14574

Croatia: 4 Islands MTB Race - Stage 2: Rab

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.

Since this is an islands race, TuNa team took the morning ferry from island Krk to island Rab. We left our gear in the nearby apartment, and then we returned back to the starting point, an official 4 islands ferry. "Shades of Rab" is another name of the stage and is 65 long with only 1120 vertical meters. It's finish is on the Paradise beach (Rajska plaža), the longest sand beach in Croatia. We made it all the way to the finish line. We received a delicious lunch, and then we soon returned to our apartment, where we cleaned our bikes and ourselves and went to bed. Tomorrow we have to be early on the ferry again.

Previous days of our 4 Islands MTB Race: Arrival (14571), Prologue (14572), Stage 1 (14573)

Route Reveal 2019 Mitas 4 Islands Stage 2

Nada and Tuši on the morning ferry

Start of the race straight from the ferry

 

First peak at an altitude of more than 100 meters

My Black Mamba was the only 26" bike

Stage 2 was much easier and the kilometers were quickly passing by

Oh yeah

 

The muddiest section was difficult. The mud was everywhere, so we had to push the bikes, since the gearboxes didn't work anymore and the wheels stopped spinning.

New make up

Waiting in line for bike cleaning during the stage

Coastal track

 

362-B in action

Hungry?

 

Quick medical attention

Slippery

 

Changeable weather spiced up the conditions on the track

Riding the Premužič trail was fun, but not for all

 

Smelling the finish line

Smiling after 5 hours of riding - that was a good sign.

 

Trail towards Paradise beach (Rajska plaža)

You don't want to get off track here

 

Official photos

Sandy beach for the finish

Keep on going on the wet part

Last meters before finish

TuNa made it

TuNa's Stage 2 Ride with time 6:25:07 - Garmin Connect

Delicious lunch after the stage

Nada and Tuši - TuNa

Shopping in local market

Evening walk took me to a chapel dedicated to Saint Roch

Stage 2 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):
- Sv. Roka, GC5CJDJ
- On the way to the bakery, GC5BY3C