The Balkans: A gravel cycling film by More Stories Tomorrow.

[Music] so I came into cycling through racing and it's kind of took my life that way the past 10 years but in a way of being an athlete not being a cyclist so I'm really looking forward to this year I feel like now I get to go to maon places and kind of explore them in a different way this side of Europe is a little bit more [Music] undiscovered yeah excited to kind of go into the unknown and [Music] [Music] explore reluctantly I am back it's going to be a very different Vibes last time we got to see Iceland and all its Glory these are four new countries that I've never experienced never been [Music] to oh this a lovely J tonic what are the countries again [Music] Bosnia hot Hova Albania Macedonia Albania Macedonia no this are the same countries Bulgaria turkey we actually go through a number of countries on this [Music] trip we did the last trip we all had fun we decided to make some tweaks for this one better weather a more certain less Sandy route but it is so un enjoyable like you literally physically can't ride in it but the mountains are thick with two C's dreams all around H's looking forward to [Music] it oh no proper we're about to go shoot an absolute hot up around the balconies connected R [Music] loaded [Music] welcome to mon egg Raw it's just as hot as it was in Croatia the southeast corner of Europe invites those seeking unfamiliar sites and new Landscapes to come explore we're journeying towards the Steep Jagged Limestone peaks of the accursed mountains via Croatia Montenegro Albania and Bosnia and henia we're three cyclists covering four countries over 5 days we start by climbing out of the bustling Bay of cotor and once we leave the adventure really begins same this is the [Music] bulans soon as we come over the top we descend maybe 2 or 3K just as the sun's coming down and everything changes just changes to like Farmland the buildings change for like these concrete blocks everything is just completely different thank you so much you just paid a Euro for some lemonade and then felt bad to take lemonade so just left them with the Euro yeah just it didn't look it didn't look so appetizing so and he was super cute so I felt bad so I give him a Euro just lemonade P [Music] cloud oh it's [Music] warm what was the moment you were most scared on the whole trip um most scared the tunnel does come back to [Music] me yeah J I think it would go into my top five of most GH be in my life got the engines of it and we warned what was inside the tunnel cows and uh bulls and they told us horses as well it'll be [Music] fine I like B this is [Music] fun [Music] honestly if there was cows we would hear them a mile off surely guess we made out the other side of the tunnel and there was nothing to worry about but would never do it [Music] again you go inside with the brown here come out with the white and that's it you got to be down very fast hi brunette when I started down there white there now tell you what they have got in that City there somewhere they're going to have to for me [Music] oh welcome to Albania no I'll say it again what do I say welcome to [Music] [Music] Albania yeah there's some interesting sites there's even more concrete than in Montenegro everything just looks like we've gone back in [Music] [Music] time I [Applause] [Applause] the situation lawence um yes up and we've lost [Music] Tom do you see two bikes this way okay okay thank you bit of peace and quiet about Tom isn't it or is it just the fact that we're in the mountains with nothing really [Music] around we have still mislaid Tom uh I have no idea where he is it's probably halfway down the mountain still with the mechanical [Music] hello doggies hello I mean I am I am worried yeah we've got you've got we've got your drinks meate so if you'd hurry up there's a lawence on his tire tracks and suddenly you popped out of nowhere um that was the highlight youtuv man you we knew you were going to say [Music] that don't know if it's cuz I've just heard still got to dok or it's cuz Lou [Music] Capal not [Music] theal if I'm going to say I've had a bad day this trip it'd probably be that one it was maybe not what I expected to be coming up it was a big day out it was very rough it was very hot and uh yeah it took all day all day [Music] SP spicy steping is [Music] it a little bide now are we at the top yet not even close mate what how close not even worth think about please tell [Music] me you're Bor now [Music] I probably shouldn't do but I was just thinking spy I guess we should [Music] go don't look fast well fast it look really slow I know so my eyes feel like every time you film me I'm doing some stupid now what she say oh me Shy right let's go I've had enough waiting around now oh my I think it's [Music] open there's a cold fridge right now I know come on let's just go come on I'm bit over this now not to be crank but come on L [Music] go [Music] everywhere do you know what Anna was a rockar yesterday we got quite close to the end and there was this section which was pretty much unridable so annoying so cranky oh I'm so hungry it come now this is pure wank I'm not joking [Music] you and uh she let out a few noises to uh get herself through it you mean everyone the freaking 4x4 why are we actually okay so hungry oh God get any out I think she was a millimet away from fully cracking but just about H it together but it is so hard enjoyable like you literally physically can't ride in it and it's just throwing off the bike and you knock him a whole body is in agony yeah I think I think we should be very impressed I think she did incredible for her second ever gravel trip and uh yeah hard day out hard day I just wanted a [Music] peach do you love gravel love it me yeah it was maybe not what I expected to be coming up and it just felt like it was getting worse and worse but when we popped back out again out the gravel road onto the tarmac and it was this beautiful landsape sudden all my pains and all my worries have gone away why is that hit the tarmac Sunset looks better in my lenses Just Around Just Around the sunset oh wow that's that's the blurriest sunset I've ever seen [Music] I was such a crank I'm so glad it was just used to cuz I'm so embarrassed we can't into the Albanian Road works and that's why we couldn't have done this for the last 70k you follow that Hill you got so many more tourists come here [Music] that right woo [Music] don't