One Last Big Climb

56 miles, 8.3 mph, 2350' elevation gain
(Jablunkov, Czech Republic to Pszczyna, Poland)


View 2008-05-28 Jablunkov, Czech Republic to Pszczyna, Poland in a larger map

Highlights: reaching Poland, last big climb before lowlands, friendly Poles, roasted pig for lunch, staying away from traffic, lots of lakes, only 25 km from Auschwitz


Another country! (at the Polish border, southwest of Istebna)

A roadside shrine - quite common in rural eastern Europe (west of Istebna)

Near the top...too steep to pedal (southeast of Wisla)

Great lunch spot, and all downstream from here! (Wisla)

Surprisingly nice Polish bike path (near Ustron)

Not so nice anymore :( (near Skoczow)

Old-fashioned Polish town square (Skoczow)

Flat...almost as far as the eye can see! (near Zaborze)

Pszczyna's beautiful central square
Journal: Today was the seventh straight day of climbing at least 2000 feet, and also the last, as we have finally reached the flatlands in southern Poland. The day began with a short 7 km ride from Jablunkov (elevation 1260') up to the Polish border (complete with a 12% incline). From there the riding got steeper & tougher for much of the rest of the morning. Fortunately, temperatures were a good 5 to 10 degrees cooler than yesterday (& less humid too) and we were doing much of the climbing on well-shaded forest roads. When we reached the village of Istebna (elevation 1960') it appeared we would have to ride 2-3 miles uphill on a busy steep road with no shoulder & lots of scary-looking trucks. Then, with the aid of my handy GPS unit, I confirmed a better parallel route. The alternate may have taken us longer (less direct & quite steep in places with a rough unpaved surface) but it also kept the stress levels low without the big trucks. By the time we reached the summit (elevation 2630') just before noon we had already climbed 1800+ feet (in only 12 miles), but at least the rest of the day would be downhill or flat.

The rest of the day was quite pleasant indeed. Shortly after cresting, we passed by the Polish Presidential summer house at Zameczek before coasting down to the bustling resort town of Wesla (where I enjoyed a roasted pig lunch). From there, it was mostly a mix of bicycle trails (paved & unpaved) along the river and quiet country roads. We stopped in the town square at Skoczow to look for more maps (not much luck) then continued into the flat countryside (with lots of lakes) before ending the day in the scenic historic town square at Pszczyna ("Pearl of the Upper Silesia", pronounced 'push-nah'). Tomorrow will be a short day as we ride only 25 km to the town of Auschwitz, then spend the afternoon visiting the site of the former concentration camp.

Initial impressions of Poland have been quite good. The rural mountain areas near the Czech border appeared to be somewhat poor (with people working in the fields by hand), but everywhere else seemed no different from the Czech Republic. People have been very friendly & helpful too, even when they speak no English. It surprises me at times how easy it is to understand each other (usually when asking for directions) even when we do not speak the same language. As far as roads go, it has been hit & miss (some are well paved, while others have been quite bumpy). However the drivers continue to give us plenty of space when passing, and we continue to have luck in avoiding most of the dangerous truck traffic.