Balkans Revisited 2022

by Kostadin Mutafchiev

4289km in 16 days · 387 views

Day 1, Saturday, September 10

374km in 6h · 49km/h
  • Traveled 2km in 1min
  • 12:10 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 21km in 19min
  • 12:34 Stop for 8min
  • Traveled 1km in 4min
  • 12:48 Stop for 4min
  • Traveled 44km in 46min
  • 13:38 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 42km in 37min
  • 14:19 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 15km in 11min
  • 14:36 Stop for 8min
  • Traveled 68m in 17s
  • 14:45 Stop for 3min
  • Traveled 54km in 1h 00min
  • 15:50 Stop for 6min
  • Traveled 95km in 1h 25min
  • 17:21 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 41km in 34min
  • 17:59 Stop for 3min
  • Traveled 17km in 16min
  • 18:19 Stop for 7min
  • Traveled 41km in 47min
  • 19:14 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 1km in 3min
  • 19:23 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 61m in 1min
  • 19:26 15h 10min First night in Kopaonik. Nice hotel with a decent restaurant in it

Day 2, Sunday, September 11

316km in 5h · 41km/h
  • Traveled 135km in 2h 19min
  • 12:57 28min Fuel and coffee
  • Traveled 71km in 1h 13min
  • 14:39 Stop for 3min
  • Traveled 58km in 57min
  • 15:40 Stop for 7min
  • Traveled 51km in 59min
  • 16:46 Stop for 4min
  • Traveled 24m in 5s
  • 16:51 Stop for 3min
  • Traveled 0m in 0s
  • 16:55 17h 28min After two rounds around the pedestrian area, I found the entrance for the hostel in Sarajevo

Day 3, Monday, September 12

406km in 6h · 66km/h
  • Traveled 153km in 2h 53min
  • 13:17 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 6km in 7min
  • 13:30 1h 34min Lazy lunch just outside Jajce, at Plivsko jezero
  • Traveled 53km in 44min
  • 15:49 23min Some fuel and chain care
  • Traveled 78km in 50min
  • 17:03 1h 00min Road constructions - they were blowing the rocks to widen the road.
  • Traveled 115km in 1h 52min
  • 19:56 15h 40min Apartment in Karlovac. A bit overrated with the statement "The city of 4 rivers, 4 parks". More like, 2 rivers and several gardens

Day 4, Tuesday, September 13

230km in 4h · 57km/h
  • Traveled 38km in 34min
  • 12:11 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 4km in 3min
  • 12:17 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 20km in 18min
  • 12:38 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 20km in 19min
  • 13:00 31min A coffee and croissant after a nice opening mountain pass
  • Traveled 22km in 22min
  • 13:54 37min Just a stop to take a break from the never-ending passes in this day
  • Traveled 41km in 44min
  • 15:16 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 16km in 19min
  • 15:41 Stop for 48min
  • Traveled 68km in 1h 46min
  • 18:16 16h 37min Ljulbljana has gotten quite expensive, so sleeping near the ring road is an ok option, given the 1E per week rental bikes

Day 5, Wednesday, September 14

339km in 6h · 54km/h
  • Traveled 22km in 26min
  • 11:21 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 46km in 1h 01min
  • 12:25 43min Bled castle
  • Traveled 27km in 32min
  • 13:40 1h 37min Very, very nice restaurant between Bled and Bohinj. The rain was getting to me, so I turned around.
  • Traveled 151km in 2h 23min
  • 17:41 18min After an unexpected ride in Austria, time for a quick fill up in Slovenia again.
  • Traveled 92km in 1h 30min
  • 19:30 15h 36min Convenient place to stay, if you just want to sleep over. There's a restaurant as well.

Day 6, Thursday, September 15

280km in 5h · 42km/h
  • Traveled 52km in 57min
  • 12:04 33min A coffee break was necessary at this point
  • Traveled 113km in 1h 52min
  • 14:30 1h 03min Surprising dirt road (powered by the navigation app), encounter with a deer (safe for both sides) and a lunch to top it.
  • Traveled 7km in 7min
  • 15:41 Stop for 3min
  • Traveled 57km in 54min
  • 16:39 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 0m in 0s
  • 16:41 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 698m in 1min
  • 16:45 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 29km in 28min
  • 17:16 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 21km in 31min
  • 17:53 Stop for 6min
  • Traveled 6m in 3s
  • 18:00 17h 16min Checking out if Banja Luka has changed in the last few years, and it has.

Day 7, Friday, September 16

243km in 4h · 64km/h
  • Traveled 105km in 1h 32min
  • 12:49 Stop for 9min
  • Traveled 23km in 19min
  • 13:19 Stop for 4min
  • Traveled 96km in 1h 36min
  • 14:59 45min A lazy coffee at a gas station to wait for the guesthouse's check-in hours
  • Traveled 19km in 20min
  • 16:05 1d 18h A stop to wait the rain out, near the Adriatic coast

Day 8, Saturday, September 17

Day 9, Sunday, September 18

310km in 6h · 50km/h
  • Traveled 64km in 1h 07min
  • 11:47 Stop for 29min
  • Traveled 25km in 29min
  • 12:47 32min A short coffee stop
  • Traveled 26km in 23min
  • 13:42 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 14km in 12min
  • 13:58 Stop for 3min
  • Traveled 4km in 3min
  • 14:05 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 34km in 28min
  • 14:39 Stop for 3min
  • Traveled 22km in 38min
  • 15:20 Stop for 7min
  • Traveled 15km in 20min
  • 15:49 48min Ston castle and walls
  • Traveled 56km in 54min
  • 17:31 24min A viewpoint to the old town of Dubrovnik
  • Traveled 35km in 34min
  • 18:30 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 14m in 4s
  • 18:32 Stop for 4min
  • Traveled 3m in 1s
  • 18:37 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 2km in 2min
  • 18:42 Stop for 9min
  • Traveled 12km in 16min
  • 19:08 16h 16min A nice camping very near the main road, without the noise of it.

