emily. She shared stories of her world travels over the last 15 years and how she finally settled in Novi Sad, Serbia. After dinner, we played Farkle and called it a night. It was a great first day of cycling.

Rode 37 miles.

Keep on rolling,

Scott and Sarah

It Happened So Soon: 08/18/25

Last night, it stormed like a doozy. We had a downpour, and a small—very small—amount of water entered our tent. That was no big deal, but it delayed packing up in the morning for at least an hour because we needed to dry out a bit. We had our first breakfast of instant oatmeal accompanied by sliced apples and almonds. Normally, I love steel-cut oatmeal, but this instant stuff is something else. It’s possible they built the roads of Rome with instant oatmeal!

We hit the road with sunshine breaking out overhead and made our way toward Novi Sad. Most of the riding was on busy roads that felt like cycling across the U.S., but we managed without incident.

As Sarah and I rode into one town, Susie yelled from a café to get our attention. They had just ordered breakfast when we pulled up. Excitedly, we sat down to place an order: eggs, bacon, bread, and a fresh cup of coffee for me, and French toast for Sarah. We were both licking our chops at the thought when the waiter announced, “We are no longer serving breakfast.” Craig and Susie enjoyed their breakfast while we had a chicken dish for lunch. Life isn’t fair!

We rode through the city of Novi Sad, which, from what we could see, is very nice. In fact, Serbia has been far nicer than we had imagined. The cities are clean, with beautiful roads, and an extraordinary amount of English is spoken.

Our destination was a small town called Futog, where we rented an Airbnb for $48. We couldn’t imagine what that amount of money would rent us, but we had no other options. We pulled into town and found a Maxi Market—and then it happened!

As we left the store and headed to our Airbnb, Craig and Susie took a different street. We thought they knew where they were going, and they thought we knew where we were going, so both groups got lost. The host’s directions were utterly confusing, and we ended up on opposite ends of town. After 30 minutes of chasing our tails, we connected on WhatsApp and decided to reconnect at the Maxi Market.

Our host finally provided better directions, but after a day of riding, no one was in the mood. When we arrived, an older gentleman was sitting on a chair by the road. We had been told he’d be waiting and waved for us to follow him. He jumped into his car, and we followed him half a mile down a dirt road to the Airbnb.

Surprisingly, the place was tiny but good enough for a night’s sleep. It was a studio apartment, so we drew numbers to decide who would sleep inside and who would pitch a tent on the porch. Sarah and I got the porch! All in all, it was a long but adventurous day.

Rode 41 miles.

Keep on rolling,

Scott and Sarah

Smooth Sailing: 08/19/25

Today, we woke up to 60 degree weather. It was a beautiful day for riding, and that’s what we did. Craig and Susie took off before us, but we caught up to them at the 15 mile mark, drinking coffee at a gas station. We stopped as well and took a break.

The landscape reminded us of many places in the central U.S.—corn as far as the eye could see. For a good portion of the day, we rode with heavy traffic and 18-wheelers. It takes an act of faith to ride with those big boys. We felt grateful that the truckers were skilled and maintained a four-foot distance between us and them while avoiding oncoming traffic.

We arrived at our next accommodation at 1:30 p.m. and made ourselves at home in a cute little hotel on the Danube River in the town of Bačko Novo Selo. Unfortunately, a couple of issues have developed. Craig has developed a cold, and I’ve started to develop saddle sores. So, we’ve had to take a day off and reevaluate our options.

My saddle sores became a serious issue three years ago while cycling across the U.S. At this point, if I continue without a plan, I may not be able to keep going. We’re not exactly sure what to do, but we’ll start by adjusting the bike’s fit. We’ll also slow our speed and take more rests. There’s a 100-mile stretch to the next town, which may have a good selection of bicycle seats where I can try something different.

Rode 39 miles.

Keep on rolling,

Scott and Sarah

Rest Day: 25/20/25

Had a great breakfast at the hotel and then took a walk to the grocery store. While we were their Susie noticed some cleaning pads and a bulb went on!

At least I got to choose the color. We also modified our route which means, Sarah and I are leaving the protection of the bicycle route and hitting the main highway. That way we cut the mileage in half and we will rejoin Susie and Craig in Sombor.

In Sombor I will have a good chance of buying a seat with more padding. The next couple of days will be interesting and some thrilling rides!

Keep on rolling,

Scott and Sarah