Slovenia Bike Trip

[adampaiva]

I went to Slovenia and rode my bike for a week.
It was great. The country is a real gem and you should all go there. It is an ideal place for a cycling trip.
Here is a post with a rambling gournal and many photos.
https://curvesandcorners.tumblr.com/post/185520103484/slovenia

Some of the photo highlights:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47853242282_d9e1d17eb4_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fUCnKq)20190514-DSCF0637.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fUCnKq) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40938756683_22eb481922_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nBQ5t)20190512-DSCF0549.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nBQ5t) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47905321271_8b7e9afbfa_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fZei22)20190512-DSCF0572.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fZei22) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40938793603_12e9fbc137_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nC242)20190513-DSCF0597.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nC242) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47905332001_99dd2a2814_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fZemd2)20190514-DSCF0653.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fZemd2) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46989255735_c4523494de_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eAhdDD)20190514-DSCF0658.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eAhdDD) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47115946014_149c97d839_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eMtxfN)20190514-DSCF0665.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eMtxfN) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47905336081_d843874426_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fZenqn)20190514-DSCF0677.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fZenqn) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

[adampaiva]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46989264345_544556ee85_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eAhgd6)20190514-DSCF0705.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eAhgd6) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40940731173_7e6a05d698_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nMX2p)20190516-DSCF0767.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nMX2p) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46991217375_b1a6fa72dd_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eAsgM2)20190516-DSCF0777.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eAsgM2) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47855256192_78c59ea4fc_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fUNGq1)20190516-DSCF0782.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fUNGq1) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47117943334_c3ddb820b4_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eMDLZm)20190516-DSCF0803.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2eMDLZm) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40940832363_21d21dc66f_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nNt74)20190519-DSCF0873.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nNt74) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40940749653_4c1d31f740_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nN3w2)20190516-DSCF0785.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/25nN3w2) by Adam Paiva (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adampaiva/), on Flickr

[R3awak3n]

read through your blog post, looks like an awesome trip. Would definitely go to Slovenia for some biking.

[KJMUNC]

awesome! I am heading there in 3 weeks with the family as part of a larger trip through the Balkans. Taking some gear as I hope to go ride with a friend (former pro) who runs a vintage bike shop and guide service.

thanks for sharing!

[alessandro]

Adam, spectacular pics and account of your travels!:banana:
How were the drivers? Were they respectful of cyclists?

[spiderman]

Strong work...we did cycling Croatia last summer and took a week to tour through Slovenia and Austria. My favorite place in the world since being deployed in 1994/5 and taking trips there is Bled, Slovenia! Just make sure you have a vignette when traveling by motorcar! If you don’t have one the penalty
Can be steep!

[adampaiva]

Thanks Paulo. You should go!

@kjmunc sounds like your friend will know where to take you but feel free to reach out if you want some advice on rides (from my limited experience at least) in Slovenia. If I was going to do just 1 day of riding there I'd head to the NW corner to Kranska Gora, go over Vrsic Pass, ride along the Soca River to Trenta and Bovec, then take the long way around back to Kranska Gora via Italy via Lago del Predil.

@alessandro - the drivers were mostly pretty good. The roads tend to be very narrow compared to big ol' American motorways. I found people to be generally good (as in skilled) drivers. They were confident in passing in the lane and once or twice that was closer than I would have liked, but never close enough that I was in danger. I never had any instance of impatient drivers or road rage though. Slovenia also has a great network of infrastructure for cycle tourists and those routes were really good.

[texbike]

I went to Slovenia and rode my bike for a week.
It was great. The country is a real gem and you should all go there. It is an ideal place for a cycling trip.
Here is a post with a rambling gournal and many photos.
https://curvesandcorners.tumblr.com/post/185520103484/slovenia



OK, wow! What an incredibly cool trip. Is Slovenia accepting transfers of middle-age white guys from Texas? ;)

awesome! I am heading there in 3 weeks with the family as part of a larger trip through the Balkans. Taking some gear as I hope to go ride with a friend (former pro) who runs a vintage bike shop and guide service.

thanks for sharing!

