First Year of the Slovenian Touring Cycle Route

Touring cyclists from near and far have been exploring Slovenia since last summer on the Slovenian Touring Cycle Route (STKP), which circles all the major mountain groups and is, with 1800 kilometers in length and 50 thousand meters of elevation gain, the longest such trail in Europe. In just over a year, more than 1400 STKP Logbooks have been sold, and seven cyclists have already completed it entirely, receiving badges on September 30 at the autumn tour of the Commission for Touring Cycling of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (KTK PZS), which has been training touring cycle guides and raising awareness about coexistence in sports in nature for ten years.



The Slovenian Touring Cycle Route, officially opened on the Day of Slovenian Mountaineering Experiences on June 18 last year at Golte, is not technically particularly demanding as it targets a wide range of cyclists, but it is strenuous in places, sometimes requiring pushing the bike, though never carrying it. It runs along quiet side roads, field paths, forest tracks, and trails; in the recommended direction, it is almost entirely rideable for well-prepared cyclists. It measures around 1800 kilometers, overcomes 50 thousand meters of elevation gain, is divided into 41 one-day stages, visits 52 mountain huts, and numerous important points of Slovenian mountaineering, ethnographic, and technical history. It has 111 checkpoints where cyclists prove their visit with stamp impressions in the Slovenian Touring Cycle Route Logbook. The circular cycling route is a clear example of a contribution to sustainable mobility, one of the largest projects in cycling in Slovenia and the longest such trail in Europe, while also weaving an extensive network of connections between mountaineering clubs, local communities, and other organizations in mountaineering, tourism, and hospitality.



"In just over a year since the opening of the Slovenian Touring Cycle Route, where cyclists primarily navigate using GPS tracks found in the online guide, we have marked about one-fifth of the route and equipped 15 percent with directional signs; marking the trail with markers and signs is still in full swing. We are most pleased that cyclists from all over Slovenia and abroad have embraced the route very well, judging by live responses, forums, and emails. The online guide forum also has some critical comments, mainly about stolen stamps and huts closed on weekdays. The route is coordinated with the Slovenia Forest Service and the Republic of Slovenia Nature Conservation Institute; obtaining landowner consents is difficult, municipalities are poorly responsive, but we are quite successful in securing sponsorships for route marking financing, thanks to the Foundation for Sport, Adriatic Slovenica insurance company, Municipality of Kranjska Gora, and Maribor - Pohorje Tourist Institute," drew a line under the first year Jože Rovan, the conceptual father of STKP and head of the PZS Commission for Touring Cycling.



Although STKP is not time-limited and its creators prioritize experiences on the route without encouraging competitiveness, seven cyclists have already completed the route entirely in the first year, and interest is exceptional, with more than 1400 logbooks sold in a year. Just over two months after the official opening, STKP welcomed the first trio to complete it. Marko Vidmar was the first to visit all checkpoints after separate stages, Pia Peršič and Andrej Martinčič, who promptly shared their experiences, impressions, and photos on the Facebook page S kolesom NaTuro – po Slovenski turnokolesarski poti, were the first to complete it in one go: "Given that we both walked the Slovenian Mountain Trail, we had already experienced Slovenia in a similar way, also through various loops, connecting paths, and hikes, yet the Slovenian Touring Cycle Route is a new perspective for discovery, Slovenia from another viewpoint. We were again very enthusiastic and confirmed once more that Slovenia is vast and very beautiful; we also discovered many new places and paths. Overall, we are very excited about what we saw and experienced."



In addition to Vidmar, Peršič, and Martinčič, Vida Trček, Zlato Kampuš, Samo Zanoškar, and Josip Gudič have also completed STKP, the latter describing the entire route on his blog Yoseep. Experienced mountain cyclists Vida and Zlato, who recently rode a similar tour abroad, provided a comparison with STKP in their report: "In the world, probably one of the most famous mountain routes is the 4400-kilometer Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, which winds from the Canadian city of Banff to the Mexican border. Increasingly known is also the (partly) mountain route Tour Aotearoa, which runs across both islands of New Zealand. The Slovenian Touring Cycle Route is shorter compared to both world-famous routes, still unknown for now, but at least equally demanding and well-supported with necessary infrastructure information. We convinced ourselves that natural beauties abroad are hard to compare with ours. Indeed, some parts of routes abroad are different (tens of kilometers of sandy beaches, tropical forest, kiwis, moose, grizzlies...), but they do not surpass the unforgettable beauty of cycling through Bovec hills, Koroška, or historic Piran!"



"In addition to establishing STKP as the basic touring cycle route, the most important tasks of the PZS Commission for Touring Cycling in the past period were training touring cycle guides and raising awareness about appropriate coexistence of all participants in sports in nature. Hikers and cyclists are slowly getting used to each other; many perform in both roles anyway, so with appropriate tolerance on both sides, there are no problems," emphasized head Rovan, and as future guidelines, he listed further awareness-raising and training, promotion of touring cycling, marking the entire STKP with markers and directional signs, developing new touring cycle routes and preparing a cadastre, expanding touring cycling activities in mountaineering clubs, advocating for more cyclist-friendly legislation, and cooperation with other cycling organizations.



Touring cycling – safe and tolerant

10 recommendations from the Club Alpin Autrichien (CAA)



1. Fit on the bike.

2. Plan carefully.

3. Cycle only on suitable paths.

4. Check your bike.

5. Make sure you have everything you need.

6. Always wear a helmet.

7. Pedestrians have priority.

8. Adjust your speed.

9. Leave nothing behind.

10. Think of the animals.



This coming Saturday, September 30, 2017, right at the end of the European Week of Sport and under the umbrella of the Slovenia Mountaineers action, the Touring Cycling Section of PD Tržič and KTK PZS invite you to the KTK PZS autumn tour from Grahovše to Planina Konjščica and Dom pod Storžičem, Slovenia's first touring cycling learning center, where the tour will conclude with a gathering of all touring cyclists and a ceremony for the 10th anniversary of the PZS Commission for Touring Cycling. On this occasion, badges will also be awarded to the first cyclists who have completed STKP. The event and STKP partner is the Adriatic Slovenica insurance company. Welcome!