Day 54 of The Long Ride to Byzantium
VELIKO TARNOVO ➡️ KIPILOVO (78 km)
After a few rest days in Veliko Tarnovo, the long ride is back on. I decided not to take the train to Varna — too fast, too boring. Cycling is about feeling the country, both its beauty and its slowness. So I set off to cross the Balkan Mountains from west to east, following Bulgaria’s BP3 national cycling route.
The day started late — because, of course, another flat tire. Fixed it at a local bike shop with super friendly staff. That makes four flats in five days (three in Veliko Tarnovo, one just outside it). Bad luck seems to love me lately.
Still, once I got rolling, the ride was stunning: quiet roads, golden forests, and the magic of autumn everywhere. The air was crisp, the light soft, and the silence total — Bulgaria really shows another face in this season.
Arrived in Kipilovo after 78 km and found a cozy guesthouse, where the owner gave me a wel needed discount. The cold is creeping in now — when the sun sets, it’s freezing. Tomorrow, heading toward Shumen to see the UNESCO-listed Madara Rider.
👉 Daily vlogs. Subscribe or perish.
🌍 Support me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/pedalorperish ☕️
#TheLongRideToByzantium
#BikeTouring #AdventureCycling #CyclingVlog
#CyclingEurope #BulgariaCycling #PedalOrPerish
#ArchitectOnTheRoad #WorldByBike #TravelByBike
#AutumnCycling #BalkanMountains #FlatTireLife #CyclingAdventure #Kipilovo
So yeah, peeps, I’m back. Can you believe that? Today, cycling through the Valkcan mountains about 70k to a village somewhere. And I’ve been in Valico here just chilling for like three nights doing fixing flat tires and uh crazy place. I was thinking of taking the train to Varna, but I’m gonna cycle there because I want to see the crazy Balkan mountains and all the villages. So, pedal our parish is back on the road. May God be with us in the road again and hopefully we’ll see some cool stuff here in Bulgaria. Got start having some issues here with the tube that’s going out of the wheel. Look at that. Out of the tire here in the middle of the road in the town of Delica. Not the best place to have some issues. Dips are chilling. Solve that problem peeps here at bike center in. So yeah, hitting the road soon finally. Not so many cycling going on at this channel anymore. Battle or perish. The real Velica turnover. Finally on the road. So many instant here in Valica. This place is sanding. I’m following the BP3 to Varna from Valico Turnover. It’s a cycling route, one of the national cycling routes here in Bulgaria. So, I’m going to check it out and tell you if it’s worth cycling through the Balkan Mountains. Feeling super excited having some tailwinds all the way to the coast. The quiet roads of Bulgaria. Flat tire warning. Front wheel now. Peeps. Can you believe it? Can you believe that? Peeps. Not here. Not here. Please. Not here. No idea what’s going on. I think it’s a phantom flat tire. Peeps. untouched by the hand of man. The landscapes are Bulgaria. This is Blackova. Lovely Plaova. Got to flick that flat, baby. It’s definitely flat here. Is leaking. So, yeah, peeps. Got to do it before the big climb for the mountains. Thank you, municipality of Plleova. At least I have a table. Could be much worse, peeps. Could be much worse. So, pretty chill. Glue, sandpaper, a patch, and just let it dry, baby. That’s the only thing you need to fix a flat tire on the road and good conditions. Hopefully not rain and nice hands. Finally done, peeps. Let’s do this. Climbing through the colorful autumn hills and trying to not step on the spooky things on the road. That’s what that what that’s that that’s that’s I can’t speak peeps. That is what’s causing my flat tires. These spiky things on the road. Not bad at all. This place, the Balkan mountains. Yeah, the colors are beautiful, peeps. Nice river over there. The gift of the Lord. The reward of cycling in the mountains, beeps. Not bad at all. Hope it says I can drink it here. Some humbai here. That’s literally the only home I’ve seen. The only peeps. It’s pretty empty this place in Bulgaria. Don’t come here. It’s only me, Marzel, and Marianne that are cycling in Bulgaria at the moment, I believe. Look at that, babe. Pretty dope. This is freed up, people. It’s freeing up this place. It’s amazing. Welcome to Alina. Pretty nice place for town if you ask me. My mates told me it was freed up here. So, let’s see it if it’s true. Freaking the Tolina. Super cute. Super cute this place. This Italy of Bulgaria. Alina is super nice. The peeps of Alina leaving a wet Alina. Heaven has opened. Really nice colors. Yes. And now just pushing through this autumn ride in the volcan. Not bad at all. This is just so beautiful. Peeps. Look at this class. I think I’ve lost my mind, peeps. I was just laughing all by myself before thinking about some stuff. And it’s, have you ever thought about this word supermarket? Like actually what it means? It’s a market, but it’s super. You know, it’s like Superman. It’s a man, but a Superman. And the supermarket is the same. It’s a supermarket. It’s like the market on steroids. Yeah. Well, that was it. I was just laughing at it. I don’t know, peeps. It’s on the road. The reflection of the day. Think about it. The supermarket is the market on steroids. The supermarket is to the market. as Superman is the man. Break on the road, peeps, because there’s no places to stop here. Tired, peeps, a beautiful evening. The real Bulgaria skull peeps cycling along this villages that have definitely seen better times being chased by dogos and soon at the guest house in a lovely town here in the mountains. It’s very cozy here. Not the most uplifting village, got to tell you, but uh pretty dope. Anyways, I think Alina was just beautiful, beautiful village. And now here in this place playing with S. kind of nice view over the valley. It’s getting late peeps and this was episode 54 of the long rider by Santium. Thank you so much for watching and being with me. Those who still are watching the things on the tube and I will leave you here because I need to find my guest house out of town called Kipilovo here in the volcanic mountains. Hope it’s not shady because this place is kind of spooky because there’s literally no one. The villages are kind of, you know, Yeah. But the landscapes are beautiful and the roads not as busy as everywhere in the world. So, Bulgaria is pretty cool. Yeah, peeps. See you tomorrow and battle or bearish.