Dang! You live in Manhattan Beach, have impeccable taste in cool bikes, AND you're taking a trip to the Balkans? Consider me officially jealous!

Texbike

[AngryScientist]

really cool Adam.

looking forward to reading this trip report as i'm scheming a bike trip currently. that RJ was the perfect machine for the job.

[simplemind]

Adam, well done sir! Makes me re-think the Dolomites as my next foray!

[KJMUNC]

Thanks Paulo. You should go!

@kjmunc sounds like your friend will know where to take you but feel free to reach out if you want some advice on rides (from my limited experience at least) in Slovenia. If I was going to do just 1 day of riding there I'd head to the NW corner to Kranska Gora, go over Vrsic Pass, ride along the Soca River to Trenta and Bovec, then take the long way around back to Kranska Gora via Italy via Lago del Predil.

I know Vrsic Pass is in the cards. He was 4th at Strade Bianche so I just hope to hang on his wheel :p

Shameless plug for his shop, as it's where I got my Axel Merckx Team SC....and he has some ridiculous bikes: https://premium-cycling.com/

I really, REALLY wanted the Petacchi bike he had, but it was just too small.

[marciero]

Thanks for sharing. Looks awesome! I look forward to reading your report.

[merlinmurph]

We visited Slovenia and Croatia last June and absolutely loved Slovenia - wished we could have stayed there longer (long story...). Looks like you had a great trip, truly a beautiful place to bike tour.

[charliedid]

Good idea.

[Steve in SLO]

Great pics, Adam. Some of those forest shots look like you could either be in Oregon or the Santa Cruz mountains.
To be the ugly American: what was the ability to communicate in English in smaller villages?

[Birddog]

I visited Slovenia 3 times when I was a student back in the late 60's. I loved that place. ljubljana and Slovenia were cool back then even when part of Tito's Yugoslavia and the people were special. Cycling there would be a real treat as you attest. Great report, makes me wanna go.

[gomango]

Just curious.

How did you choose Slovenia for a trip?

[adampaiva]

Thanks all for the compliments on the photos. But I must give all the credit to Slovenia. Makes it easy.

Great pics, Adam. Some of those forest shots look like you could either be in Oregon or the Santa Cruz mountains.
To be the ugly American: what was the ability to communicate in English in smaller villages?
@steve very easy from my experience. I am pretty accustomed to traveling and working my way around language barriers, but I found Slovenia to be very easy logistically and nearly everyone I spoke to spoke pretty good english. Every single young person seemed to and even the older generation most of them did. One example, I stopped along my route to ask a woman if the mountain hut a few miles from her farm she expected would be open or closed. She did not speak english and we had trouble figuring out that question but she ran and grabbed her son inside who spoke perfect english.

Just curious.

How did you choose Slovenia for a trip?
@gomango I touched on this in my bloggy but back in 2006 I was in college and backpacked around Eastern Europe for 2 months. I went to Slovenia and absolutely loved it. I had just started getting into bikes at that point in life but it always stuck in my head as a great place to go see by bicycle. I also met a beautiful Canadian girl on the train from Venice to Ljubljana and we had this amazing night wandering around Ljubljana, found a bicycle unlocked which we borrowed for a midnight romantic cruise then returned it, and saw each other every once in a while for a couple years after. That helped leave me with a fondness for Slovenia.
I got myself committed to another bike trip and then stumbled across this Slovenia bike tourism brochure (https://www.slovenia.info/uploads/publikacije/cycling-slovenia-en.pdf) and the Alpine Association mountain huts program (https://en.pzs.si/koce.php), and my mind was made up.
Also, the fly fishing looks amazing. The permits are oppressively expensive for whatever reason, but I'm hoping I can figure out another trip that combines fishing and more bikes in the eastern side of the country.

[paredown]

Very nice write up and pics--sounds like it was a blast!

I hope I get moving on another tour sometime soon!

[Mzilliox]

this is slovenia, thats next on our list! the fishing there is very very good, and they have marble trout!
been waiting for these pics!

[slup]

Like your bike

[gomango]

@gomango
Also, the fly fishing looks amazing. The permits are oppressively expensive for whatever reason, but I'm hoping I can figure out another trip that combines fishing and more bikes in the eastern side of the country.

