July 9th
At the beginning of a new stage, the same old story: painful heat and serious limitations to bicycle traffic. To help digest breakfast, we climbed up a mountain for half an hour. We called in for map support, and still ended up getting lost up there. At some point, we found that part of the bicycle path had been swept away by a stream, leading to some healthy high-noon weight lifting.
Funny how the longest riding days turn out to be the ones with less stories to tell. The more time we spend cooking on the asphalt, the less chances we have to see the sights, talk to the locals and gather some stories to tell our grandchildren one day. One thing we did find, though, was an amazing hospitality on the part of the local population. Any time we needed, the good people were there for us. Especially for Mario, when he lost his phone...
Upon reaching Szekszard, we found the place where we were supposed to stay: the Police Judo Club. There was some sort of mix-up with the arrangements, so the President decided we were welcome to stay there for free. It still felt strange to sleep in the back of the Police yard, behind doors with metal bars and a subtle scent of feet on the judo mats, but the fact remains: these people are generous! Even the officer at the reception was extremely helpful, providing us with details about the upcoming ride towards Dunaujvaros.
We still hit the town, bumped into a bicycle racing event, handed out some flyers and relaxed in the warm Hungarian evening. The only thing still bothering us was Tiago going on about some twins he saw that afternoon...
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