Albania 2018 Day 11 Monday

---

Albania Day 11. Himare to Radhime.
64km. 1600m ascent.

A bright sunny day again, reaching 37 degrees by lunchtime in the sun which were in, dropping to 29 in the shade by late afternoon.
The first 7km were on a 16% gradient so I rode in the van with Armand and Lynda, who is still having pain in her elbow and hand. She had this x rayed later and the bone had a little chip they think and could take a while to heal. After this climb I got on my bike and rode the rest of the day. The first part was 7% to the coffee break and after that it varied between 7% and 11% uphill for 15km. Over the day I covered 57km and climbed 1100 metres. The long pull after the coffee break was pretty hard and long and my injured left glute muscle gave me some pain and I had to stop a few times to recover. Just as we were heading to the summit we saw a wedding couple being photographed on a concrete dais with the incline and coast as a backdrop. They later came into our lunch hotel with bride in her nice white dress. Eventually the top was reached and a stop was made for liquid refreshment before a short descent for lunch at a nice hotel in the trees serving excellent food. Following this a great descent for 20km with sweeping bends and great views in the clear weather. We whizzed along the flat and to the coast following the bay to Radhime and past some ladies making reed beach sun canopies. The recently built Coral Hotel was on the edge of town by the beach with all the rooms having a balcony, most overlooking the sea and the outdoor pool. What better on a nice warm day. The Albanian Ionian coast is developing rapidly as a holiday coastal destination to compete with the Mediterranean at great value. Visit before it gets too busy. Still enough daytime left for a glass of wine red, of course, by the sea watching all the amphibians with cycling tans going for a swim. Did I mention the memory foam beds? Oh! Luxury.

---

Photos

Resting on 16% gradient
By memorial to 12 schoolchildren killed when bus went over the edge in 2012