The fourth (and third for me) edition of Plitvice Adria Bike race is coming up this weekend in Korenica. A small town hit hard by tourism of nearby Plitvice National Park is slowly growing into a huge bike Mecca of Croatia. The record breaking 950 riders are coming from all parts of the Europe to compete in what’s dubbed as “Croatia’s Biggest Professional Race for Recreational Cyclists”.
From early Saturday 12 pm, there will be all sorts of cycling activities for those that come early. Hunibike is prepping the e-bike tours; there will be a complementary rakija for all those who attend the Bike Expo, beers (after all as you need to fuel up for the ride) and test rides of new stuff in the world of cycling.
Personally, I’m coming in to sleep under the stars in the camp, ride the Classic, or even Epic if my legs will feel it, and to have the best bike weekend. This year I’ll be riding something special, a specialised Stumpjumper 2014 Carbon 29er.
Provided byKoSport, Stumpjumper is a huge upgrade for me from my faithful 26” Felt Q720. Even though I've finished twice with my Felt I just can't wait for the new challenge and #Stumpjumper! It is a couple of kilos lighter, stronger gear, bigger tires; I’ll compensate with all of that for my lack of fitness. I'll throw in a couple of beers in my backpack along with some gels, protein bars, bananas, and what saved me last year – Coca-Cola. If you’re going for a long ride, pack some, you’ll need it for the sugar rush!
Sunday Morning Will be Special
Waking up in the forest of Borje camp, packing up the backpack, lacing up and jumping on my bike just to ride down the 2 km of gentle slopes of interstate towards Korenica. Hundreds of people around you, all gathering up near the starting lines for the 9:30 start, it gets the blood pumping, adrenaline working.
But before going to the starting line, I’ll be going for one last cup of coffee. The minutes before the start are something I love the most. Silence surrounds everyone, murmurs; the chatter slows down and when the gun pops you just hear the clicks of SPD’s, the sound of rubber on asphalt, and drones in the sky filming the start!
For more tune in next week…
