ADVENTURE
share information and show off the beauty of their region to visitors .
At the Liqenat camp , the evening before our departure , we meet hikers who have done three-quarters of the trail loop . They look exhausted and are sceptical when they see our bikes . There ’ s been more snow than is normal for spring , and it ’ s quite cool . They tell us there are some snow patches at around 2 000m in altitude ( the trail heads up to 2 366m ) but they aren ’ t too large .
The first climb is steep . We pass picturesque Lake Leqinat and continue towards the border with Montenegro . The valley trail goes up to 2 200m and quickly becomes snowy . That ’ s pretty normal , and we keep smiling because we know a beautiful ridge awaits us on the other side . Unfortunately , the snow means we
UDO AND I have a passion for exploring new trails in out-of-the-way places not usually tackled by other mountain bikers . So when our friend , fellow mountain biker and hiking guide Cyril A ’ CH , tells us about a new hiking trail called ‘ Peaks of the Balkans ’ that he thinks could be good for mountain biking , we ’ re interested . The route connects Kosovo , Montenegro and Albania through what are called the Accursed Mountains , otherwise known as the Albanian Alps .
We do some research and discover it ’ s a beautiful region . The peaks look steep , but there are some rollable sections . Always up for a challenge , we decide it ’ s an area worth exploring , and we enlist photographer Jérémie Reuiller to join the three of us in the Balkans . We know we ’ re in for some gruelling climbs and hikea-bike sections , but we ’ re excited to go where few people have put their wheels , to meet the locals – and to see if those mountains really are cursed .
INTO THE WILDS Our group of explorers meets in Peje in Kosovo , where we head into the nearby Rugova Gorge . Hotel Rugova Camp is to be our end point for the 192km circular trail through these remote , unspoiled mountains , and we leave everything but our essential travelling kit here before we start on our adventure .
The hotel owner finds us a taxi to take us to the trailhead at Liqenat . The only taxi able to carry four guys with four bikes is that of Mentor , a guide at Outdoor Kosovo who specialises in hikes on Peaks of the Balkans . This imposing man is a little cold at first , sceptical of our attempt to do this circuit on bikes . He warms to us slowly though as he realises we aren ’ t amateurs who ’ ve come unprepared for what lies ahead . He turns out to be a mine of information , full of helpful advice , and ends up giving us his number in case we have questions or need help .
This was to be our experience throughout the trip : locals who were a little cold and nonchalant at first , but ultimately very helpful and happy to must push our bikes for almost 8km , which greatly slows down our progress . It ’ s not the ideal start , but we ’ ve been told that the rest of the course is less snowy . We can ’ t see the trail , so must use our GPS to guide us and decide to get closer to the ridge for better orientation .
As we walk and talk , we notice traces of animals in the snow . We stop , analyse the tracks , and decide they ’ re definitely from bears – one adult with two or three cubs . That makes us smile and gives us a new goal – see the bears .
Luckily , this did turn out to be the snowiest section of the trail , and we didn ’ t face more than 100m of pushing through snow for the rest of the trip . Although we did get a fun snow-filled descent later !
32 | MTB | bucket-list busting