Today was a big day for us. We completed our 5th big day of riding in a row: 83, 100, 100, 86 and 88 miles, respectively, for a total of 457 miles in 5 days. We also had our last dinner with the Napoleon Cycling Tour group.
Tartu to Alutaguse, in Estonia
DAY #34 of 35Estonia2,209 miles total
We loved our stay, albeit too short, at Hotel Antonius in Tartu. We headed off for our last full day… 88 mi to round out a 5-day total of 457 miles. If you’d have told us 5 weeks ago… We loved this hotel. It had previously been, among other things, a bank. It was renovated and turned into a boutique hotel about 10 years ago. One room’s bathroom had previously been the bank vault!
We left Tartu on a bike path that for the most part kept us away from the town traffic as we continued towards the Baltic Sea. Our ride took us around the gigantic inland sea Peipsi Jarv – otherwise known as Lake Peipus in English – which separates Estonia from Russia. The picturesque shores of the lake are a popular destination for tourism and recreation.
Sandy shore of the gigantic Lake Peipus on a sunnier day.
Trivia Fact: Lake Peipus is the 5th largest inland lake in Europe, and the site of the historic Battle on the Ice in 1242, which was fought on its frozen surface. The Battle on the Ice was fought between the Republic of Novgorod led by Prince Alexander Nevsky and the Teutonic Knights. The result, a Novgorodian victory, led to the Teutonic order dropping all territorial claims over Russian lands.
As we rode most of the length of the Peipsi Jarv (a gigantic inland lake which also serves as a border between Estonia and Russia), we didn’t see much of it because of the thick fog that enveloped us most of the morning. The fog was interesting to cycle through; no wind, we could hear each other talk much more easily, and you had to be quick to snap a picture if something interesting suddenly materialized. We did see lots of canals jutting from the lake. Shauna, Mike, Mark and Mari rode in a pace line with Keith & Ruth Sherrick in the morning. Keith and Ruth are big league riders – by far the fastest on the tour. They slowed down today so we could join them and draft behind them. Ruth had a handy easy-to-hold camera strapped at her wrist that allowed her to get some of the best pictures on the tour. Here she snaps pics of the train of riders behind her. Katy and John joined us. Here Ruth, a real sweetheart, was at the back of the pack keeping watch on all her ducklings. Mike, Mark and Mari.
Video: Shauna dropped to the back and captured the pace line in front of her.
Lunch in Along Peipsi Jarv
We stopped for food at a small roadside “restaurant” in Lohusuu that turned out to be nothing more than a tiny trailer with outdoor seating. This small family-owned establishment is known for its smoked fish, so we gave it a go.
We saw endless roadside food stalls selling locally-caught Suitsukala, smoked fish, a specialty on the shores of Lake Peipsi. Here, one of the smoking pits used to smoke fish caught from the lake. Leafy branches produce more smoke than dry ones.
Video: Smoking fish along Peipsi Jarv. Colette adds Suitsukala, local smoked fish, to another of her tasty and fresh gourmet picnic spreads. Colette’s culinary skills have no boundaries. Shauna tops off lunch with dessert – banana topped with Nutella topped with chocolate covered peanuts. Yum! Despite the ribbing she receives from the team, Shauna stretches Mark’s hamstrings and glutes after lunch in preparation for the remaining 40-mile afternoon ride.
Following our lunch break we resumed heading due north. Despite continuing to cycle alongside Lake Peipus, a narrow wall of trees blocked our view of it. After finally passing the gigantic lake we plunged back into the dense forests of Estonia.
Thick forests dot the Estonian countryside.
As we neared our destination, we were impressed with the miles of cycle paths that were being built. We reached our destination – Alutaguse Hotel – an ultra basic “sports hotel”. Although the hotel was pretty spartan (the trip is not all luxury rooms with soaking tubs!), it was set in a beautiful area with lots of hiking and ski skating trails. Works for us… good enough to rest these tired legs and low backs after 457 miles in the saddle in the last 5 days. 41 mi to go to the Russian border!! Even this Estonian grandmother got in on the hiking action. Video: Gary gives his final history lesson. Here’s a snippet.
And here’s the full 6-minute video. Our last group dinner, a touching farewell speech to us from Richie, and a few glasses of celebratory wine, had us all feeling pretty sentimental.
Our Route
Next Stop: Narva and the Russian Border
Tomorrow we cycle 41 miles to Narva, a town separated from Russia by the Narva River. Once everyone arrives, we’ll take a quick Ride and Seek Napoleon Cycling Tour group photo with Russia in the background, and then Mark and I will taxi to Tallinn, Estonia to catch our flight to Paris.
