The morning sun pierces its first rays between the houses of Kastoria. At the Orologopoulou hotel, most of the guests are still under cover. Or at least they do not show themselves. Hotel boss Sideris Smaropoulos is already in full swing. When I enter the breakfast room in my stocking feet, he is the first to arrive. With a cheerful "Kalimera" and a "Ti Kanis" (how are you), he shows he is a good host. Whether I also want coffee. Of course I don't say 'no' to that. Meanwhile, an equally friendly lady comes out of the kitchen with all sorts of delicacies. From warm mini apple turnovers, to fresh cheese omelettes, fruit and you name it. Greek hospitality at its best. This is how we like to go cycling in Greece.
Kastoria - Western Macedonia
Until a few years back, many of us had never heard about the Macedonia region of Greece, rightly or wrongly. However, when the current North Macedonia entered the EU application process, that changed. Greece objected to the country's name and thus North Macedonia came into being. Unnoticed, this also put Macedonia on the map. The heart of the West Macedonia region is the town of Kastoria. A favourite spot for Greek winter tourists and a developing destination for the rest. With the water and mountains nearby, it is a lovely Mediterranean place with a promenade, an old centre and absolute potential. We are exploring for a few days for a special project. This is our basecamp.
Gruppetto
At breakfast, my group mates slowly trickle in. Head of this expedition is Nick Rachovitis, an articulate Greek who speaks almost perfect Oxford English. Completing the breakfast party are Spyros and Kostas, who are cycling along and taking photos/organisational involvement. Spyros is also the mastermind behind Cyclonews.gr, a Greek website with news and info on cycling. Meanwhile, Stelios, one of the hotel staff is impressed by my bike. He couldn't be otherwise. He enthusiastically starts asking questions. Cycling is more alive here than you would think. The conversation continues on the terrace where Iannis also joins us. He is going to take some nice pictures today. Absolutely great.
(In)regularities
If you talk in stereotypes, northern Europeans and southern Europeans in general are real opposites. We Dutch are of peace and regularity. Greeks, on the other hand, are a bit less tightly organised and everything happens as it happens. So too this morning. While we shoot images in different places (and I drive back and forth a bit on goat paths), new people keep joining our group. Lambros, who later turns out to be the driver and jack-of-all-trades, is the first to join. It could hardly be more stereotypical. Not quite bike-fit, cigarette in hand and talking on the phone. His roaring laughter is infectious. I enjoy it. Further on, people also come and go, interfering in one way or another. That is Greece too: many captains, no ship.
Community
On Lake Kastoria, people are still really fishing. Some local fishermen arrive and are immediately chartered as backdrops for some photos. As Nick immediately remarks: 'that doesn't happen in the Netherlands, does it?' Unthinkable. Greece is much more of a community in that respect. People make contact, help or offer help, ask what you have come to do and are interested. I see few people walking around with BEATS headphones. With their phones to their ears, though.
Direction Prespa
Today we head through the mountains towards Prespa, the lake (or rather the two lakes) that Greece shares with Albania and northern Macedonia. The images on the internet are already beautiful, what must it be like in real life? The road towards it is uphill, first through some villages and then even through an area where bears have their habitat. I still have to blink when I read it. Enquiry with Nick confirms the writing on the sign: this is bear country.
From the departure from Kastoria, it's uphill. Together with mate Spyros, we have a nice pace and we ride a short warm-up, with a maximum of five per cent. Once at the top, we roll down but then I have a puncture. My tubeless front tyre has a sudden deflation and we are at the side. Our support team has meanwhile just gone to get lunch, so we are left with nothing but to sit down for a cup of coffee as well. It doesn't get more typical than this. Time is your friend and that's how people live here.
On towards the lakes
After the tyre change, we go for a bit with the car to make up some time. With all the photo shoots and equipment issues, some time has been lost. The road leads over a wide provincial road through the mountains. It is not a single metre flat from this point on. It either goes up (false flat) or it goes down. What stands out: along the road are several signs warning of bears. This is their natural habitat. Not that a bear is suddenly going to cross, right? You also see several signs along the way with 'Albania' on them. The border with this Balkan country is very close and on the main road you also see many trucks driving to and from Albania.