get Ria Bo out [Music] [Music] LED hey hey hey give me the bye bye lovely view me [Music] [Music] how are we going put capital city of Montenegro got a bit of a mountain to maneuver first highest point on [Music] [Music] route [Music] [Music] my M I'm so happy where are we going monegro [Music] monegro [Music] quite a nice though we're in the nicest accommodation tonight we have the friendliest owner who's showed us around his entire estate we've got like a Vineyard apple trees he's like pulling them off like grapes off the vine apples off the tree to hand to us got this like amazing little river right outside and this like little veranda and cute little holiday home it's delightful isn't [Music] it that was really oh no it'sot me off wait a minute hold me in ready I thought it was like anchored in or [Music] something oh no I've only got one all wait wait no guys actually no wait can I go back no actually I don't really want to get stuck out here can we can we not oh here we go oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah he also said don't leave until you need to tomorrow he's like oh stay till like 3 4:00 enjoy the area and we're like we got 107k to ride mate but yeah he was like fully set up for us to leave like no checkout time leave whenever um but unfortunately we have places to be so got a uh we got a ride to Bosnia tomorrow [Music] we go out for dinner that night as usual found a nice little restaurant on the road don't know what came over me but decided to order the The Battered sausage I your stomach after that meat fine good good [Laughter] [Music] WRA um oop n see you morning see you morning 10:00 alarm [Music] you but having gone to bed all happy in a good mood the tone changed quite D dramatically I could say at uh 4:00 a.m. we were abruptly woken up in the night like 4:00 a.m. clock work food poisoning hit Lawrence like an absolute train lying in bed that morning it hit me about an hour after too so at this point the sun had come off and we're in this tiny little town basically in the middle of nowhere with uh no option to to get out there was no trains there was no buses there was no um really no no options and I can tell you for free that we were not in a fit state to even uh walk down the street there try and get back on the bike so luckily Thomas was able to order us a uh a taxi and to get us out of our sticky situation hello hello one that day was the hardest bike ride I've ever done it was only 120 130k hands down the hardest both mental and maybe even physically just changeing plan I'm riding on my own today to give you an idea of how remote this route is this was the uh this was the suggested route for a road [Music] bike one thing that certainly made the taxi a little bit easier was knowing that Tom was absolutely slogging himself up these mountains these gravel Hills trying to get through the brambles little did we know he was having an absolute nightmare of a day this is the direct route apparently State and now now I have a puncture [Music] here we go [Music] again I think we spoke about two words the whole trip yeah collapsed into the accommodation and that was me for the next I think 16 hours again after that third puncture stop tube has changed but the border crossing I'm on the way to is isn't for foreigners only for locals feeling a little frustrated but do have to remind myself things could be worse cycling through the sunset in monegro I can't complain too much I've lost all my patience all my will to cycle and I was like actually I think I've got a little bit of the chicken sausage poisoning too not being able to eat not being able to drink it absolutely finished me I was completely broken by the time I finished there binge on the horizon those glistening lights oh man I've been waiting to see that for so long holy welcome to Bosnia I'm getting dripped on by the air con and I can't be bothered moving rained on I think everyone was pretty weak by this point no one could really turn the pedals at all but that last day on paper should have been fine it was 40K without much climbing but again horrifically hot we were all so weak but it's and it was just like right let's get this done let's get back and then we can just lie down with air conditioning and recuperate uh it it was one of those feelings that you get after a long ride I guess where you know you're going to finish it there's no question now like I am definitely finishing this I'm so close to the end I can't not finish but you just want it to be over and like on the end of a lot of these bik packing trips I get like a bit like oh a bit sad it's over now like the last 20K and that I was like just get this done I want to finish [Music] pedaling on that note feeling pretty smug about this trip I mean I'm always pretty smug but feeling extra smug that I'm the only one of more stories the only member of more stories tomorrow to actually finish a lap of the Balkans under my own power [Music] made it Tom by the skin of my teeth only just [Music] we've been through a lot of bumpy [Music] rides we really went through some highs and some lows and I think some tricky situations you could say and I think this one was uh a really really great trip and I felt like it it brought us um lot closer together I'm looking forward to to the next one I think it's you really do B together because you come across a obstacles maybe that you wouldn't normally face on a normal bike ride I'm I'm excited to see how Anna's journey into bik packing progresses feels like there's been such a change between Iceland and the Balkans it's really nice actually being on a trip and seeing someone experience all these things for the first time bringing back a lot of good memories for me I'm really interested to see where that goes for her and where it takes her should be nice I agree it's almost kind of taking me back to the enjoyment of riding a bike again hello this trip is kind of the bike packing has kind of really brought that back to me again and um yeah basically just being out on a bike enjoying being there with no purpose get about it [Music] I will stay here for hours until them dogs go I not going near that thing we'll friend Lawrence first

Channel: Lawrence Carpenter

Views: 526,638

Keywords: bikepacking, bikes, cycling documentary, gravel film, cycling film, cycling, albania, more stories tomorrow

Id: hwuapiVeDhY

Length: 29min 57sec (1797 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 17 2023