Olympic bicycle ride 2008

The grand day is there after all. After meeting everyone at the Olympia camp site the previous night (for me in fact a reunion with three people from the 2004 ride in Finland, later I am going to write more about some of the other BC members) we departed to the ancient stadium of Olympia where the Greek media was awaiting us. (By chance I saw the News about us on TV in Pub in a fairly remote mountain village two days later.) Official starting ceremony at Olympia town hall with the local press and deputy town mayor.

Visit to the Archeological Site, where I had been the previous time during a study journey from my Greek course in Grammar school in 198X. In fact, I had celebrated my 18th birthday in Olympia back then!

At 1.30 pm and sunny weather finally on the bikes and into the mountains for a 63 km trip across an unbelievable 1657 altimetres!

See GPS track http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=13238.
The last bit was a 20 km rise from 150 to 700 m in almost complete darkness. A true test for the first day!

Still snowy in Athens. I only now understand the mess caused by the airport closure yeserday which caused many BC members to arrive with great delay in Greece. It's a coincidence that that Sigitas (tour leader), the car crew and some other members decide to stay the night at the same hostel that I had chosen two days earlier.
After loading the van with all the extra luggage I departed with John from Ireland to the railway station and off to Pirgoson a six hour narrow gauge Pelopennesian train trip. Beautiful scenery along the cost and the many orange orchards along the way let us forget the snow and ice chaos of Athens quickly. I ride into paradise thus.

Spent the entire day in the city, walking around the Acropolis and the ancient Agora. For somebody from Finland it is interesting to see how locals relate to snowy, icy and slippery roads. Luckily a bright sunny day that made more than up the cold temperatures. This picture is special souvenir from Athens: Acropolis with sugar topping

In the afternoon I took a metro ride back to the airport in order to collect my additional luggage and to learn that the Lithuanians' flight is delayed until late tonight. Athens airport just can't cope with the snow.
The car crew has been riding from Wroclaw since Sunday morning and should arrive here in Athens at around midnight. The countdown for the departure has started, but tomorrow we first have to get bikes, luggage, car and of course ourselves to Olympia.

Snowy awakening this morning. Just a reminder: I left Finland yesterday with close to zero snow on the ground at least in Vantaa and arrived to Greece in full winter. Some flurries in the morning, but with increasing altitude on the Marathon Highway snowfall got really dense. I am learning to take advantage of my VDO MC 1.0 Bike Computer that tells me the altitude (barometric measurement), height metres as well gradients.

Todays maximum altitude 257 asl along the 40 km route from Loutsa to Athens. A really interesting view was of course the orange and lemon orchards covered in white. Driving is fairly dangerous not because of slippery roads (they weren't; temperatures mostly above freezing point) but because of unaccustomed motorists and lacking maintenance. Finally I made my way to a youth hostel near Omonio square in central Athens.
By the way: apart from my own one, I haven't seen a single bicycle in Greece yet!

Under the following I keep testing the benefit of GPS-tracking and geotagged photos:
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=12811
I appreciate your feedback on it!

Arrived at Athens airport, assembled my bike (causing quite a bit of trash from my sophisticated plastic wrapping). Three attempts to exit the airport area, two unsuccessful ones and the third one illegal through permission restricted maintenance terrain. Probably not the last time to realize that modern transportation infrastructure can be fairly disregardful of cyclists.
Greece welcomed me at chilly temperatures, rain, a sky soon falling very dark and a very strong headwind in the direction of Loutsa where I decided to rent a room. No photo inspiration yet. Let's hope for a better day tomorrow.
Otherwise Greece is all TABEPNA, Souvlaki, Gyros, Pita and the rest of it. Still appreciate it!