Getting out of Budapest to the south yesterday was a bit grim, on heavily-trafficked and rather badly-surfaced roads, but once into the flat Hungarian countryside along the Danube, the cycling has been glorious.

Here, Raven and I crossed the river today, Friday May 2, near Szekszard, about 100 miles south of the capital on the route towards Croatia, blown along by a very helpful wind enabling average speeds of over 12mph. A record on this trip.

Tomorrow it’s back to Budapest, to start three weeks of intensive Hungarian language tuition on Monday.

In the meantime, thanks to excellent muscle-and-tendon-nurturing advice yesterday from Ingo, fellow long-distance cyclist from Germany heading out across Central Asia to Beijing and once a serious racer, the Achilles heel is much improved.

Put the seat a little lower, and pedal much faster (90 revolutions a minute), so you really SIT in the saddle rather than stand on the pedals. And stretch the tendon gently for a minute or so a couple of times a day.

Sorted! Which is what this trip has been about.

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