Season 6. Episode 3. Facing my fear.

September 25, 2026. Motovun to Zagorje, Croatia. 35 miles. 3,386’ climbing. 

Sunrise from atop Motovun is special. Photo credit to the ever energetic Heather on an early morning walk - while I still slept.

It was way more fun riding out of Motovun with a descent to begin - even with the first bit on cobblestone.

Croatian drivers have been very respectful of us. They will pass fast, but they do so by going wide giving us a safe space.  We’ve only been honked at one time each, and in both cases it was our own fault for drifting into the lane.

Cycling past so many vineyards there are many tasting opportunities. Croatians tell us their wines are better than Italian because of distinct microclimates and indigenous grapes. We are definitely not connoisseurs, but learned that California’s famous Zinfandel traces its origins to Croatian grapes. 

We’ve both been struck by these coniferous trees that we see often and at first assumed must take lots of trimming and shaping. I was trying to figure out how they get trimmed and picturing the ladder that must be used.

My AI search educated me that: “they’re called Mediterranean Cypresses. They look trimmed, but that tight, pencil-thin shape is almost entirely natural.  They are genetically programmed to grow strictly upward rather than outward. Their branches grow at very sharp, near-vertical angles hugging the main trunk, keeping the tree tight and slender naturally.  For the vast majority of those trees along roadsides, near coastal towns, nobody touches them. They naturally maintain that exact width—often under 3 to 5 feet wide—while reaching heights of 40 to 60 feet.” (AI has been a helpful teacher and planning partner this trip - a big difference and help from a year ago.)

Road closures for construction are commonplace everywhere we ride. As we approached what looked like such a closure with a long line of traffic, we started to get annoyed. We cycled all the way up to the front to find a policeman who explained the road was closed for a bike race. Heather was annoyed by the 45 minute delay. On the other hand, I thought this was really cool to watch a professional race go by. We waited and waited and waited and then watched one of the 6 stages of the professional CROrace bike race.  They whipped by in all of a minute. 

Truly amazing how fast the Peloton (pack of cyclists) raced by and to watch them corner. Surprising there are not more pileup crashes given the closeness to one another.

(For the full effect of them whirring by us, the video is on my Strava post that day.)

There were several team cars with spare bikes that raced through ahead and behind the pack of cyclists. We’d also like that for our next ride!

I’m trying to stop on this trip and smell the flowers, both literally and figuratively.

The water color in the shallower coves and inlets is a magnificent turquoise instead of the darker blue of the Adriatic Sea.

I learned it’s from a combination of reasons including the water clarity, but more because Croatia’s coast is made up of a limestone sea bed (instead of sand and mud as in most cases) that reflects light back. 

We enjoyed a terrific view eastwards at dusk, with a  a low moon in the sky. View would be better if it wasn’t a laundry stop. Advantage of Airbnb over hotel is a washer which is easier than laundry by hand in the sink.

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September 26, 2026. Zagorje to Mali Losinj, Croatia. 60 miles. 4,811’ climbing. 

Our view east was much more magnificent at sunrise. And this one I did witness as we had an early start with a brief 5 mile ride to our first ferry.

While I’m now much more experienced at planning our trips, this journey was the hardest to plan as it depends on 6 ferries and one water taxi crossing with our bikes. There are fewer ferries in late season to choose from and it influenced our route. 

There is much that is out of our control and that can go wrong on an adventure like ours. Here is a message we received from a European cyclist visiting the USA this week asking if she could stay with us in NY. (We are part of a network called WarmShowers where cyclists host other cyclists. This past summer we hosted a man from Korea and a couple from Holland.) Here’s her message:

Hello guys!

I’m from Czechia and will be cycling around your area on Wednesday... at least i hope and the rain will finally stop! :-(

I am on my East Coast trip... that actually doesn't go as planned at all! :-)

First my flight from Europe was redirected to Dulles (instead of Newark, so i started to cycle from there) then i met met few bridges that couldn't be crossed, ferry that was canceled and endless rain :-( So i hope it will get better.

Ok, let me know if you can

My best regards from Asbury Park

Z.

This message was a reminder of how lucky we have been in our start so far. And helps explain the worries in the back of my mind. I still remember the scariest ride of my life in the storm that cancelled our ferry across Mobile Bay, AL (Southern Tier 2021, Days 38-39).

