Thursday 30th October 2014 - Locked in hostel as wasn't given key and don't know code. Wait until someone arrives in at 8am to the desk, then go for breakfast at McDonald's round the corner.
Leave about 10.30 or 11am, seems to be my set leaving time, no matter how early I get up!!
Really long hill climb on the road out of Novi Sad. No room on edge, its busy. I do 100 and 200 metre hill sprints for about 10km, ducking into the hedge each time I hear a truck coming up behind me. No one slows down, or waits if there's traffic coming the opposite way, so I reckon it's safer just to get off the road, rather than continually being skimmed past.
See a Serbian numberplate in the middle of the road. Be a good souvenir, if it wasn't a death trap to try and collect it.
Eventually left turn off the bad busy road, to a nice country road. Can't believe that main road is the actual Eurovelo 6 route.
Stop at Beska at a shop, it has no electricity, can hardly see when I go in it's so dark. Girl writes everything into a book and adds it up by calculator!
On for a long stretch of straight flat country roads. For AGES.
Lots of traffic now, but it's just tractors, some of which I overtake!
Dogs.
Onto a road which is just one lane strip of tarmac and the other half is gravel. Good way to save money I guess. Play chicken with upcoming cars, then swerve onto gravel to let them pass.
Up to Belgrade with the roads getting busier.
At Batajnica it then really starts to get busy with non stop traffic, no one has any time, all still in a rush, can't slow down, or wait to pass.
Really busy then road diversion.
Takes me past massive old tower blocks of flats. See two cars crash into each other. One car crossed in front of the other and bang! Could see it happening before it did. Took a sneaky photo.
Round the side of a busy two lane road the opposite way. There was a footpath, then it disappeared. Waited for break in traffic to get round the corner onto where the footpath started again.
Find another road that should take me into where the other one would have. More heavy traffic. Bumper to bumper in both directions. Stop start sprinting to keep up with traffic and hold my place.
Go left after a few kms, down some side streets and it takes me straight to river, aahhhh.
Along river on cycle path, past the floating bars and hostels.
Dark now, use the footpath over Brankos Bridge into Belgrade city centre. Nice view of the old town and city lights.
Lots of traffic, push bike on pavement through a few streets. Another car crash, big hold up, I just push past.
Find route through city streets to the hostel.
Room is in another building. So have to go out onto street and into building next door to the main hostel. I can't remember how to get out again from my room. I can cycle myself across Europe, but can't remember if I came in from upstairs or downstairs haha!! These big old buildings are like a maze, or a rabbit warren inside.
Cool hostel (Hedonists Hostel) with an outdoor common area, kitchen and dining room. Lots of people, USA, Belgium, Poland, Aussie, French, chat for while in the kitchen with everyone before most of them head out for a pub crawl.
I have a shower and go to bed. Hungry.
Day 62 - 30.10.14
Novi Sad to Belgrade, Serbia
11am to 4.30pm
5h 22min cycling
96.3km
2739 calories
824 metres asc
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