MTB spots right outside the city: Ljubljana's freestyle paradises
Text: Helene Fruhwirth
Chocolate Downhill Cup - sounds good, doesn't it? It certainly made us sit up and take notice. If only because it's less complicated and cumbersome to pronounce than everything else we experienced on our road trip through Slovenia last spring. We were actually travelling from Vienna towards Italy and only wanted to pass through Slovenia. But Alex had chosen the small town of Ajdovscina in the south of Slovenia as a stopover to take part in a small, very nice enduro race. And as is always the case with coincidences, we met a couple of guys from Ljubljana there. They would show us their home trails at Golovic and then we could take part in the Chocolate Cup?
To cut a long story short: We didn't make it as far as Italy on this holiday. We were so impressed by the variety of trails around the Slovenian capital and the warmth of the community that our planned road trip to Italy ended up in Ljubljana. We actually signed up for the downhill race on the city's local mountain. A race series sponsored by the company "20Chocolate" and organised with six races in Slovenia, but also in Croatia and Lienz in Austria. There was plenty of delicious Slovenian organic chocolate, a relaxed and cheerful racing atmosphere among the 140 participants and a very freshly laid out curvy root forest track on the local mountain Golovec.
After a week, we realised that we had to come back in summer and check out all the spots in Ljubljana - and now we're taking you with us: Ljubljana City The capital of Slovenia is located in the centre of the country, in the Ljubljana Basin, and with its 288,000 inhabitants is not really what you would call a big city. That's why you quickly feel at home here. The streets are not as clogged with car traffic as some other stressful capital cities in Europe. Especially in the cobblestone streets of the old town, which are closed to cars, or along the river promenades, you can cruise from A to B with ease. For example, to move from one bike spot to another. But also to take in a few sights along the way. For example, the castle that sits enthroned on a hill above the city, the cathedral, the artists' quarter or the fish market hidden under colonnades.
If you stop on one of the many bridges over the River Ljubljanica, you will often spot tourists paddling around the city on a SUP board. We will visit the board hire shop on our next visit because it looks really fun. This time, however, we already have enough programme with the bike spots.
Golovec trails: the top spot in the south-east of the city
The first spot we set our sights on is the trails on the small, 450 metre high Golovec mountain range in the south-east of the city. The lines in this sandstone forest hill were a lot of fun at the Chocolate Cup and we are excited to see how they will feel without a ticking stopwatch on our necks. The locals advised us to park the car at the "Urban Ring" hotel. This is a popular meeting point for bikers because it's easy to crank up the "Hodoursnika pot" road from here, especially in a group. However, we can't find any shade here. But as our dog has to stay in the car, we get a tip for the forest car park on the other ascent route, Pot na Orle. From here it is also two kilometres and 150 metres in altitude to the highest point, but we don't meet any other bikers here.
From the very top, they said, you could see as far as Triglav (2864 m). But the air is so hazy that nothing is visible on the northern horizon. On the other hand, the trail overview map right in front of our noses is very easy to recognise: 24 trails are on the menu. Enduro, flow and jumptrails. The difficulty levels: 2 green, 4 blue, 4 black and 3 red trails. Without a lift, it will be a tough programme to complete them all in one day. A good half of the bikers we meet are using an e-MTB. But we realise that the 150 metres in altitude can be cranked back up relatively quickly and painlessly, even without a motor. The Golovec trails are concentrated in two parts of the hill, the main part with the trails Trije Bratje, Zmajeva, Zabarska, Stirka, Banana, Black Diamond and another part a little further south, which is home to four more trails (Rifter, 9krog, Nebeska, Zupanova).
We start with the blue flow trail called Trije Bratje, which is perfect for warming up with its endless number of bends and small tables. The red-rated Zmajeva also rolls smoothly, but is more natural and faster. For the black Zabarska trail, you need a good eye for the sporty, changing terrain. However, we have the most fun on the Banana Trail. A tricky jumpline that we work our way up bit by bit: The upper jumps are still quite small, but then larger and larger gaps soon open up. We tackle them one by one: take a close look, discuss the ideal line, jump, push up and do it all over again until the jump is right. We spend the longest time fiddling with the road gap. At least I do. Alex is quickly in his element and eventually lures me over it with a: "Don't worry, this thing is really well built...!"
