Four days, four islands: The new 4 Islands race in the famous Kvarner Bay in northern Croatia combines an uncompromising marathon experience with a relaxing holiday. But oops, no stage is longer than 70 kilometres. The daily ascents add up to a maximum of 1600 metres in altitude. Is this supposed to be an uncompromising stage marathon? "Oh yes!" says BIKE reporter and long-distance specialist Henri Lesewitz, who was at the start of the 4 Islands premiere together with his team partner Hagen Grube. Here is his detailed description of the route.
1st stage: Island of Krk - 68 kilometres / 1488 metres altitude difference
Henri: "When I looked at the route data, I honestly thought about leaving the bar and bottle on the hotel boat. Two and a half, three hours at the most, I thought, and then we'd be sweating our way to the day's destination. Fortunately, I was softened by the warnings of the locals and took some food and drink with me. The start town of Baška is idyllically situated by the sea. At the time of the race, the tourist paradise is still a dead zone. And so the field of 200 starters was sent into the race along the pretty, deserted harbour promenade. Directly from the town, the race entered a tarmac climb where the field immediately spread out. Just as well, because after three kilometres, the race entered a narrow, stony but easily rideable single trail that led up to a plateau some 600 metres above sea level. A spectacular lunar landscape! Not a tree. Not a blade of grass. Just sharp-edged, pointed bone-crushing stones jutting menacingly out of the ground. And a pavilion in the middle of nowhere. The first refreshment? No. A completely absurd-looking information stand from event sponsor Husqvarna, where grass trimmers are on display! On a rocky plateau with no vegetation. An act of irony? Stone cutters would be better! Wow, how your blood freezes in your veins just thinking about flying out of the saddle here. Fortunately, the bumpy road soon turns into a rough but much gentler gravel track. A few kilometres at full throttle, then it's down to the first refreshment stop, which is stubbornly ignored because you haven't had to drink much yet. The following tarmac climb is steep and takes you to a nasty, rocky trail that is in no way inferior to those in the Lake Garda region. My wrists hurt like hell, but they can recover well over a few kilometres of tarmac. It goes up, it goes down. The legs slowly start to glow. Then, all of a sudden, you enter the final, long devil's climb, which is first super steep on tarmac and then leads over deep gravel over the last crest. The bottle has long been empty and a second bottle is now urgently needed. The chain is on the right for the final ten kilometres. Finish arch, spectators applaud. Almost four and a half hours! Yes, this is exactly what marathon riding feels like! Now off to the sun deck. A cold drink, a coffee and definitely a piece of cake. Recovery is urgently needed. I'm quite surprised myself! If you feel like it, you could take a look at the famous Baška tablet with the oldest Glagolitic characters. Yes, there's culture on Krk too. Not just mountains!"
Stage 2: Island of Rab - 65 kilometres / 1100 vertical metres
"The ferry is to the 4 Islands race what the shuttle bus is to other events. The start directly from the ship is only logical, after all the media want nice, striking pictures. The excited top riders whip off in the finest final sprint style. The first climb is short, but the surface is pretty rough. Pushing, swearing, panting. After 200 metres, the field has spread out nicely. With a tight chain over a bare high plateau. Then through the historic old town of Rab to the beautiful, concrete coastal trail, which leads up and down to the first refreshment stop. Here begins an almost endless squeeze on wide gravel paths, interrupted by short singletrail sections. The feeling is similar to that of a German low mountain marathon. But after the second refreshment stop, the gravel road battles come to an end. It's steeply uphill and briskly downhill. Now an extremely tough, insanely rough gravelled trail up a mountain ridge, which finally leads back to the coast as an exposed, wonderful panoramic trail. A few more fast saw blade kilometres. Then you whizz under the finishing arch. The restaurant next door serves free pasta for the finishers. With a sea view. Oh, how wonderful a marathon day can be."
