70-year-old Gabriele cycling the Trans Dinarica route from Ljubljana towards Istanbul on her gravel bike

The story of Gabriele and her gravel bike proves that with a little ingenuity, willpower, and adapting the route to your own abilities or weather, the Trans Dinarica can be a cycling tour for everyone. Reading her travel blog will help you dispel many questions or doubts about how old you can go on the cycling trip in the Balkans, what kind of (electric) bike you need, whether you need a local cycling guide, etc.

Gabriele (on right) usually travels alone, but she and Jo, whom she met on the Continental Divide Ride, have a similar rhythm and way of traveling – also a lot of fun and meeting friends.

I met Gabriele and her friend at the beginning of their cycling trip from Ljubljana to Istanbul, at the Celica hostel in Ljubljana. I wanted to meet the brave 70-year-old on a gravel bike, who sent us a few questions by email, and help a little with personal advice on which sections might be challenging for them. After an hour-long briefing, in which we virtually cycled their planned route with the help of the Ride with GPS app and a map, we said goodbye and cycled off in our own directions. It was a cold autumn day in mid-September, I only had to go back home, while Gabriele and Jo still had the whole Balkans ahead of them …

Two months later, she delighted us with a truly extensive travelogue on her website, in which she describes their tour day by day; how they were meeting with locals, fighting the ‘bura’ wind on Velebit, tasting local food and everything else that goes with a cycling adventure. Below, you can read some interesting excerpts from her blog, but we invite everyone who is interested in how to travel by bike when older to take the time and read it all. Their cycling trip along Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania, is a perfect proof of how the Trans Dinarica navigation package can be used: it is not necessary to stick to our suggested route every day, nor is it necessary to do exactly one stage per day. You should sometimes take a longer break for rest, bike service, local sightseeing, … or hiking into the heart of the Albanian Alps. And if necessary, depending on the weather and your own abilities, you combine cycling with the use of public transport.

From the ‘Gabriele on the go’ blog about cycling the Trans Dinarica:

• “The next morning, Danilo invites us into the restaurant for coffee, delicious homemade cake and a tour of his wife’s artwork which is very impressive. Danilo and his wife are very humble in this treasure of a place.”
• “With each push up the mountain, comes the glorious ride down the other side! There are pockets of pasture land with herds of free roaming horses. Most pay no attention to random vehicles or bicyclists passing by.”
• “Along the way, my bicycle automatically veers off the road when I spot a farmer gathering plums. He has big hands and keeps giving me handfuls of his delicious harvest. I’m grateful for the special treat. Jo shows up and the farmer loads her up with plums too. These sun kissed, sweet fruits are the best biking fuel!”
• “We decide on our overnight lodging the evening before as one or the other of us will get there first. We usually end up making reservations via booking.com since it lists a lot of small family operated apartments as well as hostels. It’s easy to cancel if we change plans, and we usually pay cash on arrival. Every country accepts euros and will give us change in the local currency. We’ll stop somewhere for groceries and typically eat-in at our accommodation.”
• “From Knin to Sinj, the route goes through the Dinara Nature Park which is loaded with big pine trees. We stop at a very cool museum/souvenir shop where we are greeted by Lilia, the owner, who is German and married to a Croatian. They retired to this part of Croatia – where her husband is originally from. Lilia collected her husband’s family artifacts, from generations back, has artfully displayed them and is happy to tell their stories.”
• “The next day, the Ripici apartment owner’s son, Tommy, kindly loads our bikes into his truck and takes us most of the way back to Tomislavgrad.”
• “Entering Albania is EZ PZ – they just wave Jo and me through! The first thing I notice when we enter Albania is wide shoulders on the road!!! This is great! I also notice lots of car washes, and plant nurseries with yard decorations, on our route.”
• “The Rupa Guesthouse in Theth was recommended to me by a hosteler in Mostar, so Jo and I book a room. For dinner, they serve bean soup with homemade bread, warm potatoes and an assortment of cold offerings. The kitchen is a humble building. The dining room has two big tables that, on this evening, are filled with guests and lively conversation. This is what I love about hostels… we sit down as strangers and depart as friends!”

Read the full story here: gabrieleonthego.com/ Travelling the Trans Dinarica. Gabriele, thanks for the inspiration and good luck on your future cycling tours!