Trilj is a small Croatian town, some 40 km from Split, in the southeast of the expansive Sinj valley, beneath Kamešnica mountain, right along the Cetina river.
In Roman times it was known as Tilurium, with the archaeological remains a tourism attraction.
Besides the archaeology, Trilj area is rich with old Roman roads, more on that later.
You can get to Trilj by car from Split; directly via D1 or via highway A1 (exit Bisko).
Recommended parking place is the parking outside the TC Studenac, not far from the famous Trilj bridge over Cetina.
After we gathered, the unavoidable topic was the exchange of fresh experience ranging from whether Maxxis, Schwalbe or Continental tires were better and whether it is better to use an inner tube with a band or white mixture called milk or tubeless all the way to where to find a good beer with unavoidable gastronomy pleasures of the area, such as ‘aramabšići’ or frogs.
After the first asphalt kilometre we arrived at the intersection near the Trilj cathedral of St. Michael, the protector of Trilj, where we headed left and onto an asphalt road uphill to the church of St. Peter and cemetery. This is also the beginning of the valuable Tilirium site, a large Roman camp for training legionnaires.
Riding the narrow local road through Gardun, we moved toward Vojnići Sinjski.
The asphalt soon ended and light gravel began, for about a kilometre to the fist houses in Vojnić.
We couldn’t help stopping and taking a few photos of the old well and church of St. Clara in the Rakićani village.
Soon we were off the gravel and took a light asphalted ascent to Vojnić.
In Vojnić we turn onto gravel, real XC style descent, a treat after a longer period of asphalt. The gravel ends with the arrival to D1 state road, which I must mention as dangerous.
After exiting onto the state road, we turn right and drive for some 300 metres and turn left onto a marked cycling gravel road and drive all the way to the Kula Nutjak lookout, where you can find an excellent panorama view of Cetina river canyon. It is an ideal place to rest and shoot some photos.
After we rested, we returned the same way back to D1 and turned right all the way to Trilj, where we crossed the Trilj bridge over Cetina. At the end of the bridge we turn left on a local asphalt road and drive for 100 metres and at the first right turn we climb with a combination of light and tough ascent to Strmendolac, a clearly marked lookout with a panorama of Trilj and Sinj valley and Svilaja mountain. The road to Strmendolac is 150 metres of light gravel.
From Strmendolac we return to the local road which soon turns into a gravel goat trail, hard ascent of some 150 metres. On our right side are wonderful pastures and we head on towards a unique XC descent that ends at a local road towards Trilj and Čaporice.
I must mention this descent is one of the more demanding, mainly due to rain and floods that grooved the trail heavily, but it is also unique as it offers adrenaline riding through dense forest and open areas, with low bushes that are sometimes across the very trail.
By exiting to a local road, we went right and turned towards bike routes to Čaporice and Trilj, which is 7 kilometres away on a combination of asphalt and gravel. After several kilometres of asphalt, we arrived at the intersection for the Roman road also called the Wine Road.
For XC lovers the Wine Road is especially attractive due to very demanding descents, often single tracked, spiced with untouched nature offering views of endless vineyards, many of them overgrown with weeds.
Wine Road ends with a single track especially difficult due to torrent grooves.
I must mention here that on the Wine Road we got caught in a real fall shower, but despite being completely wet, the sensation was unforgettable.
Unfortunately, the descent and our cycling adventure through Trilj landscape ends here, with another kilometre on the main road where we had to be careful of fast traffic.
In the end there is the unavoidable sharing of impressions over a beer or two in one of the many popular Trilj bars filled with lovely girls from Trilj and Sinj back lands, so the beer had a special charm.
Bike on!!!
Text: Žarko Perković
Photos: Žarko Perković and Tomislav Staničić
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