14572

Croatia: 4 Islands MTB Race - Prologue

Mitas 4 Islands MTB stage race (https://4islands.hr/) is inviolable a unique stage race that offers participants to bike on 4 different islands within 5 consecutive days passing by distinctive environments and challenging trails of islands Krk, Rab, Cres and Lošinj. Total trails distance is up to 255 km and climbing up to 5.000 meters. Well, this year it was even better, since Nada and me joined the race.

Our 2nd day was reserved for prologue stage. Team Tuna with number 362 successfully finished on 26th place in The MIX category. Since we also had minor technical difficulties on the track, it was a satisfying result.

After we relaxed a bit, I decided to hike to two nearby peaks, called Mali Hlam, 446 m and Hlam, 425 m. On the way I also visited a rock, called Baba, saw the ancient oak tree on the island and the spring of Vela Rika.

Previous days of our 4 Islands MTB Race: Arrival (14571)

Route Reveal 2019 Mitas 4 Islands Prologue

TuNa ready to start

Serious beach for the start of the prologue

Short uphill to warm up

 

 Along the coast and in the forest

Nice easy section on the first third

My cockpit

Congestion

View to the Moon's Plateau, where we will ride tomorrow

 

Done with the uphill section, preparing for going down

Back on the straight

 

Towards the finish line

TuNa's Prologue Ride with time 1:23:13 - Garmin Connect

 

After the race it was time to clean the muddy bikes 

 

And off course for a refreshing beer for the riders next to the sea

The rock called Baba, meaning granny

 

Ancient oak tree next grows close to the spring of Vela Rika, also named Krčka Suha Ričina, which is the only permanent watercourse on the Adriatic islands. A sign on the right photo indicates, that we will ride the bikes here tomorrow.

Top of Mali Hlam 

The top of Hlam has a view to the mainland

On my way back I had a good view to Baba rock and the upper valley of Vela Rika

Glagolitic letter A

Baška tablet is one of the first monuments containing an inscription in the Croatian recension of the Church Slavonic language, dating from c. 1100. It was discovered by scholars in 1851 in in the paving of the Church of St. Lucy (Crkva svete Lucije) in Jurandvor 

My afternoon hike

Prologue highlights

GeoCaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "Siebasiach's Figure Eight Geocoin", TB735HE, "Julia ud Zweeenes 100000 Caches", TB35GHN, "Sanban s1", TB42DJW, "Bruno",  TB61JZ4 and "Hippopo Théo", TB5HH08):
- Baba - The Old Lady, GC7V6QE
- Vela Rika & Oak, GC4R8A3
- Mali Hlam (446 m), GC61C91
- Hlam (425 m), GC61CJV
- KVARNER Cache - The Baška Tablet, GC4H2GV