Cycling Monologue

Growing up in Prague, the capital of a landlocked country, I have been always fascinated by the prospect of cycling to the coast, to the shore of the Atlantic, the Baltic, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. The day I arrived in Prague, Nairo Quintana won the stage sixteen of the 2014 Giro d 'Italia. It was a monstrous stage on account of riders needing to traverse three of the region’s toughest climbs. Quintana kept the maglia rosa until the end of the race in Trieste and became the first Colombian to win the Giro. I enjoyed watching the rest of 2014 Giro despite a number of the world’s best such as Contador, Nibali, and Froom didn’t enter the race. After placing second in 2013 Tour de France, Quintana had been certainly among the best, but winning the Giro the success of the Colombian cyclists was elevated to the next level. Colombia has become a powerhouse in professional cycling and as I kept reading about cycling in Colombia I could not wait to get there. I was to fly to Bogota in August that year, but being in Prague I still had almost three months before my trip to Colombia, and after three years of cycling trips in the Indian subcontinent, I felt an urge to cycle somewhere in Europe again.

Perhaps it was the Giro that provided the impetus I suddenly wanted to bike south to Italy, but while I always

I tell you where I stayed and I summarize a few points related to cost and money. If you are the type that fears getting lost then my GPS tracks are for you, and you’ll find them included under the summary of each stage. You can download the GPX, or GPS Exchange Format (.gpx) files, my actual GPS tracks of each stage, and then upload them to your GPS device. The GPS track is your guide taking you by the hand and pointing the way. When you pop one or all of the tracks in your GPS device, you’ll instantly know your way; the GPS tracks are invaluable as they’ll save you time trying to find your