UBA2401 - ACT Balkans Unpaved

Today, it was time for our arrival at our starting hotel in Pula. Some of us were already in Pula a day early and got a chance to explore the city and see the amphitheater. Others had rented bikes from the Edelweiss headquarters in Austria and spent the last few days riding around and making their way toward Croatia. One of us is even still on his way here due to some bike problems before his trip started. We are all eagerly awaiting his safe arrival in Croatia. At 5 pm, we all met up for our welcome briefing, where we went through some of the information about the tour and what to expect. As there are some great highlights and stops on our tour, it was nice to get an idea of what’s to come. The welcome briefing, of course, also included general information about our daily schedule, as well as some important safety aspects. After the briefing, the fun continued, and everyone who didn’t have their motorcycle yet was handed the key and papers, so we could start playing around with the menus and getting to know our bikes. A few small setup changes, and now we’re basically good to go! Dinner was a buffet with many choices of fresh, local food, so we all ate well (and maybe a little too much!) to be ready to start our first day tomorrow full of energy.

Today was our first riding day, and we made the most of it. When we took off from our hotel, one of the clutch levers was feeling a bit under the weather, so we gave it an opportunity to retire and replaced it with another one, and that’s, of course, all that happened. From here on, we rode the first 20-odd minutes on the road until we turned off into the first bit of gravel. This was great for getting to know our bikes; it was basically all level, and the tracks were hard-packed, and in most places, you could look ahead to what was coming. We were winding our way through the gravel roads for the first hour or so until we arrived at the Limski Kanal. Here we had a chance to drink some coffee and prepare ourselves for the tracks that were going to gradually get a little tougher throughout the day. The tracks started to go a little more up and down and had a bit more loose gravel to make it a bit more exciting. On one of the road sections, we ran into a cycling race that was going on at the moment. They let us take a little road up, mixing ourselves with the cyclists basically for a little bit, where we were all glad we had engines and didn’t have to fight our way up like they did. Since we had some details from the cyclists, we made a little snack break in an olive yard that had a view of Motovun. From here, we could see the beautiful town on top of the hill, with the surrounding landscape, an absolute hidden gem. After Motovun, we wanted to go to Oprtalj to have lunch there, but the road was closed off and the police weren’t very helpful in finding an alternative. This meant that we had to take a shortcut and rejoin the route after the area that was blocked for the race. We made our way to the historical center of the town of Buzet, where we parked our bikes and sat down for lunch. By that time, it was already relatively late for lunch, so some food was very welcome, at least for some. Behind the town, we could see some darker clouds coming in, and Thomas confirmed to us that it was already raining in Opatija. I recommended everyone put their rain gear on there because we would run into some rain. One brave soul wasn’t convinced it was going to rain and decided not to put his rain gear on. I am pretty sure he’s convinced now that he should have put it on. We had about 60 km left in total, and after we did the first 25-ish km, it started to rain. Shortly after that, we turned off the asphalt and back onto gravel roads in the forest, and by that time it had really started to rain. On the hard-packed gravel roads, the water couldn’t really go anywhere, so a lot of the time, the roads were flooded, and we could play around with some big puddles. One thing to remember for the future: even if your boots are waterproof, that doesn’t work if you ride through a puddle fast enough to shoot water up your pant leg and back down into your boots. After we left the gravel road, the rain let up, and we made our way down the mountain into Opatija without any more rain coming down. It even showed us a very clear rainbow to the side. Now we’ve arrived at the hotel and will take a nice, warm shower and maybe enjoy a well-deserved beer. All in all, it was a very successful day. Everybody did a great job on the gravel sections, especially in the flooded forest, because that was a bit of a challenge for sure.

Riding day number 2 is on the program. The weather is fantastic and the roads are pleasantly empty. First we leave the big city of Rijeka behind us as quickly as possible. Because a winding coastal road is much more interesting for us than rolling from traffic light to traffic light. After a short stop at the Blue Adriatic, we tackle the first few kilometers of gravel. Passing bunkers from the Second World War, we continue up into the mountains. Countless narrow and winding roads and countless, sometimes challenging gravel sections await us there. The aim is to find the right line on the sometimes very loose surface, which is sometimes not so easy. What's more, we hear that motorcycle groups often grow by one participant for a short time;-) We are always rewarded when the landscape opens up and we can marvel at the Croatian coast and its offshore islands from above. The views are fantastic. We return to the coast just in time for lunchtime. To Senj to be precise. Where we have lunch and relax for a while. This is also where we split up the group. Those who can't get enough of the gravel will return to the mountains, continue on the ACT Track and explore the Velebit National Park on narrow, winding country roads and of course exciting gravel tracks. For those who prefer to explore the densely forested mountain world from here onwards on ultra-curvy and no less exciting mountain roads, Lars has a great route up his sleeve. Our destination today is Gospic. The area is so different that it's hard to believe you're still in the same country.... Unfortunately, this also applies to the temperatures;-)

