Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This year, Sofiane Sehili decided to “slow” things down and participate in Istra Land—a 400km self-supported gravel ride across the island of Istria—completing the route over three days. Find his reflection along with photos from Giuliano Koren and Andrea Securo here…
Words by Sofiane Sehili, Photos by Giuliano Koren and Andrea Securo
Last summer, my girlfriend Fanny and I explored the Balkans on our road bikes, leaving from Ljubljana, Slovenia, and riding all the way to Vlore, Albania. We only had a few weeks of vacation, so we rushed through Slovenia and Croatia, focusing mainly on Bosnia and Montenegro. We had a blast and enjoyed hearty bureks, tasty strudels, and incredible scenery. But in the end, I was a bit frustrated. I hadn’t seen much of Croatia and didn’t get a taste of the somewhat famous Balkan off-road. So when the chance to participate in the third edition of Istra Land presented itself, I didn’t think twice. A 400km ride in Istria with 70% of gravel? I’d be a fool to say no. But what is Istria exactly? I’d be lying if I said I’d heard about it before. It is a peninsula that is, for the most part, located in Croatia. It has mountains, beaches, and a rather enjoyable climate found on the Adriatic coast. It’s pretty appealing if you ask me.
As with any bikepacking event these days, Istra Land can be ridden leisurely or at full speed. If you choose the latter, you can finish it in less than 24 hours. I’m no stranger to that kind of effort, but this time, the idea was to take it easy and enjoy the ride rather than rush through the course and miss most of the sights. My friend Adrien Liechti, who is also used to making quick work of the gnarliest ultra races, agreed to slow his pace and join me on three days of chill riding.
Istra Land starts from a small village not far from the coastal Italian city of Trieste. Leaving Venice, where I landed, I could get there in two hours by train, six hours by bike along the coast, or a few days if I detoured to the Dolomites. Well, I’m a few days early, so I might as well climb some passes and visit the famous Hotel Melodia di Bosco, which, from what I hear, is the heart of all things cycling in the Dolomites. It turns out to be a nice prologue to Istra Land if a bit tiring one. Temps were low, but I escaped the rain. And everything I had heard about the Dolomites turned out to be true: it is just highlights after highlights.
In the end, I made it to Trieste just in time to take part in the social ride that precedes the event, along with 60 other riders. Slovenia and Italy are on the menu. Croatia will have to wait for the actual thing to start. We play cat and mouse with the rain, stop in a bakery for coffee and bureks, and end up on a scenic road perched on the cliffs overlooking Trieste. The sun finally shows up towards the end of the ride, and in the evening, all the riders who will start tomorrow gather around a giant barbecue for registration and maybe one or two beers.
On paper, there’s nothing particularly frightening about the course. 400km with 5500m of elevation gain, mostly gravel with no hike-a-bike. But this is deceptive. The first 100km are all about climbing. That’s where more than half of the elevation gain happens. To make things even more challenging, a gloomy sky keeps us alert to the threat of rain. And as we gain elevation, a thick fog starts surrounding us. Once we reach the highest point of the course, at 1400m, we can’t discern anything further than 20 meters, and Croatia furiously resembles Scotland on a winter day. We haven’t covered much ground—barely 75km—but it took us most of the day. Bikepackers who are used to seeing Adrien and me as seemingly never stopping dots on a tracker or getting a glimpse of us at the start of an event, never to see us again, are surprised to see us hanging with the midpack but happy to share a few kilometers with us. The fact that Adrien rides a cargo bike adds to their curiosity and amusement. I chatted with a few riders and explained that we were here for a good time and that not every ride was a race.
Vojak pass is not only the highest point of the course, it’s also the first checkpoint. A quick stamp on the brevet card, and it’s time for a long downhill to the coast. We reached the town of Brsec towards the end of the afternoon, and I let out a sigh of relief when I saw a pizzeria with a few outdoor seats. It’s the first place where we can resupply, and I’m in dire need of calories. I must admit I did zero prep before the ride, and the fact that there was no opportunity to buy food for a good part of the first day completely took me by surprise. And by chatting with a few riders seated near me enjoying a subpar pizza, it seems I wasn’t the only one not expecting that.
The rest of the day is spent on quiet paved roads overlooking the sea. When night comes, we’re in the small town of Potpican, covering more than 120km. So, we’re definitely on track with our three-day goal and decided to stop there. The local pizzeria is better than the one in Brsec, but I don’t have anything good to say about the local hostel.
