By no means do the shorter weeks become easier. To avoid the flat but busy and polluted roads the tour stays in the mountainous regions of central Java. I had a lazy start after the rest day and took it easy as the stage seemed to be easy and fast from the data we got the night before. The little climb after km 7 was just right to warm-up in the cool morning air. The 40 km downhill on perfect pavement a real treat and good for many photo stops. The deviation from the main road changed things. Not only cycling got tougher but only my physical condition all of a sudden degraded in the hotter temps and rougher roads. I got air in my stomach and soon felt that I had to throw up sometimes soon. My lower body seemed to play wrong with me … I managed the final steep 200m climb on a divided plastered forest track to the lunch spot, where I had to throw up the first time. Even after 2 hours of rest it did not improve and I finally had to give up the second part of the day and use the van. My body was on strike (See ‘All Plugs Pulled’).

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After Lunch Profile

Although it seemed an easy, mostly downhill ride that could be done even exhausted the ride in the van proved different. 2:15h for 50 km in the van on bumpy, almost not existing roads would have made cycling for me under my condition very risky. So it was the right decision to quit here, as the following ‘recovery’ days will show.