Country borders are as common as stork nests as we cycle through the Baltic states at an incredible pace. Coming up today: another new country for us by any mode: Latvia. The relatively flat terrain is much better suited for a steady cruising speed than the rolling mountains and valleys we encountered throughout France and Germany. For the second time on this trip, we found ourselves hitting mileage in the triple digits – we cycled a Century (100 miles) today!
Anykščiai to Jēkabpils
DAY #31 of 35Latvia1,935 miles total
The Geographical Center of Europe is in Lithuania (?)
Before we left Lithuania, we learned a surprising (to us) fact: Guinness World Records recognizes Girija, not far from Vilnius, as the official geographical midpoint of Europe. Quite a long list of towns/countries vie for this distinction – good slogan for tourism – but all of them are much farther north and east than we thought, as we hadn’t considered Russia. (Duh 🤷♂️ 🙄 🤷♀️)
The changing geographic centre of Europe.The exact point of the geographical center of Europe (if in Lithuania) is located within the Park of Europe, 12 miles from Vilnius. Established in 1991, the park sought ‘to give meaning to the geographical center of Europe using the language of art’. The area accommodates over a hundred sculptures and installations created by international and local artists, surprising even the most skeptical visitors. Here, the Double Negative Pyramid, photographed by Sol LeWitt.
Last Riding in Lithuania
This morning began with a quick pace as we rode off in the direction of the Lithuanian border with Latvia. We couldn’t help but once more be delighted by the absence of traffic along the beautiful countryside of Lithuania.
Ready to leave Anykščiai. Today, we will cross into Latvia, and if all goes well, complete our 2nd ever Century Ride! Yay! Colette is going to be able to ride today. While she hasn’t been on a bike in over a month, she is undaunted and will ride about 65 miles today. She is a rockstar in so many ways. Colette is a member of a riding club in the UK – she rides at least one ride per month of 100 kilometers or more. This was her day to do so in August.
Continuing north it was not long before we found ourselves back on single lane roads with gravel shoulders on each side. Although they were smooth enough to speed along at a steady pace, any time a vehicle passed us from the opposite direction we were enveloped by a dust storm! (Reminding us again to be thankful for the lack of traffic on these quiet roads.) We were so thrilled, however, that the last 3 miles going into Latvia, which was supposed to be dirt/rock road, had been NEWLY paved, that we forgot to take a picture of it as we whizzed along.
After a good morning’s ride, we crossed into Latvia at exactly 100km (62 mi). Another new country for us by any mode. What a privilege to enter Latvia with our friend Alex from Melbourne whose parents were both 100% Latvian and emigrated to Australia in 1948. Having escaped into Germany with Alex’s grandmother, they were originally to be on a ship to America, but there were 3 spots available sooner on a ship to Australia, so off they went. Twist of fate. Mike Kennedy was also riding with us that day. Mike goes from this trip to cycling in India. He spent several hours rearranging flights as India just imposed more restrictions on Kashmir, where the trip was supposed to start. Yikes! After 65 miles, we arrived at Ricardo’s outdoor lunch cafe in Latvia. Richie did a great job filling in for Colette who was riding that day.
Full plate and full strength Coke after 65 miles, a border crossing and 35 miles to go! The Latvian roads weren’t the best (OK – some of them were downright awful at times), but we were all smiles as we neared the end of today’s ride.
Especially once we reached this cycling path along the Daugava River, which flows through Jekabpils. According to the sign, it is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the Baltic States, though you can’t tell that right here.
Cycling into Jēkabpils
Finally arriving at the town of Jekabpils, we took a spin through town to ensure we achieved a Century ride. While Jekabpils is exotic in name, it is not quite so in character…. …unless you like the uber rustic or the shabby chic! Lots of buildings from the Cold War era. Our friends (and ultra experienced riders), Chris Dwyer (from the Gold Coast) and Chris and Penny Yeo from the UK, relax on the grounds of our basic, but riverside, hotel. Relaxing on the bank of the Daugava River. The reception desk was consistent with our expectations – we had been forewarned that our accommodations would be basic. Our room was consistent with the reception desk. We were happy…. …to have completed our second Century ride of this trip (and our lifetimes). Shauna was a little peeved that we went over by nearly 1 km… official conversion is 160.9344 km. Alex is happy, to be in his parents’ homeland of Latvia, and to be finished for the day. An experienced long-distance rider, Alex goes on from here to attempt the PBP (Paris-Brest-Paris) bike ride, along with 6,000+ other qualified riders. With a 90-hour time limit to complete 750 miles (the clock runs continuously), this ride is not for the faint of heart. Making it even more difficult is the 8pm start time on Sunday evening; Alex will have to try to get some sleep during that day. Many riders sleep as little as possible once the ride starts, sometimes catching a few minutes beside the road before continuing. Alex thinks he will get around 4 hours or so of shuteye. 2 of Alex’s 3 daughters will be on hand (coming in from Australia!) to support him during the ride. Good Luck Alex!! When in Latvia… Black Balsam, a traditional Latvian black liqueur created using a blend 24 herbs and botanicals such as valerian, wormwood, black pepper and ginger. All of the different grasses, roots, berries and buds are added to vodka and then aged in oak. Shauna gave it a try, but still prefers champagne 🙂
