It's only an island if you look at it from the water," says film hero Martin Brody in "Jaws". Even if the police chief and shark hunter is only trying to justify the fact that, as a non-swimmer, he lives on an island of all places, his logic convinces me. Here on the Croatian island of Hvar, I am surrounded by azure blue water, but most of the time I don't give it a second thought. Instead, my eyes are glued to the small strip of road 2 metres in front of my front tyre. Nothing else matters on the trail, whether on an island or anywhere else.
Wave staggering
Only at the next short stop do I peer down the slope towards the harbour where our motor yacht, the San Snova, is moored. The cold beer waiting for us there and the prospect of soon having it gurgling down our throats are enough to make us descend the hill with more vigour than before. Pieces of slate are thrown between the spokes and clink like broken china at a hen party. "Sounds like we're riding through the middle of a Greek kitchen," jokes DMR team rider Olly Wilkins and clatters off in the direction of the harbour, where the noise and spoke carnage suddenly stop. We are by the sea. Only the seagulls are screaming through the sound of the sea. However, our chilled mood is quickly spoilt as we see our ship lurching through the waves. Oh dear, it's going to be another bad night on board!
"A cruise instead of a road trip!" was what Olly and I thought when we signed up for a week on the San Snova together with Saracen rider Blake Samson and bike guide James Brickell from Verbier. The stylish wooden yacht was to be our hotel, bar, restaurant, solarium and shuttle bus all in one. Not a bad idea. If you're a mountain biker used to always looking towards the high mountains, it's easy to overlook the low-hanging fruit. Lower than sea level is hardly possible, but there is plenty to be had here too: Along the many mountainous coasts of the Mediterranean, fishermen, olive growers and goatherds have been stumbling through the area for thousands of years, trampling a dense network of narrow paths into the mountain slopes. Nevertheless, I joked as soon as we arrived: "We certainly won't get altitude sick here".
I can't help but think of this as we climb up hairpin bend after hairpin bend on an ultra-steep trail on the island of Brac on the first day of action. It's only 500 metres up to the first stage finish, but this much is certain: we'll pay dearly for this downhill! After crossing a large part of the island on rough gravel tracks, we dive into a singletrail with rock gardens and tight bends that make us laugh: "full battle instead of full steam ahead!" Unfortunately, this is a rather typical motto on the Croatian islands, where mountain bikers were not yet on the radar: the trails are just as rough and unpredictable today as they were ages ago. But hey, if you want to ride perfect flow trails, you have to book a holiday in a bike park!
By boat shuttle to the trail
The next hairpin bends lead us up to the Blaca hermit monastery, which is tucked under a huge rock face. For 400 years, the monks produced wine and honey here, which they dragged along the narrow paths and traded for what they needed to live. We take refuge behind the whitewashed monastery walls to escape the midday heat. Then we tackle the inevitable climb out of the narrow valley. Once at the top, we keep an eye out: Somewhere down there, our boat is waiting. It has chugged comfortably around the island today to pick us up again on the other side - while we have pedalled our way up 1500 metres in altitude over 40 kilometres. Not bad at all for a tour that starts and ends at sea level!
This day was a nice start, but there was a clear lack of trail rewards to compensate us for so much gravel road bumping. Our hosts from tour operator Islandhopping have had hiking and touring bike trips in their programme for many years. Their idea of organising something similar for mountain bikers is something they are driving forward with passion and enthusiasm. The week with us is intended to show us the MTB potential of the islands and to get honest feedback.
On the second day, this feedback leads us to persuade our guide Tedi to change the plan for the day: instead of a gravel track uphill to the highest point on the island of Brac, we shuttle in a minivan. He drops us off below the summit and we only have to cycle a short distance through a wonderfully cool pine forest to reach the highest point in the entire Adriatic, the 778 metre high Vidova Gora. From here, the view sweeps down a mountain flank to the glittering sea. Somewhere deep down there, the San Snova is also waiting for us today.
Downhill rush to the sea
We rush along a ridge and have to be very careful not to hit any of the boulders lying around - because a collision like that could easily end in you being thrown down the 200 metre wall. Finally, the trail turns onto a mule track that zigzags down to the harbour of Bol. Erosion has exposed the limestone everywhere here. Deep gorges cut into the mountainside. We cross one of them on a trail littered with chaotic rocks and fun mini-drops. When we finally look each other in the eye again at the bank wall, we all have the same grin on our faces: this is what you look like after riding a 10-kilometre downhill!