Črnuče trails: the longest descents
The Črnuče trails, pronounced "Tschernusche", are the newest trails in Ljubljana. We head for a few forest hills on the northern outskirts of the city and park the car at the "Park narodnih herojev". "Just follow the high-voltage power lines and you'll find the car park," the locals told us. Probably because we looked desperate again when typing it into the sat nav. The names of the trails we find here, on the other hand, are pleasantly simple and let's get straight to the point: The R-Line is an astonishing 1.1 kilometres long and exceeds our expectations.
It starts at the top of the forest with a thin line around the tree trunks and throws up a few small tables right at the beginning. This is a great way to build up speed. But then the track widens into huge, red-sand banked turns that almost swallow you up because they are so big and steep. If you let off the throttle, the G-forces are so strong that you can barely keep your head up. But this is important in order to recognise the jumps in good time, which are also built in here. This rollercoaster section is followed by a fast straight with rollers and doubles that shoots out of the forest and heads towards a fork. The right-hand side is closed, so we fly seamlessly into the left-hand option, skid through a steep turn-table combination and then roll easily into the trail run-out. Wow!
Incidentally, the right-hand turn-off would have led into a fat double line and I'm really glad that the decision was taken out of my hands. The tables in the left-hand lane are also huge, but you head towards them so quickly that they don't seem so big while you're driving. You literally float over them. I would say that the Črnuče trails are a freestyle paradise that you would love to have on your doorstep.
Bikepark Ljubljana: the enduro and jam spot
A club container and a large jumppark around it - that's the first thing you discover here on the north-eastern outskirts of the city. But there are still short enduro descents hidden in the forest hill behind it. Trailforks only recognises the Duletova trail here, but in reality there is a whole network of trails criss-crossing the forest slope. Trails with natural kicks that are a perfect warm-up for the sporty Jumppark. Only the monster line and the dirts we don't dare to tackle. Only locals like Spela Horvath aka "Pocket Rocket" go for it, they say. And if we want to see him, we should come back for the next jam session. Okay, we say, no problem!
What you need to know about Ljubljana
There are not many capital cities in Europe that offer their mountain bikers trails right outside the city centre. For this reason alone, Ljubljana - "the green one" - is worth a trip. Here are the addresses for the most beautiful and tastiest spots!
How to get there
There are good train connections from Germany to Ljubljana. The fastest from Munich takes 6:15 hours and costs from 28 euros one way. Tip: ÖBB's Nightjet also travels to the Slovenian capital. You can even book bike transport directly via the app: nightjet.com. However, there are no suburban or underground trains within the city. Public transport in Ljubljana is provided by buses. If you are travelling by car (407 km), you will need to budget 16 euros (7 days) for the toll sticker on Slovenian motorways and 12.40 euros (10 days) on Austrian motorways.
Best time to travel
Ljubljana lies beyond the Karawanken and Julian Alps at an altitude of 300 metres in the Ljubljana Basin. Winters are cold, while spring and summer are more Mediterranean in character. In July and August, the thermometer can reach 40 degrees. It can then be too hot for biking.
The bike spots
The Golovec trails: The Golovec hill, south-east of the city centre, is the largest bike spot. The majority of the 24 trails can be found in the centre (Trije Bratje, Zmajeva, Zabarska, Stirka, Banana, Black Diamond), while the other trails start a little further south (Rifter, downhill racetrack 9krog, Nebeska, Zupanova). The transfer from one part to the other is quick and easy. The "Urban Ring" hotel is a popular meeting point to park and ride up the "Hodoursnika pot" road together. Info: golovectrails.com
Črnuče trails: The newest and longest trails, but also huge, built-up berms in the north of the city. trailforks.com
Bikepark Ljubljana: Large jump park and extensive network of enduro trails in the forest. Info: kd-rajd.si
Food and drink
You can eat your way through the old town all day long: cafés and restaurants await you on the banks of the Ljubljanica and you can cross the famous Dragon Bridge to the Friday market on Pogacarjev trg square with its countless food stalls. Don't miss: the "Odprta Kuhna" (open kitchen) with Slovenian and international specialities.
General information
Accommodation and information about the "20Chocolate Downhill Cup: sloveniadownhillcup.si and visitljubljana.com