Day two starts with a coffee-based drink from a convenience store and some flat, fast-rolling gravel reminiscent of Tour Divide. We’re following a river while being surrounded by lush green hills. This starkly contrasts with the mountainous terrain we had on day one. In the quiet Croatian countryside, we’re happy to enjoy the sunny weather we hoped for yesterday but didn’t quite get. Coming to the Adriatic coast was also an attempt to make summer last just a little bit longer, so riding in short sleeves under blue skies is nothing short of blissful. Things are good. But they’re about to get better. First, it’s a flowy single track through a wooded area. A bit of technical riding here and there is always nice to break the monotony of flat double-track gravel roads. But the best is yet to come. As we exit the woods, totally unexpected, there is the sea! A beautiful, marvelous stretch of dirt road along stunning coves. That’s what day two will be about: riding dirt roads and single tracks along the shore to Kamenjak, the tip of the Istrian peninsula. Vacation mode is in full swing when I take advantage of a small beach to strip down to my bib shorts and go for a quick swim. The water was rather cold, but it was too tempting.
The going is pretty slow all the way to Kamenjak, as the gravel can be quite rough and the single tracks somewhat technical, especially when you tackle them with a gravel bike (not to mention a cargo bike). But it’s all in good fun, and there honestly is no place I’d rather be than here on the beautiful Croatian coast with not a cloud in sight.
Pula is the biggest city on the peninsula, and we reach it at the end of the afternoon. Bakeries have always been my favorite places to resupply, which may have something to do with the fact that I’m French. Croatian bakeries might not be as good as the ones I have at home, but they’re still fairly decent, and I fill up enough sweet and salty snacks to appease my hunger. Then, it’s time to head inland for some more gravel and a few climbs. When we reach the charming port of Vrsar, we decide to call it a day. Today was a big stage, with close to 170km covered, which means that tomorrow we’ll just have 125km to ride to reach the finish. The first riders reached it long ago, and I don’t envy them. Most of what we saw today, they didn’t get to see. And the first sunny day in a while, they most likely spent it sleeping instead of riding. I’m sure they had some excellent type 2 fun, but I’m happy to stick with type 1.
We leave Vrsar around 9:00 a.m. and keep riding along the shore. But this part of the coast is more populated, and instead of gravel, we ride on bike lanes. After a couple of hours, we detour a few kilometers off course for a big bakery resupply. We’re about to leave the coast and its town to head inland, and we will only pass through a handful of villages with no opportunity to resupply. So, it’s better to stock up on food.
A flat gravel road takes us away from the sea and towards the mountains. It’s a good thing I have aero bars since we have to fight a nasty headwind. Luckily, it doesn’t last. After an hour or so, the mountains are in sight, and the wind quickly becomes a bad memory. After a morning of touristy towns and bike lanes, I’m delighted to head to hilly and scarcely populated parts of Istria. The big climb starts early in the afternoon. We have to cross the same range we crossed on day one. But we will enjoy the views this time, as it’s another beautiful day in Croatia. A good chunk of the climb is on pavement, and it’s pretty steep. As we get close to the top, we switch to gravel and get to enjoy some top-notch scenery. It’s a good thing we stocked up on food on the coast since there’s really nothing and no one here. From then on, it’s pretty much all off-road to the finish, through wide open areas, thick forests, or prairies. The track is quite fun, and as I cross the finish line, I feel a bit sad that it’s already over.
What can I say? I had a blast. While it ranks among the easiest tracks I’ve tackled, it proved to be a bit more challenging than I expected. The elevation gain of the first day, the rough and technical parts of the second one, and the headwinds of day three made sure to keep me on my toes. In the end, doing it in three days was the best decision. First of all, it meant two days of sunshine and enough time to enjoy long breaks and proper sleep. But most importantly, it allowed me to really appreciate the diversity of the course. Days one and three were mostly mountains and day two was all coast. This means I never got to get tired of one or the other. And for me, that’s what makes a real good track. Any riding can be monotonous if you do it for too long. And here, whenever I felt I was close to getting a bit bored with one type of riding or scenery, it soon changed to offer something completely different. Not to mention, I never felt underbiked, which is unusual when you bring a gravel bike to an off-road event in Europe.
If I have one grief with Istra Land, it’s that it’s probably a bit too short for me. It left me wanting more, so I ended up riding another 750km on my way home. But that’s a different story.
Further Reading
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