Oh, Slovenia, it's just so far away. That's not true. Kranjska Gora in the border triangle is just as long a drive from Munich as Lake Garda, about three and a half hours. But as soon as you cross the Karawanken tunnel, you suddenly find yourself in a different world: white, steep karst rocks huddle around the highest peak, the 2864 metre high Triglav. Signposts with strange-sounding place and mountain names point the way, and many gravel paths are only wider in the valley. Towards the summit, the paths often become tattered and trail junctions are hidden behind undergrowth. You don't come across many huts and when you do, they are often only open at weekends. Voilà, plenty of room for a real mountain adventure! No matter whether you set off on day tours or follow the Soca for a few stages. But the most exciting thing is still a crossing of the Julian Alps. Here you cycle from the high alpine rocks over gentle forest trails to the beach of the Adriatic Sea. Although the accommodation is basic, it is run by friendly hosts who usually speak good English. The Slovenians have also caught up in terms of bike parks. There are now a total of seven trail facilities with lifts in the Karawanken and Julian Alps.
If you prefer a backdrop of alpine meadows, crystal-clear lakes, less complicated mountain names and tidy trails, simply take one of the motorway exits before the Slovenian border. The Carinthians are also building more and more summer trails around their lifts. These include the officially longest in Europe, on the Petzen. The eleven kilometres wind themselves into the mountain in such a way that you hardly need to use the brakes. We have picked out the best tours from these regions for you.
Toll direction Slovenia
Travelling on the Tauern motorway is not cheap. For the toll alone, you have to pay a total of 61.40 euros for a 10-day trip by car: Austrian toll sticker 9 euros, Tauern tunnel 2 x 11.50 euros, Karawanken tunnel: 2 x 7.20 euros, Slovenia vignette: 30 euros. If you pay the toll online, you at least shorten the waiting time.
Info: www.asfinag.at
1st Trieste: Slavnik loop (40.8 km | 1285 m elevation gain | 4:30 h)
The tour First have an Italian cappuccino for breakfast at the harbour pier in Trieste, then head towards the Slovenian coastal mountains. The route climbs along an old railway line above Val Rosandra up to Slavnik, the highest peak in the region at 1028 metres. At the top, the view is just as magnificent, and the hut is even open at weekends. However, there are also a lot of hikers on the way. But the highlight of the tour is the descent anyway: the trail begins with a flow through an alpine meadow and later gains a few sharp limestone rocks in the forest. As soon as the forest thins out again, the trail eases off, only to become rough again shortly before Presnica. You return via Socerb Castle.
Condition 3 out of 5 points
Driving technique 3 out of 5 points
Landscape 4 out of 5 points
Difficulty medium
Info: GPS data and the Trieste area guide with two further tours: www.bike-magazin.de, webcode #34606
2. Kranjska Gora: border triangle (23.2 km | 816 m elevation gain | 3 h)
The tour North-west of Kranjska Gora, the borders of Slovenia, Austria and Italy meet in the Karawanken - a guarantee for exciting smuggling and war trails. The first beautiful forest trail awaits just after the town. Then you follow the steep Wurzenpass road for two kilometres until a lonely gravel path takes over and leads up to the border triangle. In good weather, you can see half of Carinthia from up here. Good brakes are an advantage on the way downhill, as the path descends quite steeply and in tight hairpin bends to the village of Ratice. Occasional roots lying across the path also push the pulse. If you don't fancy this challenge, you can also bypass this section on the forest road.
