2013. 09.08 Jodłów - Góry Bystrzyckie - Kłodzko

To tackle the first part of this race, namely conquering the mountain 'Ostoja' Jodłów in the Śnieżnik massif located above 830 meters above sea level, I was encouraged by my friend Michał Książkiewicz in the 3/2013 issue of Rowertour. The end of this 11-kilometer climb has a 13% gradient, so it was tough. We start this trip in Roztoki Bystrzyckie. Here the surface is good, and above Goworów even very good. Here the real climb begins. At the summit, next to the forester's lodge, there is a place to rest and enjoy a magnificent view of the Bystrzyckie Mountains. The descent, however, is not easy. The road surface is in such a condition that you have to be very careful not to lose balance or damage the bike, and you need to press the brakes hard. At the end of the descent, we enter Międzylesie. In the town center there is a castle whose origins date back to the 14th century. At the northern edge of Międzylesie, we turn left onto road 389. Here starts the 'Sudeten Highway', a never completed road which, according to the plans of the pre-war builders, was supposed to run along the entire Sudetes. Only two sections were built, this one and another between Świeradów Zdr. and Szklarska Poręba, featuring the Death Curve. On the slope of Żelazna Góra, following Michał's advice, we rediscover wonderful views, this time of the Śnieżnik Massif. Behind the village Różanka, we turn left, the road climbs higher and higher. This fragment of the 'Highway' has mainly tourist significance, and consequently, the road is in a terrible condition. After Gniewoszów the road levels out. This is the highest point in the area at 746 meters above sea level. We then pass the Przełęcz Nad Porębą pass at 690 meters and, traversing around Mount Jagodna and Sasanka, we reach the Spalona pass at 811 meters where the Jagodna mountain hut is located. After a short rest, we go a few hundred meters downhill to a fork in the road and now turn left. Here the steep road has an ideal surface, and only sharp hairpin bends prevent the development of excessive speed permissible in built-up areas. Caution! Just behind the last house in the village of Spalona, the road suddenly turns into a potholed, rocky forest path with many sharp turns. Upon reaching an intersection, we turn right. Now we ride on fairly good asphalt. We are in the village of Młoty. The village has had a building ban for decades, because in 1975 the construction of a pumped storage power plant was started but not finished. After construction, a hole in the rock and a nice water reservoir remain. Now we briefly enter Bystrzyca Kłodzka to, after a short rest, continue onward. Because the road from the village of Młoty unfortunately turned east and you cannot continue your journey centrally through the Bystrzyckie Mountains, I propose to head along this massif, thus accompanied by beautiful views of these mountains. We enter Polanica Zdrój via nice hairpin bends. This is a nice spa town that I have already visited on other trips. We end this route in Kłodzko, for which I suggest a road with low local traffic through Stary Wielisław. Just next to the railway crossing of the Kłodzko–Kudowa Zdr. line, we find an interesting small building—a chapel. What caught my attention was a crowned eagle carved in sandstone on the facade. This is quite strange considering Poland was not here for several centuries. The plaque next to it explains that this chapel commemorates the place of death of the Piast prince Jan of Ziębice, who died here in a battle against the Hussites in 1428, and despite the passage of time and several state changes, this place has always been dedicated to his memory. I have already explored the Kłodzko Valley in several ways but continue discovering new places worth cycling through. I recommend it.