The road to a waterfall. An adventure in Evoia with PFACC
Covid hit the world and so many other things happened that resonate in our minds but surely the most enduring feeling was/is to meet each other and enjoy riding bikes together: the quest of searching for the endless greek summer is not to be taken lightly. It is serious business for the Pink Flamingos Adventure Cycling Club.
Lockdown finished first days of May and immediately we started chatting of a possible date for a bike camping trip. Tipped off by our friend Iasonas of a special place in nearby Evoia with stunning scenery, gravel and a waterfall we decided to hit it up.
One thing sure of Evoia is that there is brutal climbing. Sometimes is just after a superb downhill section, sometimes not but always in a loop – just never ending – up and down and up and… up.
The waterfall is located in a rocky pocket under the Dirfy mountain just after Seta village at 830m altitude the highest populated village in Evoia. To say that this trip was an adventure is an understatment: meeting was at 04:00 in the morning and then we rode from Athens to Skala Oropou where we met few other people. We crossed the sea on the ferry and after a quick fredo on the road we started climbing Dirfy. The air was fresh, the sun was blazing, there was a memorable breeze and so the spirit was high..
After a brutal climb we reached Seta and then it was done and decided. Beers were to be had, it was a damn holiday after all. But then its up again and then downhill on a spiral tarmac road, brakes were screeching and knees were out. The road leads to Makrychori and then Manikia village and after that a 4 klm gravel section that leads to a little chapel that was meant to be our dinning room for the rest of the weekend.
It was blazing hot and we dived in the waterfall straight away one after the other. We made camp and joked, smoked, drunk and slept under the stars as the mosquitos were on holidays and the frogs let it go for one night just for the sake of this bunch of people that decided to ride the bikes from Athens to this place just for this night.
As for the way back… well what can i tell you: you had to be there to believe it.
RIP to the the spinning class. Outside is free.