Condition 3 out of 5 points
Driving technique 4 out of 5 points
Landscape 3 out of 5 points
Difficulty medium
Info: GPS data including area guide Kranjska Gora: www.bike-magazin.de, webcode #28431
3rd Kobarid: Matajur border tour: (57.2 km | 1400 m elevation gain | 4:30 h)
The tour The village of Kobarid is located on the beautiful whitewater river Soca. This is a region where many soldiers died during the Battle of Isonzo in the First World War. Bikers today benefit from the military infrastructure of that time, most beautifully on this tour that leads up to the summit of the 1650 metre high Matajur. A 13-kilometre-long super trail descent awaits on the back of the mountain, which balances along the border ridge to Italy for a long time before winding down to San Pietro at the end. From there, you roll back to Kobarid on the flat valley road. Incidentally, you can shorten the ascent to Idrsko with a shuttle. There are various sports shops in Kobarid that offer this service.
Condition 4 out of 5 points
Driving technique 4 out of 5 points
Landscape 4 out of 5 points
Difficulty medium
Info: The GPS data for this and two other tours: www.bike-magazin.de, webcode #18697
Trans-Slovenia for mountain bikers
For a long time, nobody really dared to cross the Julian Alps. The maps were too imprecise, the names of the mountains too complicated for western ears, the network of paths not as well maintained as in the Eastern Alps and: How do you actually get back to the starting point? These are all good reasons to book a tour with a guide. Almost every German Transalp organiser now offers Trans-Slovenia tours. If you still want to try it on your own, you can find ready-made GPS routes at www.bike-gps.com and lots of route information at www.mtb-slowenien.de
Tip for the return transfer: Take the ferry to Trieste and from there the train back to Arnoldstein, journey time: approx. 3.5 hours with a change in Udine. www.bahn.de
Cocktail and pearl barley soup: Catering in the Julian Alps is somewhat simpler than in the Eastern Alps. There is usually pearl barley, cabbage and goulash soup, fried sausage and sometimes spaghetti Bolognese. So rather meat-heavy. Cocktails have been served since 1953. It may look like cola, but it contains no caffeine, tastes fruity and is made from the rose hips of the dog rose.
MTB tour from Bayrischzell to Soca (466 kilometres / 9820 vertical metres / 7 stages)
From the Thiersee valley over the Glockner road through the Hohe Tauern and then into the Carinthian lake district. The Möll and Drau valleys lead on to Lake Millstadt and on the sixth day across the Slovenian border. Here the route climbs up the cobbled hairpin bends to the Vrsic Pass (1611 m), then descends along the bubbling Soca to Tolmin. Price incl. accommodation, luggage transport and return transfer 1149 euros, info: www.bergbiken.de
KARAWANKEN-TRAIL-TOUR (5 stages with up to 60 km and 2000 m elevation gain)
The border mountains between Carinthia and Slovenia are usually travelled by car. Yet the most exciting trails here wind their way through the white, often steep karst rock. Every now and then a lift helps uphill, downhill only good riding technique. Overnight stays are in rustic mountain huts. Price incl. half board, luggage transport and return transfer 845 euros. Dates: 2-8 September, info: www.mtb-slowenien.de
NEW MTB TRAILS IN CARINTHIA
The longest flow trail descent in the Alps at eleven kilometres, namely the one on the Petzen, is getting a rough downhill brother called "Thriller" (7 km). This year will also see the opening of three new trails at Weissensee and three at Faakersee. All the info: www.radland.kaernten.at
5 tips for biking in the heat
- Start early: The rocks of the Julian Alps and Karawanken heat up very strongly in the sun. If you start your tour early, you can escape the heat and the frequent, heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon.
- Drink isotonic: Drinking a lot also helps against heat cramps. As there are rarely refilling opportunities in the karst rocks, start with at least three litres of water in the morning, possibly with electrolytes.
- Sun cream 30+: Avoid sunburn on your arms and neck at all costs, otherwise the rest of the trip will be torture. Even in cloudy weather: at least protection factor 30!
- Even uphill: helmet! Sunstroke is nothing more than irritation of the meninges caused by direct sunlight.
- HItzschlag: Severe headaches and nausea can be signs of heatstroke. In this case, drink plenty of fluids and cool your head and neck with wet towels!
You can read this article or the entire issue of BIKE 6/2018 in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the issue in the DK shop reorder:
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