Thanks. Appreciate the info and it looks amazing.

FWIW My wife has family in Bayern and every time we visit (every 2-3) years we road trip to Croatia. Usually the Dalmation coastline and stay on Trogir. We drive through and visit many areas along the way including Slovenia. It is easily some of the most beautiful countryside we have yet to see. I agree about the fly fishing issue. Permits are quite expensive, so we end up fishing in Croatia instead. Still, that wouldn't stop me once we pay for the kid's college tuition.

[NHAero]

Terrific write-up and photos, thanks so much for sharing!

[velotel]

Great trip, you're a resourceful guy and willing to get out there in the unknown, bravo, much enjoyed the write-up and pics, made me want to load up the car and drive there.

[Louis]

Adam, what a great trip report - thanks for sharing.

I do have one comment: you need either a kickstand (just kidding) or a dedicated stick to pack along with your gear. I never got used to seeing the pictures of the bike lying on it's side - IMO it just doesn't seem right.

It would be tough to lug around something like the image below, but a bit of bamboo to put under a pedal or chainstay, and the bike won't have those embarrassing dirt nap episodes.

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/d8/16/ab/d816aba1215566e987fb6ec498f40b4c.jpg

[adampaiva]

Thanks everyone. I'm glad the narrative is enjoyed. I awlays feel a little narcissistic writing them and posting on the internet, and it takes some time, but then I always enjoy reading through them years after the trips and happy to see it is appreciated here.

@Louis - ha. A kickstand definitely aint happening. Maybe I've just conditioned myself to them but I have learned to love the composition of my sleepy bike photos.

[rwsaunders]

Great story and thanks for sharing. My wife and I were in Italy back in April and our guide was from Slovenia. Very sharp and well traveled woman who only spoke about....5-6 languages. She's been working on getting us to visit her home country next year and your post might have put me over the edge.

[fa63]

Sounds like an amazing trip. Did you upload your rides on Strava by any chance, for those of us that might want to follow your path in the future?

[jay023]

Thanks for sharing! I'd have never known of this scenic gem. You did a great job writing about your adventure

[adampaiva]

@fa63 I'm on Strava but don't really use it much except for the rides that get uploaded automatically by the nav devices (I have a Hammerhead and a Wahoo)
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1109100

I'm more of a regular RWGPS user and create all my routes there and (usually) upload rides there.
https://ridewithgps.com/users/171883/

I did not include the Slovenia gps routes with the writeup because it's not a polished thoroughly thought through route and I'd have to go through and make edits before being something I'd officially recommend others do. Not to say it wasn't a really good route, but I'd change a few things if doing it again.

[R3awak3n]

Thanks everyone. I'm glad the narrative is enjoyed. I awlays feel a little narcissistic writing them and posting on the internet, and it takes some time, but then I always enjoy reading through them years after the trips and happy to see it is appreciated here.

@Louis - ha. A kickstand definitely aint happening. Maybe I've just conditioned myself to them but I have learned to love the composition of my sleepy bike photos.

ahha nothing like throwing your expensive bike on the floor like that (I shall call it sleepy position from now on), bikes are too precious to some but I always do it too. Makes for good pictures for sure

[majorpat]

Been to Slovenia three times, it is an incredible place, cool vibe and super people. Go!

Pat

[efixler]

Great post/story/pix. Thanks for sharing!

[CSKeller]

Looking forward to checking out your blog when I'm home. ( can't view it at work).

Your pics are terrific! I love Slovenia! My wife I were there in 2016 when I was with the US Radio Controlled Soaring Team. We went for the World Championships in Vipava. We were there about 2 weeks and just fell in love with the country! Beautiful place and wonderful people!!

Thanks for sharing your adventure!!!

[adampaiva]

It's interesting how under the radar Slovenia seems to fly as a vacation destination despite what seems to be pretty universally everyone that goes loves it.

[Louis]

An ad for the folks next door on the BBC Travel site (Croatia):

http://www.bbc.com/storyworks/travel/croatia-wide-awake/croatia-wide-awake-game-of-thrones-