Kites are traditionally flown in autumn, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be done whenever we want and wind allows. A traditional kite party happens at a meadow between Vypich crossroad and Hvězda park on New Year's day morning, approximately from 9 to 11 o'clock (when normal people are still sleeping after midnight celebrations). Nothing official or organized, just a fellow known as Drak (meaning "kite" or "dragon" in Czech) had an idea to go flying and whoever wants can join the fun. If you are interested in dirigible kites, you can find more information on his website.
K24 seems to be dead, why not try something different? G24 occurs at the beginning of July near Pardubice (the city of gingerbread). The circuit is 7 km long, traffic is limited to one way for the duration of the race, and all crossroads are managed so that you never have to stop and yield (what a luxury!). You can participate as a single racer or in a relay team, total capacity is 200 participants. First there was a one hour paracycling race on Saturday at 10 o'clock, the main 24 h event started at noon. Fifteen minutes before start I learned that helmets were mandatory (rules had not been available on the net in advance and when I asked, they told me there were no extra requirements beyond standard traffic rules). Fortunately, they let me ride. The circuit begins by descending the hill of Kunětická hora to Ráby. The gathered speed lasts all the way through Brozany to Staré hradiště where you have to brake a little due to a sharp turn. Then a straight section follows, followed by a half-kilometre climb to Hradiště na písku (the worst asphalt of the whole circuit), another right turn and a straight road through a forest with one small hill before the finish line.
The weather cooperated perfectly: about half minute of rain, tailwind for half of the circuit, side wind for a quarter, and still forest air for the last quarter. It would be a shame to not break the record from my first K24, so I pushed hard and made 260 km by midnight. Pedal, drink, stop hourly for stretch, snack and water replenishment, repeat. I planned to continue like this till the end, but my performance began to drop in the second half of the night. At dawn at half past four, sleepiness suddenly struck me so hard that I had trouble keeping balance and open eyes. That's too dangerous, so I headed directly to my sleeping bag and dozed off for an hour. It helped a lot, fatigue vanished, legs restarted and riding became fun again. I stopped fifteen minutes before the end with my speedo reading 436 - record broken by 10 km, huzzah, finally! But under optimal conditions, with no punctures, headwinds or waiting at crossroads, so it's not that glorious after all. I need to build a faster bike for the next time (if there's any). Already being worked on :-).
Most 'bent meetings occur far away in Moravia, this one was much closer for me. I departed from Louny on Thursday morning, spent half of the day in the highlands of Rakovník and landed at Bolevák campsite after nightfall. Nice place, clean and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms (showers are coin-activated, but they give you plenty of time to wash comfortably), surprisingly few mosquitoes. You can rent a hut or bring your own tent or camper vehicle.
I overslept on Friday and missed the group ride start, so I went in the opposite direction to increase the chance of meeting someone, and reached a little past Dobřany. Navigation aroung the city of Plzeň (Pilsen) is quite tricky: I was born in a town with only one river running through it, this one has five. On Saturday, I got up in time and enjoyed the whole trip to Plasy. Most of the pictures were taken there. From the Sunday trip, I only picked the part with lunch at Rokycany, then continued to Hořovice and Prague (note for next time: main road Mirošov - Komárov is usable without problems, the parallel bike route is for people who prefer rough terrain, hills and detours).
A little progress after last year's pause. I ran out of easily reachable targets, last few remote places remain.