Each of the stories you’re willing to share with cycling community is different. Jessica’s story on her Trans Dinarica – which was, as she wrote herself, one of the most meaningful trips she’s ever done – reads even a little more different. Rather than being practical, its content has some philosophical background and maybe, if you read it, it could also be a useful kick in the ass for you. Yes, if you can push pedals over all the steep gravel roads in the Balkans, some other obstacles suddenly become small. Jessica spent a month on the northern half of the route, in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and she says she’ll be back. Thanks for letting us travel with you, Jess!

Hello everyone! I am Jess and what follows is the story of my first time on Transdinarica. I started at the beginning of April and spent about one month on the northern part of the route, riding through Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina. If I say “first time”, it’s because I already know I’ll be back at some point. I still don’t know when or how, but I know this will be the case, because honestly, this has been one of the most interesting and meaningful trips I’ve ever done so far. Nevertheless, this story that now sounds like a dream coming true, actually started with a pretty shitty situation.

Here’s what happened and how the Transdinarica helped me turn some pretty bitter lemons into an incredibly tasty lemonade.

You know that feeling of expectation and excitement when you’re about to change life? New Country, new job, new challenges. That was me at the beginning of this year, eagerly looking forward to discovering how this new chapter would look like. Then, like in the perfect plot twist, just a few weeks later, I found myself in a situation I could hardly believe was really happening: all of a sudden, I was potentially without a job, without a flat and having to face one of the most unfair situation I’ve ever dealt with in my life.

At that point, I could have chosen to try to go back on my steps, to secure myself some “safety”. But I knew from day one that was not what I wanted. To be true to myself I had to fight, even if this came with a big risk and with some unexpected, undefined and unpaid free time. Luckily, I had the huge privilege to be in the position – financially, mentally and emotionally – to face this uncertainty for a while. So, I tried to focus on the opportunity behind the obstacle: because at the end of the day, free time is free time, however it comes, and I quickly realized the best thing I could do was make the most out of it.

After hiking in the Balkans, now it’s time for cycling

What came next was pretty obvious to me: I wanted to travel, and I wanted to do it my way, hopping on my bike and going for adventure. For a few years, I’d been drawn to the Balkans, ever since a hike through the Accursed Mountains in Albania had enchanted me with the wild beauty of its nature and the genuine hospitality of its people. Thus, I knew the Balkans would be the perfect destination, the perfect place to find what I was craving the most: disconnection from the broken system that was letting me down and at the same time the kind of deep, meaningful connection that could breathe new life into my trust in human beings.

Jessica in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and an important crossroads of the Trans Dinarica tracks.

That said, I had no clue how to put this into practice and no time nor energy to elaborate a decent plan completely on my own. That’s when Transdinarica came into play. After some random google search, I stumbled on the TD page, and it was love at first sight. The more I read about this route and the concept behind it, the more I knew it was the perfect match for me: remote and challenging enough to give me the thrill of adventure and keep me away from the most touristic paths, but also manageable with basically no preparation nor training, thanks to the navigation pack and all the groundwork done by the team behind it. All of this brought to the big public with the honorable intention to promote places still relatively unknown while trying to avoid the side effects of overtourism.

The decision was easily taken: Transdinarica it had to be!

I stored all my belongings in some friends’ cellars and gave my second-hand bike (an old Cucuma touring model paid less than 150 euros) a basic refresh: new brakepads, new chain, and a little check to the tires – a set of pretty new Schwalbe Marathon 28×1.5” that never let me down so far (not even in the toughest Bosnian gravel!). I packed all I needed for a trip that could last 1 week as much as 1 year, took care of the paperwork I had to submit for appealing against the decision that had put me in such situation, and when there was nothing left to do but wait for a resolution, I bought a train ticket to the Slovenian border and hit the road.

Just a few days into the ride, I already knew I’d made the right call, not only for the stunning landscapes, the epic roads and the amazing food: the best thing I found on my way was an incredible sense of community.

Getting to know the best side of social media

For the first time, I decided to regularly share my journey on IG, including on the Transdinarica account. What I got in return was a beautiful surprise: I could see the best side of social media. The TD team sent me honest cheers and valuable extra tips & ideas, which often brought me to other beautiful encounters. I started connecting with other people on the route: there weren’t many at that time, all women, all solo travellers (which I absolutely loved!). Sometimes it was just few words on a shared experience, some others a true heartfelt connection, like we had always known each other. I even managed to meet some of them in real life, and it was powerful. At some point, I also started receiving messages from people that found my stories inspiring, which surprised me a lot and made me incredibly happy and proud: it gave me the feeling that by doing something so simple as sharing my experience, I could have a little, tiny, positive impact on other people’s life. A beautiful flow of energy, enthusiasm and freedom, of giving and receiving, of sharing and caring.

On her day off in Mostar, she didn’t rest, but went climbing in the company of a local guide.

And then there were the road encounters, the ones brought by the Universe, that never fail to amaze me. Like the family who hosted me in the mountains of Velebit and welcomed me like an old friend. Or the countless people who literally fed me along the way, offering me free food and lovely chats, sightseeing recommendations and sometimes even a phone number to call in case of need. Or the amazing woman who was only supposed to guide me through a via ferrata in Mostar, and with whom I found myself talking for hours about our lives, sharing intimate information and building what I now consider at all effects a beautiful friendship.

This was my Transdinarica. I know I didn’t give you many practical details about the route itself, but you have plenty of that on this page and I don’t think there’s much I can add. If I managed to give you a glimpse of the magic nestled in it, then my mission is accomplished. Now it’s your turn to get on the bike, embrace this magic and build your own adventure!

‘Majstorska cesta’ gravel road in Croatia.

To wrap up, a few unexpected facts from my unexpected route …

• The most unexpected thing I brought on the TD

A “business” outfit to take job interviews along the way (needless to say that to keep it light, I focused only on what would be visible on video, and did all my interviews in true COVID-era style…thankfully, I never had to stand up!).

• The most unexpected thing I lost on the TD

A sport bra… don’t ask me how, I would love to give you a spicy story to justify this, but as of today I still don’t know myself.

• The most unexpected thing I found on the TD

The courage to go fully public about Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, the disease with which I’ve been living for over 6 years. To use my story to contribute building a different narrative around cancer, one where after the diagnosis we keep being “all round people” and not only “cancer patients”. If you want to learn more about this little project, to follow my next adventures, or just see what my new life in France looks like (yes, I eventually won my appeal and everything got back into place!), you can find me on IG as @unfit_jess.

Jessica found the courage to talk about Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.