Slovenia on Bikes

With my friends Řízek and Matouš, we have already covered the Czech Republic quite a bit and we think that we would like some kind of foreign expedition. Matouš discovers an interesting route on the bikepacking.com website. After a quick glance, it’s clear. We are getting to Slovenia.

We set the departure date for one Friday in July, and in addition to the verified lineup, a new member of the expedition, Karel, is joining us. In Prague, the guys load the bikes into the car, pick me up in Budějovice, and then we’re already on our way to Ljubljana. The funny thing is that Řízek, Matouš and I bought new bikes this year and we all went for the Canyon Grizl CF bike in gray. Even though we each have slightly different equipment (CF 6, CF 7, CF 8), at first glance the bikes look the same. We take the bikes off the carrier, fasten the bags and start to cut the first kilometers.

The Triglav National Park welcomes us with a hike to Vršič (1,737 m.a.s.l.), here it is checked who has stepped on their feet this year and who is so-called sweating blood :-). However, we all meet at the top and then we just enjoy the view of the surroundings. It is gratifying to find out that only negative altitude meters await us in Bovce, where we plan to spend the night. It whizzes along decently, we pass a few cars, a bus and end the day at the Trenta campsite.

The next day we drive towards Kobarid, choose the high-altitude premium and climb Stol. From Stol we will go down to Kobarid, settle in a camp on the banks of the Soča River, where we will stay the following day. We rest, adjust the bikes and gather energy for the next days.

Although one would expect to be full of energy after a rest day, it wasn’t quite like that in my case. The previous evening at the pub had dragged on unexpectedly, and its consequences are felt with every step. From Kobarid (235 m.a.s.l.) we climb to Trinški vrh / Monte Piatto cima (1,138 m.a.s.l.) and continue along the ridge towards Nova Gorica. The valley cannot be seen from the ridge because it is covered with smoke. We learn that there is a large fire near Gorica and that we have to adjust the route. So we change the route and end the day in the village of Kanal.

From Kanal, we continue to Ajdovščina, where we set up tents and spend the night. The next day we reach the village of Jezero, where we spend the night on a grassy beach by the lake. The journey of these two days was nice, but rather boring compared to Triglav.

On the last day, in the morning, we arrive at a cafe in Ljubljana, have breakfast, drive around the city, and then just add wheels to the car and drive home.

I like to ride my bike alone, but it’s just better with friends, and the trip to Slovenia turned out great. Sure, there were some complications, heat, endless hills, a fire near Nová Gorica, but it was worth it. I know Slovenia well both from the ground (tourism) and from the air (paragliding), but on a bike it has another dimension. I consider the Triglav National Park to be the highlight of the trip, which takes your breath away, and not just when you’re pedaling up the hills :-).