Konjic – Checkpoint. And yes: I slept well. Really well. The best night’s sleep in weeks. The hotel even managed to pack me a breakfast. Not just “any old breakfast,” but one that actually felt like fuel the next morning.
The alarm went off at 3:45 a.m. Shortly after, I was back on the road. By then, I’d already covered about 990 km of the 1,221 km, along with over 14,000 meters of elevation gain.
And the last day was going to be another tough one. With the Vlasič, another long and steep climb awaited me—along with a few other challenges that also refused to be left out of the weather or elevation statistics.
First, I rode downstream along the Neretja. After half an hour, I allowed myself the brief luxury of stopping—and enjoying breakfast. It was pleasantly cool in the morning. For now. Because later it was going to get really hot again.
The first climb of the day started at 48km and involved 700 meters of elevation gain and was 14km long. After that, I headed down the north side into the next valley through the fog. While I was still riding in light clothing on the climb, I had to change quickly on the descent. In the fog (or at least deep in the clouds), it was chilly—so much so that you don’t even think twice; you just put on your windbreaker.
The ride to Travnik involved more ups and downs, all while navigating a long construction zone on gravel.
In Travnik, I treated myself to a slice of pizza and a roll. You can talk about training management, you can talk about heart rates—but pizza in Travnik is simply… pizza in Travnik.
After that, I headed up Vlasič to the last checkpoint before Banja Luka. In the midday heat, I was glad to be able to refill my bottles at the top. Less than 100 km to go until the finish. I’d already covered more than 17,000 meters of elevation gain. From then on, every meter of elevation gain felt less like “training” and more like “taking stock.”
At a petrol station in the next town, I even treated myself to an ice cream. (And yes, I couldn’t help but think briefly of the 2023 Transcontinental: back then, I bought my dinner—Snickers and chips—at 10:00 p.m. exactly here. Some traditions never die.)
The rest is a quick story: a long descent, followed by one last mountain. It wasn’t actually particularly steep and was easy to ride—but the heat was intense in the valley and on the climb. That’s the nasty ultracycling twist: the gradient seems moderate, but the temperature certainly doesn’t.
Luckily, I found a few springs/fountains along the way where I could refill my bottles and cool off a bit at the same time. It’s like a tech update for the body: free, local, no download required.
On the descent to Banja Luka, I picked up the pace again. Once I reached the bottom, it was probably still about 15 km to the finish—and I finally crossed the finish line on Tuesday at 3:40 p.m.. Total time: 82 hours and 40 minutes—16th overall and 2nd in my age group.
I didn’t check the live track even once during the race. No constant “How far behind am I? How fast do I need to be?” Instead, I just rode my own race. That’s relaxing—and more fun than letting data and times stress you out.
The fact that this also meant qualifying for the Race Across America once again is, of course, a nice bonus. But honestly: In that moment, the main thing was that I could keep rolling.
At the finish, there was a medal, photos, a finish-line beer, and—after the shower—something decent to eat. Afterward, I was back at the same lodging I’d stayed at before the start. Ultracycling is sometimes just that simple: same lodging, a different version of yourself.
The next morning, after breakfast and a coffee at a bar near my lodging, I headed to the BHard headquarters with two other participants. That’s where the awards ceremony took place. Shortly after noon, I said my goodbyes and set off on the 190 km drive to Zagreb. There, I met up with colleagues from my time as a project manager, when I used to travel to Zagreb for work every few weeks. It’s been a long time, but some professional relationships turn into friendships.
Well, just as there had been a closed highway and an endlessly long line at security at the start of the trip, at the end, severe weather in Germany caused my return flight to be delayed by 2 hours and 45 minutes. Instead of landing in Cologne at 10 p.m. on Friday, I didn’t arrive until just before 1 a.m. on Saturday morning. But that didn’t dampen my spirits in the slightest. A wonderfully organized event through incredible scenery. I’m glad to count the BHard among my experiences—not least because I got to meet some great people there whom I hope to see again at one of the next ultracycling races.
Yours, Bert
