Main Image by Michela Pedranti @michelapedranti
The Trans Balkan Race is a 1350 km, 88% off-road but very rideable bike-packing race through ten national parks in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Over 100 of us set off into a deluge, hoping to make it to the coast for a party 10 days later.
Image courtesy of Exploro.CC
The race started well before 31 May for me. I had decided - along with other members of the Adventure Syndicate - to not fly for races. Racing feels like an indulgence, and though our planet’s health status would benefit from much bigger actions by states and corporations, it feels important to me to make conscious choices when possible. If I wanted to race abroad then I must be willing to take the hit (in terms of time, cost and ease).
I love travelling overland and it is possible for travelling without flying to be incredibly fun and easy. When I have travelled to events in France with Lee Craigie and Philippa Battye, the boats and trains and buses and bike riding has been an integral part of the pre-race adventure and remain precious memories for me.
Image courtesy of Exploro.CC
But the Balkans are further! The stress of figuring out and booking a sequence of trains from Scotland to Slovenia had taken a huge mental toll and the escalating cost was more than I felt I could afford. Carting my bike around in a flimsy bag, I sat in vestibules and corridors across Europe and made it to the Italy-Slovenia border 27 hours later, very dishevelled and just in time for the wet and stormy weather to settle in overhead.
The race itself was a real rollercoaster, a whole year of emotions and landscapes in just one week of riding. My energy and motivation, strength and resilience waxed and waned on a daily basis, but the route itself was mind-blowingly beautiful and expertly put together. I spent most of my time in high alpine meadows where the vibrancy of the greens, and the cacophony of insects, brought into high relief just how depleted our biodiversity is in the UK. I saw families of boar, big blue lizards, a bear, and more butterflies than I’ve ever seen.
Image courtesy of Exploro.CC
Entering Montenegro was the beginning of a long crescendo. Quite literally, it began with a relentlessly gruelling tarmac climb which continued to undulate toward the Durmitor National Park while I wondered how I was ever going to get through its towering peaks. Steep, grassy track then gave way to one of Montenegro’s iconic panoramic road climbs which made relatively easy miles in the early evening. I stopped early in the ski-town of Zabljak alongside the young Italian pair who had steamrolled past me earlier that day. I didn’t feel equipped to bivvy high at 1900m that night knowing how big the final day was going to be and how tired I was so I found accommodation (which turned out to be a bit of a farce - being taken away from the place I had booked to another flat below someone’s mothers house which had neither WIFI nor hot water). With 6 of us in Zabljak, places 8-13 were for the taking and I was finally feeling determined.
Image by Michela Pedranti @michelapedranti
At 3:45am I rode out into the freezing fog that had settled in the dips of the high plain and curled my way through tiny hut settlements nestled in knolls before dropping down to Kolasin. Determination gave way to desperation. I sat on the road, exhausted, texting friends for emotional support. The end felt so far away and the next mountain section would take at least 6 hours. Obviously the only way to finish was to move. I meandered through the last section of Durmitor. It was absolutely breathtaking, but each sharp climb brought me almost to my knees and I was running out of water - by the end I was down to one sip a kilometre, and dreamed of Coca Cola.
Image by Michela Pedranti @michelapedranti
Leaving Durmitor was bittersweet. I passed a woman whose creviced face belied a life in the mountains and who was probably much younger than she looked. She was sitting silently amongst her cows. I greeted her and she waved with enormous enthusiasm and I knew I was missing a precious opportunity to connect with someone. But I had finally found my racing appetite and felt hunted by the riders behind me so I charged onwards, forming a commitment to myself to return one day without an agenda. Finally, after a 100km tempo ride on tarmac I finished in 6 days and 15 hours in 9th place and 1st woman.
I got to spend the next 3 days napping in the front garden of the finish line house, greeting riders as they arrived, exchanging tales from the road, and planning my 60 hour boat and train ride home.
Image by Michela Pedranti @michelapedranti
There weren’t many women racing this year's edition. This is despite one of the race organisers being a woman - in itself a real rarity. It could be the length of the race meaning too much time away from paid and unpaid work responsibilities, it could be the additional cost of a race so far away, it could be the fear of something going wrong in a faraway place, it could be the daunting nature of the event. Women would do so well in this event. Research shows how we can outperform men in endurance events based on our greater risk aversion and self knowledge. A far flung adventure is exactly where these skills come into play. As for any fear, the Balkans have always been a place of welcome for me. I’ve been scooped up by many strangers over the years. The women who raced and scratched all seemed to have had a MUCH better time holidaying their way south to the finish line than those of us who raced to the end.
Image by Michela Pedranti @michelapedranti
The race is exceptionally well organised, the route has been thoroughly checked, communication from the directors is clear, and check points are a real haven - manned by Bea and Luca’s families. Bea and Luca care about the race, the route and each of its riders and it shows throughout the race.
I would welcome any emails from women interested in racing in 2025 and can be contacted Alice.lemkes@gmail.com or through Instagram @lemkiss.
All images are credited to Exploro.CC
Alice's Inspiration
Favourite Book
A perimenopausal coming of age novel - hilarious, astute, and a very important book for the world.
Quote of the Week
Favourite Song
Does the Swallow Dream of Flying - Cosmo Sheldrake
A beautiful song by an artist rooted in the sounds and rhythms of nature.
