Among the Giants – Discovering the Mountains of Montenegro
Angry Pablo Co-Founder, Jago, reflects on our recent adventure to the Durmitor National Park.
Last week we took a much-needed break from the day-to-day life of running a startup clothing brand to join Raw Magazine on a cycling trip to the Durmitor National Park, Montenegro. Despite being horrendously underprepared (and constantly reminded of that fact), we were excited to travel there for a couple reasons. Firstly, it offered a unique opportunity to switch off for a few days and ride in a country that we had fond memories of visiting before. And secondly, it was the perfect chance to test out some new on-the-bike products that we’ve been working on for a while and are excited to launch.
Famous for its rugged terrain, the Durmitor National Park in Montenegro is home to 48 peaks that stand at over 2000m, with the highest road topping out at just over 1900m.
The plan was to ride for three days – discovering the region on two wheels while connecting with people and brands from the cycling industry. The routes on offer ranged from 120-140 km in length, and each day promised around 3000m of climbing. We (somewhat optimistically) hoped that somewhere along the way we might find some climbing legs and return to the UK in the shape of our lives. We also, perhaps even more optimistically, packed our running trainers in case there was a chance to explore the surrounding trails on two feet.
After landing in Dubrovnik, we were met by Javi from Raw Cycling Magazine, before hopping into a taxi to race across the Croatian-Montenegrin border to meet the rest of the crew. Following some quick introductions, we boarded the shuttle that would take us up into the mountains to a quiet chalet that sat around 1600m above sea level. Three hours, and some harsh criticism of the Angry Pablo playlist later (Destiny’s Child apparently aren’t as popular in Spain), we arrived at our accommodation. We hastily assembled our bikes, before spending the evening getting to know our fellow ‘giants’. Tired from the travel, and with 129km ride on the menu the next day, we decided that an early night was probably wise. As we drifted off to sleep amidst the sound of termites feasting away on wooden beams above us, the fear of blowing up on the first climb of the day started to creep into my subconscious.
The first day kicked off with breakfast and a pre-ride briefing. We set off early from our accommodation and headed straight for the Durmitor National Park. With 2000m of climbing in the first 50km, it was an unnecessarily brutal start to the trip. Fortunately, as is often the case, I hadn’t studied the routes properly beforehand, and so was blissfully unaware of the impending elevation. After cresting the first peak, we dropped down into the valley, where spectacular views of the region started to open up around us. Long stretches of smooth tarmac roads, sprawling peaks in the distance that I hoped were not on the agenda, and the inevitable long Durmitor pass to take us back out of the mountain range. We climbed back up to around 1900m and followed the subsequent winding descent to a restaurant on a small hilltop that sat on the edge of the park. One very slowly prepared and undercooked bowl of ‘risotto’ later, we realised that we probably wouldn’t have time to tackle the final climb of the day. And while a few in the group were disappointed to miss out on the 800m of extra elevation, we both struggled to mask our relief. Overall it was still a solid day, with 110km and 2300m elevation in the bag. Back at the house, Alberto (driver, chef, bike-mechanic, all-round top bloke) showed us how rice is supposed to be cooked, and we washed it down with a few cold beers and a Kinder Bueno. Big up Alberto and big up Kinder Buenos.
The next day we woke up slightly less fresh than the day before, but nonetheless ready to go. On the menu – 130km and 3200m of climbing. We also set off earlier to make sure that we didn’t repeat the mistake of the previous day.
The first 30km were mostly flat or downhill, followed by a few short climbs, before dropping down to lake Piva. The views here were one of the highlights of the trip. The water was pristine, and even from the bridge we stopped on to regroup, you could see thousands of fish swimming in the deep blue water below. From the lake we climbed for about 5km, before descending down into the town of Pluzine for an impromptu supermarket lunch at around 80km. After trying and failing to talk my way into the media van to avoid the last few climbs, we headed up through tunnels carved into the mountain and started the first of two 1000m+ ascents of the day. Headphones in, Bicep tunes pumping, I spent the next couple of hours contemplating the sequence of events that brought me here. Fortunately, Federico and Alex were around to tow me up the final climb – setting a nice, comfortable temp that made the time pass a lot quicker. I definitely owe them both a beer.
Over dinner that evening we were told that the final day of riding would be reduced to 60km and 1200m of climbing so that we had plenty of time to pack our bikes before the farewell dinner.
The last ride of the trip was a gentle spin back towards the Durmitor national park where Brazo de Hierro, chief photographer, and David, chief videographer, captured the last media shots from our time away in Montenegro. Unlike previous days, a mixture of tired legs and final day euphoria meant that the whole group stayed together and chatted for most of the ride, and, on reflection, it was probably the one I enjoyed the most. On the way back to a small pizzeria close to where we were staying we shared riding stories, discussed plans for the future and reminisced about our favourite moments from the trip. A group of individuals had become a small family, and it was a subtle reminder of cycling’s unique ability to transcend cultures and create some of the coolest friendships.
A special thank you to Toni, Javi and Pavel from Raw Cycling Magazine for organising the trip and letting us be a part of it. We’d also like to thank Condor for providing us with one of the best endurance bikes on the market. If you’d like to find out more about the bikes we were riding, you can do so here.
Among the Giants // Strava Routes
