Cycling Through Summer

Thus, let us all take a moment to show appreciation of our bicycles and let them mingle with others at the upcoming bicyle events!

The Franja Marathon celebrates the 43rd cycling event of its kind, named by Tone Fornezzi (Tof), Zvone Zanoškar and Rog's cycling team. When taking a rest during the riding of the then marathon route back in 1979, their eyes caught sight of the signpost for the former Franja Partisan Hospital which brought about the idea of naming the marathon after it.

The more than 400 kilometres long beauty trail, which is now a part of the eight best cycling marathons in the world under the auspices of the International Cycling Union UCI-Golden Bike and is regarded as the biggest recreational cycling event in Slovenia, consists of five routes that can be traversed from Friday, June 7, to Sunday, June 9.

The 72 kilometres long route, which can be ridden on Saturday, June 8, winds between the meadows of the Ljubljana Marshes and the flourishing fields of the suburban Ljubljana, and does not boast its second name for no reason. The so-called Cycling Experience in the middle of the Ljubljana Marshes is actually a part of the Franja Marathon, but deserves a special mention, due to its luscious green beauty.

Barjanka is a memory of the past days, when marathons were held on unpaved paths of remote places, and cyclists were able to observe the beautiful landscape and breathe clean air while doing something useful for their body and soul. The route may now run along more paved paths, but it still runs along the same beautiful landscape, beginning at the edges of the City of Ljubljana and continuing through the suburbs of Brezovica, Log - Dragomer, Vrhnika, Borovnica, Ig and Škofljica - all of them being excellent starting points for active holidays in nature.

The Tour of Slovenia will warm Slovenian soil between 12 and 16 June. The participants of its 30th edition will also cycle through Ljubljana and numerous cities of the Central Slovenia region: Ig, Škofljica, Mengeš and Kamnik.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has classified the race in the UCI HC (Hors Class) category, which is the top competition rank in road cycling for the World Tour series. With its inclusion in the Eurosport TV programme and broadcast on RTV Slovenija, the race is usually followed by more than 35 million viewers. 

The Tour of Slovenia is definitely attended only by the most prudent cyclists. Those who do not consider themselves to be one of them: do not fret! If you want to rest your eyes on something beautiful while cycling and still feel the fresh breeze in your hair (but with no leg cramps), the solution offers itself in the shape of various cycling routes that run through Ljubljana and the pertaining region. And not just in June, but throughout the year.