1000 Miles Adventure is a very well known Czech bikepacking race. A few hundreds people are at the starting line every year and all places are sold out in a few minutes. Don’t be mistaken, it’s not easy. You have to go from the most eastern village in Slovakia to the most western village in Czechia. You won’t see many flat roads on the way as it follows rough mountain bike trails with insane gradients.
Just standing at the starting line of 1000 Miles was a huge victory for me. The train dropped me off in an unfamiliar environment and left me in the middle of the wilderness. What surprised me even more was that I was good at riding, I enjoyed it, and I managed to overcome the first obstacles. Read more
During the second day, it became clear that the 1000 Miles are not to be trifled with. The hills got higher, the terrain got tougher, and the temperatures raised past the thirties. Despite all this, I conquered more than 110 kilometers, which was quite an impressive feat for me. Read more
On the third day, I struggled with flat tires. At one point, I thought about giving up. Why did I even embark on this journey without any knowledge about bikes? Why was I riding here? Fortunately, Slovakia is full of bike shops. Read more
On the fourth day, I got used to life on a bike. But no kilometer came for free. The weather turned on me. It wasn’t just extreme heat anymore. Rain joined in, and that wasn’t a good sign. Not to mention the newfound fear of bears. Read more
It was the longest day of them all. The weather had prepared some special treatment for mw. At the same time, it’s the day I’ll remember the most from the entire 1000 Miles journey. Even though I faced heavy rain while climbing Krížná, I overcame myself and got past the bear area. Read more
Don’t rely on plans during 1000 Miles. I was looking forward to the first checkpoint, but I had no idea what kind of hills were in front of it. My day didn’t end there, though. I geared myself up again to ride through a forest full of glowing eyes and even attempted to cross the Váh river at night. Read more
I finally conquered Slovakia. Not that it’s an ugly place. The locals helped me in my greatest moment of need. But their currency is euros, their signs have some strange font, and home is home. I had no idea that I’d soak up the atmosphere of the festival season. Read more
I thought that 1000 Miles is Mordor from start to finish. What else did I experience on the route? I struggled with hills and wasn’t able to climb them. Going downhill wasn’t an option either, as I was scared to go. The Moravian Basin, if I can call the local area that, however, showed me its hospitable face. Read more
Day nine, the last day and also one of the most eventful. In the Jeseníky Mountains, I got really cold cold and in descents, I was flying … on ground. I didn’t go very far, I ended the race honorably at CP2. 💀 Read more