After just a few days, we have already established a routine on board: Sipping coffee on deck and watching the boat glide over the deep blue water, quickly finishing breakfast as we enter the next harbour and rolling ashore "ready to ride" as soon as the gangway is lowered. On day 5, we already feel like sailors, but it turns out that we are old landlubbers after all and have really underestimated the power of the mostly gently wobbling Adriatic Sea: Today, the San Snova dances like a cork over the 2 metre high waves and we split into two groups: One group cheers excitedly at every unforeseen lurch of the boat, the other hangs over the railing with a green face - seasick instead of altitude sick. I think even the crew are relieved when we reach the harbour of Vela Luka on the island of Korcula after this crossing and have solid ground under our feet again. The feeling of swell continues for quite a while as we pedal to a ruined 19th century fortress. Today, everything is peaceful on the once embattled walls. The view stretches far across the chain of Dalmatian islands. Then we hurtle back to the harbour on a bouncy route: rocky steps and hairpin bends merge into flowing clay soil in the pine forest - you could almost think that the soldiers had built the trail 120 years ago especially for mountain biking. Our dirt jumpers Olly and Blake finally get the chance to take off.
We feel like sailors
Of course, dirt jump cracks are not exactly obvious candidates for an adventure like this. After all, we could hardly be further away from finely manicured jumps than here. The lack of clay may frustrate them at times, but even for Olly and Blake, every day here has its highlights. On the island of Hvar, for example, we pass through the ghost town of Malo Grablje. Abandoned since the 1950s, the town serves as an adventure playground for over an hour - a kind of Red Bull urban event without an audience.
When we land on the island of Vis after a four-hour crossing, we pull the shuttle joker once again. We prefer to save our energy for shredding single tracks rather than wasting it on long journeys. The only hire car on the island is a Dacia Duster. Squeezing five people and bikes into it is a challenge, but what the car lacks in space, its owner makes up for with enthusiasm: although he lives on a Croatian mini-island, the car hire company knows Olly Wilkins and Blake Samson's names! As a die-hard mountain biker, he is naturally thrilled to finally meet like-minded people from out of town. Our guide Tedi translates his flow of words for us, accompanied by wild gestures, which can easily be summarised in one sentence: "The trails at Komiza are world class!" The guy hands us his car keys and says goodbye to us one by one with a handshake that gives the impression that he is more of a bear tamer than a car hire company. But he was proved right: The harbour town of Komiza turns out to be a trail gold mine. With Tedi at the wheel of the small hire car, we avoid the footpaths that lead from the surrounding hills into the small town. Further up in the hills, thorn bushes tug at every patch of bare skin, but the sometimes overgrown trails open our eyes to the potential of this island. Later, we explore the north of a rocky peninsula off Komiza. We find our way through Mediterranean forests and on wild single tracks. As the sun prepares for its inevitable dip on the horizon of the glittering sea, we swing down a trail that was to become the highlight of the entire journey: As it nears the sea, the centrifugal forces of its curves practically beg you to go faster and faster, but this can easily end in an involuntary early bath as soon as your front wheel smears away. The forest echoes with our wild howls of joy.
As we sit back on board the San Snova with a beer in our hands, comparing our scraped legs and all the heroic deeds we have experienced, it is almost dark. The sea has calmed down again during the day. From our gently rocking deck, we look back in the last twilight at the trails we have travelled today. As long as we only had the 2-metre strip in front of the front tyre in view, they could have been anywhere. They were as rocky, fast and flowy as you could wish for. Trail gold, in other words. And yet this is something different: because we are now looking at these trails from the water.
THE SAN SNOVA
The 31-metre wooden yacht San Snova tours between the islands in southern Dalmatia. It has 18 double cabins and is run by a crew of six - including a cook and barman. This makes it one of the smaller ships operated by the German tour operator Islandhopping, which specialises in hiking and cycling trips. In addition to Croatia, the programme includes Greece, Scotland, Spain and Vietnam. (Incidentally, the tour through the Kvarner Bay is said to promise better single tracks than in southern Dalmatia). 1 week full board and guiding is available from 990 euros (plus flight to Split).
