Around twenty domestic cyclists and 7 international cyclists cycled through Croatia in the COP 31 relay. Here below are some of them:
The Croatian adventure began on September 10th when cyclists from Slovenia entered Croatia via Bregana. The cyclists cycled between 50 and 80 km each day.
The first day was a little rainy, but the weather and temperature were ideal on all other days. Croatia has mountains, but the route the cyclists took was mostly flat.
All days of cycling through Croatia, the cyclists had a place to stay overnight, mostly showers, and local associations sponsored dinner for several days.
The Croatian part of the relay ended on September 15th when the cyclists left Ilok and headed to Bačka Palanka in Serbia.
A message from Robert, the local ride coordinator:
"During those few days, I met wonderful people from different countries. What surprised me was how equipped some of the international cyclists actually were for this trip. They did not necessarily have quality bicycles or equipment, but they still decided to take on this brave undertaking. This speaks volumes about their spirit, and is a lesson to the rest of us that with much less money and quality equipment, a lot can actually be achieved, if only we believe in it.
Through COP, I also met people from Croatia. Having more connections within Croatia will make it easier for us to organize some future COP relays. In a conversation with colleagues I connected with through COP, the idea of possibly starting an association above our local associations that would deal with the organization and plans for international cyclists passing through Croatia was born.
All in all, a wonderful experience, beautiful memories, and that good feeling that we did something good".
