Bicycle Touring Europe: Greece, Kozani to Larisa
Cycling Europe, heading for Athens, my latest bicycle touring update from Greece, on Sunday, the 13th October 2013. Kozani to Larisa. 81 miles. The day started off a bit misty and murky. I even put my lights on so other drivers would see me. But after an hour or two, as I started to climb up another mountain, it cleared, and it was lovely and sunny all day.
I was about three-quarters of the way up that 1000-metre climb when I was set upon by five dogs! Normally, I can outrun them. But not when I’m crawling up some mountain! One dog, a huge, great white brute of a dog, was particularly aggressive. He even bit my bike and caught one of my straps. Nearly caused me to fall off. Luckily, it didn’t. I just stopped. Not wanting to hang around with five snarling dogs around me, I soon started pedalling for all I was worth. But these bastards wouldn’t give up, particularly the big white one. I threw some bread at them that I was carrying. I hoped they’d stop for that. No chance they just wanted me! I was really starting to worry after a kilometre of this pack chasing me, not sure if I could keep what little speed I had going. Luckily, the road levelled out a bit, and I was able to get enough speed up so I could lose them!
I Survived
A pretty scary 20 minutes or so. I’ve had plenty of dogs chase me and go for me, but never actually had one that’s made contact before! I must admit it did shake me up a bit. But I’m alright, and so is the bike, so no harm done in the end!
I had another big climb this afternoon, only 500 metres this time. But when I came down the other side, all the mountains had disappeared, and it was nice and flat for the last 15 miles or so. The first time I’d not seen a mountain in my way in about four weeks.
Tour Information
It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:
- Photos: See my photos on Flickr
- The route: View my route across Europe to Athens
- Tour page: Ride overview
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