A quick ride to our ferry from Brestova on the Istrian Peninsula to Porozina on the island of Cres.

Easy to get spoiled by these views.

Island cycling with near constant water views is definitely spectacular. What’s not to love? It does come with a “price” if you can call it that. Islands are formed in a variety of ways, but typically by either volcanic activity, movement in the earth’s crust (tectonic plate movement) or in the case of a Croatia, by flooding after an ice age that fills the valleys of low mountains. So these islands are basically submerged mountains themselves. Each with a spine down the middle that presents a challenging climb.

A profile of today’s ride showing the climb after the ferry, descent to town of Cres, then climb again and descent to Mali Losinj.

A view of the road running across the mountain ahead of us.

Fish farms below.

Over the coming days, we’d ride though many old fishing harbors with great lunch spots like here in Cres.

This image kept recurring as local Croatian laws require roofs be built with the typical Mediterranean red terracotta tiles and that white stone be used for buildings. 

Looking back at Cres protected harbor and marina as we climbed up after lunch.

Another recurring view that was constantly stunning is when we looked east to the mainland, we saw the Dinaric Alps running along the Croatian coastline.

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September 27, 2026. Mali Losinj to Sidenik, Croatia. 54 miles. 1,701’ climbing. 

They take their honey seriously with fresh honeycomb at the breakfast buffet.

As well as their Parmesan cheese, which you get to cut out of a giant cheese wheel.

Our bikes tied up to the wall on the ferry from Mali Losinj to Zadar. There were about 10 bikes on this ferry.

Riding south to Sibenik, we must have seen literally over a thousand olive trees. And we could reach out to pick the olives from our bikes.

Lamb is a menu highlight in many local area restaurants.

I was quite surprised to see cactus plants. I just didn’t think they’d be this far north as we were at about the same latitude as Portland, Maine or Buffalo, NY. Yet we were seeing them along with abundant olive trees and vineyards in the rocky soil. It was interesting to learn why it’s so much warmer here than a similar point north-south back home. 

I was determined to be very careful riding near the cacti as I’ve had a previous rough encounter. (Some readers may recall this back early on our Southern Tier crossing in Arizona in 2021.)

We were unsure if this meant watch out for wild boar or warthogs? Not a sign we’ve seen before elsewhere. We both remarked a week into the trip, we’ve surprisingly seen only 1 single roadkill. Once again turning to AI, there’s an explanation to be found on account of lower vehicle speeds here on backroads, and efficient scavengers (foxes, vultures) that carry away any such kill.

Šibenik Bridge (Šibenski most) a massive arch bridge spanning the canyon where the Krka River meets the Adriatic Sea. Stunning but also one of my “Odyssey tests”. I do not like riding over high bridges. And that’s putting it mildly. I get very nervous, and my breathing becomes a bit rapid. Unfortunately, Heather was ahead of me already crossed. I started thinking about strategies to cross. I thought to go across the protected walkway, safe from the cars, and so I headed that way.

But looking at that narrow walkway that had me so close to the edge, it was impossible for me to take another step forward. By the way, I’m still not sure if the sign translation means only bungee jumpers in season may proceed. That would have been something to see! Or add to my fear?

I decided I needed to ride on the road even though it was tight space and basically no shoulder or even grass or field to fall into. I guess this means that I’m less fearful of being hit by a vehicle (a risk I sadly know to be legitimately real) than my fear of going over the edge into the water (a fear I know to be irrational). 

I took some deep breaths, summoned all of my courage and used the road with extreme focus forward and no sideways glances.  It all worked out and when reunited with Heather, she told me she just took the lane and barely realized it was a bridge as she just had to get to the hotel to use the bathroom. She knew it was going to be an ordeal for me. 

Looking back at the bridge from the safe waterside promenade in Šibenik, I was feeling pretty satisfied  about how I conquered it.

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We ride to raise funds for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. They are dedicated to curing spinal cord injury and improving the quality of life of those impacted by paralysis. Thank you to so many of you who have already generously donated an amazing  total over $17,500! If you’ve not yet had a chance to support the Reeve Foundation, please consider making a gift at Heather & Mark Ride for Reeve.

© Copyright Mark Segal 2026.