Today we took off from Gospić and made our way to Šibenik. In the morning, we hit some gravel roads, where we expected to encounter a few puddles, but we were surprised by how deep some of them were. The track winds through forests and fields, partially overgrown due to the lack of traffic on these roads—understandable given the conditions. There are a lot of puddles, and as mentioned, some spanned the entire road and were quite deep. This gave us plenty of opportunities to play in the water and make some big splashes. When we stopped for coffee, which was closed even though we had asked them two days ago and they said they’d be open, we looked like we’d had a little accident. The backs of our bikes and jackets were a bit brown. From there, we had some winding asphalt roads to take us to the start of the Mali Alan Pass, which quickly turns into a gravel road that climbs up. The gradient is gradual but significant, so in a short time, you find yourself at over 1,000 meters, where the forest thins out, and you're rewarded with a wonderful view over the top of the pass. From the top, the pass slopes slightly downhill for a few kilometers until you reach a 2.5-meter-high wall next to the road—this is a famous spot from the *Winnetou* movies. Since the gravel road runs along the mountainside for a long stretch, it was a great spot to get the drone out and take some cool videos of everyone riding through this beautiful landscape. We also took some pictures next to the little chapel near the wall and then made our way down the other side. This part of the road is a bit tricky. It's steep in some places and has a lot of loose gravel, which can be difficult to read. We had to be careful on the descent, and we all welcomed the asphalt at the bottom once we reached it. From there, it was just a short ride on asphalt to our lunch stop, where Thomas was waiting to greet us. Some food and drinks were much appreciated after a demanding morning, especially since we started off in temperatures around 5°C, combined with strong winds, which made it quite cold at the top of the pass. After lunch, we split up again. Some riders opted for the asphalt route back to the hotel, while the rest chose a gravel version. About one-third of the gravel route was unpaved, and it was a bit more challenging than the rest, particularly because of some steep descents with larger rocks. Luckily, we also encountered a few more puddles to splash through. We’ve now arrived in Šibenik and are staying in a very nice 4-star hotel right on the water, along the boulevard. It’s great that we arrived early, so we can all enjoy the surroundings here.

Good morning coast, good morning sunshine, good morning adventurer. As always, the next day of our trip through Croatia begins with a short briefing. We want to take it a little easier today. The original ACT track is quite a challenge and we are also starting from a different point. So this day is 50% Edelweiss and 50% ACT together is 100% fun. We leave Sipenik behind us and head into the Krka National Park on wonderfully winding roads. There we relax for a while in Roksi Slap on the banks of the Krka River. We enjoy nature and the sound of the waterfalls. Relaxed and full of energy, we tackle the first few kilometers off-road. Literally over hill and dale. The terrain is varied and perfect for our bikes. From Knin, we turn onto the ACT and get closer to the Bosnian border than ever before on this tour. But instead of the steep climb up to the border, we decide to take the alternative route, which, as we later realize, is also very exciting. After a relaxed lunch, we split up the group again. One part takes winding... interestingly paved side roads. While the other part spends the afternoon traveling on very unpaved paths of the ACT;-). Our destination is Split. A city with many facets. The nice thing is that we return here at the end of our adventure. And have all the time in the world to discover it. We are looking forward to tomorrow. Since Kirk had his birthday today, we arranged with the hotel that we would have cake after dinner, so we could celebrate it together. Not a bad place to have your birthday, on a beautiful ride trough Croatia.

Today we made our way over to the island of Hvar. This meant we had to leave a little earlier to catch the ferry at 8:30. The crossing takes 2 hours, so we were able to have a little nap on the boat and relax before it was time to ride again. The island of Hvar is beautiful, with a diverse mix of fauna. Every few kilometers, the landscape looks a little different, so there's plenty to keep you entertained. Our first stop was at what they refer to as Napoleon's Fort, perched high on top of a hill, with great views of the island, the ocean, and the surrounding islands. A great place to stop for some pictures. After our stop here, we had a little more asphalt and then turned onto the gravel. The way up was pretty smooth, but it turned rougher as we made our way down. Some spots were pretty washed out, making it challenging. The track took us over a ridgeline for a while and later wound down to the coast of the island. Lunch was at a small place, where we tried some ćevapčići for the first time, or enjoyed some very tasty pizzas and salads. After lunch, there was a bit more gravel with some descents, but nothing as crazy as in the morning. Since the official end of the ACT is at the lighthouse here on the island, we of course had to stop there and get a group picture next to it. We then had some coffee near the harbor, as we had to wait a while for our ferry. The ferry ride itself only took 30 minutes, but since it departed at 6, it started to get dark during our 30-minute coastal ride back to the hotel. This did mean we could enjoy a beautiful sky to our side while riding down the coast.

Thunderstorms!!!!.... should be at night, during the day and in general. Our plan was to meet in the morning to see what the weather was really like and then decide what to do. In the morning it turns out.... false alarm. The weather wasn't great but good enough to ride. Our highlight today is Sveti Jure in Biokovo National Park. The highest paved road in Croatia. And perhaps also the narrowest. Although we couldn't really see anything from the summit, the view from the glass-bottomed viewing platform a little further down was breathtaking. Back on non-toll roads, we take small side roads and gravel paths high above the coast to escape the traffic for a while. Back on the coast, some of us head straight to the hotel while the rest turn off into the mountains. Our destination is the Cetina Gorge. One last time we enjoy the rugged beauty of Croatia's mountains. The last few kilometers of our journey finally take us along the famous coastal road back to Split. Where our tour ends with a fantastic dinner. What a trip