Stage 3: Island of Cres - 70 kilometres / 1500 metres altitude difference
"I would never have thought that I would be nervous before a 1500 metre altitude stage. The local starters say it's the queen stage. The queen stages in other races usually have at least 3000 metres of altitude. Well, let's see. But I'd better take two gel sachets with me as an iron reserve. And hossa! That's a quick climb! I sit bent low over the handlebars at the very front of the saddle and try to work against the rearing up of the front wheel. Everyone is riding in the smallest sprocket, some simply fall over to the side, many are pushing. But after about two kilometres, the slog is over and it's downhill again on a tricky but okay rocky trail. What follows is a marvellous, extended intermezzo of bends, cute climbs and short descents, where the suspension fork can barely keep up with the buffering of stones and gravel. A rapid rush through an urban zone, behind which a longer, relatively wide, but rather roughly gravelled panoramic mountain trail begins. The beast turns out to be a merciless power sucker. "Ouch, ouch!", report the troubled legs. After seemingly endless kilometres, we descend. The lone Husqvarna banner placed on the downhill tarmac road without any publicity finally raises questions about the company's PR concept. Anyway, quickly fill up the bottles at the refreshment station and head into an ensemble of steep ramps. A flowing trail through a fairytale pine forest. A nasty, blocked mountain path. Kilometres of ups and downs. Another trail. Then you reach another refreshment point. Stopping is not absolutely necessary. Because the last ten kilometres are low in altitude, but very bumpy. The finish town of Osor impresses with its narrow, historic alleyways and a restaurant directly behind the finish arch. An amazing stage!"
Stage 4: Island of Lošinj - 60 kilometres / 1000 metres altitude (actually)
"Rain clouds! Grey, grumpy rain clouds! That's never a good thing for a marathon. Especially not when the briefing already warned of the rocky, slippery ground. Oh dear! That could be something. But we were lucky. The organisers decided to cancel the tricky sections. Too dangerous in the rain. This leaves only around 50 kilometres and 600 metres of altitude to be ridden. Racers know what that means: full throttle! And that's how it is. The pack sets off with a mixture of competitive exuberance and final stage euphoria. Tarmac bumps, trails, gravel paths. Then, after the first refreshment point, they enter a first-class cross-country course, which winds its way along a mountain slope, sometimes with berms. Your pulse is pounding and your fingers are on the brake levers. A couple of tricky, slippery downhill metres throw many a hotspur into the botany. The kilometre-long, concreted trail along the coast is pure pleasure. One or two tarmac kilometres, then back into rugged terrain. Then the final curl over technically demanding, rain-slicked singletrack sections. The finish arch is also in the starting town of Mali Lošinj. Woah, the last bend is slippery. An over-motivated finisher skids into the outside area of a restaurant as if black ice had formed on the last bend. It was a good thing that the course was shortened. The legs feel wonderfully well-wrung out."
Conclusion on the route of the 4 Islands stage race
A race track could hardly offer a better mix. Riding technique, fitness, endurance, everything is demanded of the course. The organisation is excellent. The refreshment points are ideally placed. A stage race that is sure to be very popular next year. The fact that it takes place in April makes it an interesting preparatory race for ambitious riders. But less sporty bikers can also have fun without reaching their physical limits every day. However, we do not recommend the race to untrained bikers and beginners. The 4 Islands is much tougher than the pure route data would suggest. And yes, there is plenty of holiday feeling despite the challenging route. Especially if you opt for the full-service option with an overnight stay on the hotel boat.
Info on the 4 Island Race in Croatia
The 4 Island Race is new, but island hopping is not. For years, mountain bikers have been travelling from island to island in the Bay of Kvarner on ferries and hotel boats. It's a holiday concept that lends itself perfectly. Because each island has its own character. The idea of carrying out the island hopping in race mode came from an event manager from South Africa who booked the trip as a holiday two years ago. He developed the concept together with the local agency Adria Bike. Following the successful premiere, the date for 2016 has now been set: 13 to 16 April.
The mode The 4 Islands is a team race like the BIKE Transalp. The classifications are also similar: men (by age group), mixed and women.
The islands With Krk, Rab, Cres and Losinj, the route takes in the tourist highlights of Kvarner Bay. The stages combine everything that makes biking special: crisp climbs, fast gravel sections, rough trails and fabulously beautiful panoramas.
Boat The company Inselhüpfen offers the full pampering programme. The riders stay on a hotel boat, which has a cosy restaurant and even a bike room. The complete package including full board and entry fee starts at around 700 euros. There are various boats to choose from. Information about the race, the area and the boat accommodation: www.inselhuepfen.de
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