Day 10, Monday, September 19

360km in 7h · 49km/h
  • Traveled 35km in 36min
  • 12:01 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 41km in 30min
  • 12:33 Stop for 6min
  • Traveled 72km in 59min
  • 13:40 21min Piva lake and the conveniently located gas station there
  • Traveled 5km in 8min
  • 14:10 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 9km in 14min
  • 14:27 54min The restaurant at the Milogora camping is currently very bad. Durmitor is as always very good.
  • Traveled 5km in 9min
  • 15:30 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 22km in 40min
  • 16:13 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 3km in 3min
  • 16:23 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 72km in 1h 19min
  • 17:45 16min A much needed coffee
  • Traveled 69km in 1h 14min
  • 19:16 Stop for 9min
  • Traveled 26km in 35min
  • 20:02 15h 18min A nice camping, next to the river and the scenic road to Virpazar and the lake

Day 11, Tuesday, September 20

138km in 3h · 41km/h
  • Traveled 11km in 15min
  • 11:36 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 9km in 13min
  • 11:51 Stop for 8min
  • Traveled 6km in 10min
  • 12:10 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 9km in 15min
  • 12:31 1h 09min (This should be at Livno viewpoint). A turkish coffee with a view
  • Traveled 18km in 26min
  • 14:07 19min Another viewpoint to the Skodra lake.
  • Traveled 10km in 11min
  • 14:38 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 6km in 6min
  • 14:50 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 116m in 34s
  • 14:56 Stop for 8min
  • Traveled 61km in 1h 03min
  • 16:07 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 3km in 4min
  • 16:14 17min Stopped to take the landscape of Theth in for a bit
  • Traveled 5km in 9min
  • 16:41 17h 29min Night came in, bike battery went out. Joined two other bikers for an improvised camp and to wait for the light to troubleshoot

Day 12, Wednesday, September 21

89km in 3h · 29km/h
  • Traveled 18km in 49min
  • 11:00 Stop for 8min
  • Traveled 13km in 16min
  • 11:26 Stop for 4min
  • Traveled 8km in 15min
  • 11:46 Stop for 10min
  • Traveled 110m in 1min
  • 11:57 1h 12min Lazy lunch without knowing that the stator has failed
  • Traveled 2km in 5min
  • 13:15 2h 56min Stator number 4 in the house (bike)
  • Traveled 48km in 1h 09min
  • 17:21 15h 40min Nice hotel, but they charge you a convenience fee of 10 EUR on top of the ferry ticket

Day 13, Thursday, September 22

89km in 2h · 41km/h
  • Traveled 2km in 4min
  • 09:06 18min Ferry terminal. Air quotes.
  • Traveled 3m in 1s
  • 09:25 4h 14min The Komani Lake ferry. Windy and not too bad in terms of sights. Infrastructure has space for improvements
  • Traveled 12km in 13min
  • 13:52 Stop for 6min
  • Traveled 59km in 1h 03min
  • 15:03 Stop for 8min
  • Traveled 10km in 10min
  • 15:22 Stop for 3h 57min
  • Traveled 7km in 9min
  • 19:29 15h 21min Venezia aparments in Struga. Only one of the phone numbers speaks non-Albanian

Day 14, Friday, September 23

403km in 6h · 51km/h
  • Traveled 50km in 57min
  • 11:49 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 65km in 1h 11min
  • 13:03 19min Coffee and fuel
  • Traveled 12km in 10min
  • 13:33 Stop for 4min
  • Traveled 506m in 1min
  • 13:39 Stop for 3min
  • Traveled 85km in 1h 05min
  • 14:48 48min Some chill chain care
  • Traveled 189km in 2h 36min
  • 18:13 Stop for 3min
  • Traveled 19m in 5s
  • 18:17 16h 18min A nice apartment in downtown Volos with washing machine

Day 15, Saturday, September 24

466km in 7h · 59km/h
  • Traveled 3km in 5min
  • 10:41 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 97km in 1h 17min
  • 12:03 39min A lazy capuccino with route planning
  • Traveled 29km in 29min
  • 13:13 Stop for 5min
  • Traveled 26km in 40min
  • 13:58 Stop for 6min
  • Traveled 149km in 2h 12min
  • 16:18 51min Late lunch
  • Traveled 55km in 45min
  • 17:55 Stop for 2min
  • Traveled 100km in 1h 12min
  • 19:10 Stop for 1h 47min
  • Traveled 8km in 11min
  • 21:09 14h 36min Visiting some relatives in Garmen

Day 16, Sunday, September 25

245km in 4h · 62km/h
  • Traveled 97km in 1h 27min
  • 13:13 Stop for 8min
  • Traveled 35km in 34min
  • 13:57 Stop for 14min
  • Traveled 40km in 42min
  • 14:53 Stop for 7min
  • Traveled 73km in 1h 07min
  • 16:08 Stop for 2min

Legend

  • Hotel 10
  • Generic stop 8
  • Gas station 6
  • Restaurant 6
  • Coffee 5
  • Beautiful sight 4
  • Camping 3
  • Tourist sight 2
  • Mechanical failure 1
  • Something special 1
  • Ferry 1