Biking Up Kozuf Mountain

My heart is pounding in my throat. I fling my right leg over the bike seat and almost fall down.

We’ve been mountain biking for five minutes.

Luckily, these start-up problems don’t take very long. My body quickly adjusts to the constant work-out and my heart pumps my blood around in a regular fast speed. Things are going great.

Well, I won’t make it to the top in the end, but that’s only partly my fault.

°°°

The drive from Skopje to Smrdliva Voda via Gevgelija takes about 2,5 hours. Just like last weekend, we are enthralled by all the colors of the trees in their autumn gowns.

Upon arriving in Smrdliva Voda, we don’t know where to park the car and where to start biking. There is no designated parking place. It’s clear this is an ongoing road – to Kožuf, the ski center on the top of the mountain.

There is a warning sign which tells us that the road ahead is closed. It turns out that this nice, flat asphalt road has just been laid out. The new road is not yet finished in terms of road signage and protective fencing, and it could use a good sweep as well, but it dóes go all the way to the top. Before the winter season starts, it will be finished.

We park the car at the side of the road and start taking the bikes off the rack.

°°°

Smrdliva Voda means smelly water, because of the sulphurous hot springs in the vicinity, but I am happy we don´t smell them. It would ruin the good vibes I have at the moment.

The conditions are great; the road is smooth and there are very few cars. The weather is nice; the sun is shining and the temperature is a perfect 15 degrees Celsius. My tires are well-inflated and I’m elated with the padded bike seat. I refuse to wear those special biking pants, which give the appearance of a diaper wrapped in Spandex.

°°°

After the initial rasping breath and throat pain, I´m getting into a certain rhythm, but it’s clear that I haven’t biked in a while. My biking partner is soon out of sight again while I slowly struggle on.

He is waiting for me a bit further up the road and yells, “Come on, you can do it! You see that red marking on the side of the road? It says we are already four kilometers up. That means we only have about six to go!” Then he is off again.

When I finally see the sign for 7.5 km, I’m walking with my bike in my hand, burdening another muscle group. I calculate that I still have to bike one-third of how far I already got, I can do that! But when I see the sign for 9.5 km, I’m not so sure if this road is really only 10 km long.

It turns out it’s not.

The road is actually 17.5 km long, but I don’t discover that until I’m 15 km up, eating a chocolate bar in desperate need of some energy. It’s too late to continue to the end if we want to get back to the car while it’s still light. I’m not disappointed that I can’t finish the last bit to the top. I already defied my limits and I’m feeling happy and healthy, if not a bit tired.

Our starting point, Smrdliva Voda, lies at 730 m above sea level. The highest peak of Kožuf lies at 2200 m; the asphalt road goes up to about 1700 m. This means that you have to cycle the 17.5 km long road while climbing about 1000 m. Which is just 57 m of elevation per kilometer.

For experienced mountain bikers, this trip is very easy. The road gradually inclines and there are no particularly steep sections. For people who are more used to biking on a flat terrain, this route can be a bit more challenging. However, the new asphalt and the modest incline make sure that anyone who has general endurance and a decent mountain bike with double gears can finish the route. But be sure to give yourself an early start.

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After I finish my chocolate bar, it’s time to ‘dress up’

Sure, it gets colder when you get to a higher altitude, and it also gets colder when the day is getting to its end, but that’s not why I dress up. Rushing down a mountain at 40-50 km per hour, thát is what I prepare for..

I put on leg warmers, arm warmers, a shawl, a windproof jacket, winter gloves under my bike gloves and even a warm woolen hat under my helmet. I look like a clown, but I know I’m not going to regret it. It’s 15:30 by now and there is only one hour of sunshine left. Not on our side of the mountain, unfortunately.

While going down, I have to pause twice to get some feeling back in my fingers. It’s even colder than I expected.

In summer, mountain biking is all about the promise of being able to fly back down again as a reward for your hard work. I conclude that this is definitely not the case in autumn as I’m fumbling with numb fingers to take my helmet off. It was quite an enterprise nonetheless. And it was rewarding! But maybe we should start out a bit earlier next time…

Do you also want to bike up mount Kožuf?
Bikestop in Skopje offer several tours, some also with overnight arrangements (1/2/3 days)
http://www.bikestop.com.mk (only in Macedonian) But the owners speak English: +389 2 3231 772