Back to cycling. We turn left at the 'Prespes' sign and this is where the fun starts. A steep climb with beautiful hairpin bends. It is a climb of over two kilometres in length, but you are suddenly 180 metres higher on the globe. Do the math. The steepest parts are at thirteen and fourteen per cent! After the sour comes the sweet they always say and that is true here too. Because once at the top, a panorama opens up to which you can say hello. Despite the steep percentages, I can only shout 'wow'. We stop here to enjoy the view and take some photos
Bump the bump
Up to this point, the roads in Greece are of fine quality. Only in the cities do you see some challenges, but good. You can live with that. The road up the climb is pretty good with the occasional groove or small hole. Nothing that would make you restless. On the way down towards the lake, that changes slightly. The descent is quite steep and the first part towards Karyes is quite technical. Really pay attention here. This is not a route for speeders.
Once down, we turn left towards Psarades. We drive between two lakes. The small and the large Lake Prespa. It is a beautiful view. You literally look one way towards Albania and the other towards northern Macedonia. This is a three-country point of opportunity. When the border towards northern Macedonia opens, you can do a tour of Prespa from here. This is impressive.
Psarades
The fishing village of Psarades is like the end of the world. You end up at the edge of Lake Prespa. To get there, you will have to conquer the vicious climb to the church of Agios Georgios. In more than two and a half kilometres, you will encounter longer sections above 10 per cent. With a bit of training, this is an excellent challenge. The views of the lakes and surroundings are priceless. Additional advantage: it is so quiet here. We don't encounter any cyclists at all. Of course, there is car traffic but it is not the A10 at rush hour here. That does make for a quieter feeling and some room to dodge the occasional hole in the road. The descent to Psarades is poor by our standards. The view makes up for a lot, but better to keep your eyes on the road and your hands close to the brake handle.
In Psarades itself, time seems to have stood still somewhat. A herd of cows runs loose across a grassy field. Local elders gather at a café for coffee and good conversation. Or they sit in the little square out of the sun. There are more than 24 hours in a day in Psarades. Our little group also attracts some attention. They actually never see cyclists here and certainly not on a bike with wheels that are financially unattainable for most Greeks. It is good to realise the position you are in.
Through to Florina
To get to our finish spot Florina, we have to go back a bit on the same road. Up the climb to Agios Georgios again, the nice short descent down and then up again over the climb towards the viewpoint on the E15. They don't yet do signs at the top here. There's still a world to be won. Or we could just leave it as it is. Because surely it is much nicer to climb to the church of Agios Nikolaos or Anthonisos than Prespa Mountain? I think so. Also towards Florina, a wonderful challenge awaits us. Where we turned left towards Prespa at the junction earlier, we now have to turn left (we are on the way back hehe) to Pisoderi. The Pisoderi ski centre. Because Greece may be a sunshine destination of Cor and Don, but in winter you can ski here. Don't expect Austrian or Swiss 'mountain lanes', but do expect the opportunity to whizz through the snow on long skis.
The climb to Vigla
At a length of nine kilometres, you climb to an altitude of almost 1,500 metres. At Vigla, the climb is at the summit and what you will then definitely take away: what a mean mountain this is! You start off fairly easy with low percentages to warm up after the descent. After two kilometres, everything changes abruptly. Suddenly, the Wahoo shoots towards double digits and you tap the 14 per cent mark. For 500 metres, the counter doesn't go below 10 per cent and you briefly see stars. Then it suddenly levels off again. This joke repeats itself about four times. What you do know: at every steep stretch, a beautiful hairpin is waiting for you.
Northern Greek delight
We turned around earlier because of time. We spent pretty much all day on our bikes, but ended up shooting for photos and images. What does stay with us: it is a stunning setting. Rugged, open, a combination of Basque country, sometimes central France and then again Italy. You also see things that are very typical of Greece. The villages, the vegetation, the short climbs and along the side of the road many little churches and sometimes little altars in the shape of a church. A little reminder that not everything is rosy.
