From Bolzano to Kranjska Gora, across twelve alpine passes, without repeating a single climb. On paper, the idea sounds simple. In reality, it becomes a long day on the bike, where the plan, the body, the weather, the support crew and the road constantly meet something unpredictable.
Ride overview:
// Location
The Dolomites and the Slovenian Alps
The Dolomites and the Slovenian Alps
// Distance
400 km+
400 km+
// Elevation gain
10,000 m+
10,000 m+
// Total time
22 h 44 min
22 h 44 min
// Passes
Nigra, Sella, Gardena, Campolongo, Pordoi, Fedaia, Giau, Tre Croci, Ciampigotto, Sella Nevea, Predel, Vršič
Nigra, Sella, Gardena, Campolongo, Pordoi, Fedaia, Giau, Tre Croci, Ciampigotto, Sella Nevea, Predel, Vršič
THE CONCEPT
I had the idea for this project and the rough shape of the route in my head for about two years. For a long time, it stayed somewhere in the background as something I wanted to do one day, but never quite managed to turn into the right moment. This year, after successfully finishing Veneto Gravel, I felt that my form was good enough and that it would be a shame not to use it for something bigger.
After Veneto, I switched back to the road bike and started training more specifically for elevation gain. At the same time, I kept refining the route, checking the logistics and thinking about how to approach the whole project. I did not want it to be only a performance challenge, but also a story worth telling.
The concept was also confirmed by Davor Kralj, with whom I originally wanted to create a similar project. Due to personal reasons, he had to postpone his involvement, but I am sure we will still make many strong projects together in the future. Since there was not much time left for a proper production setup, I started looking for other people who would be willing to be part of this kind of challenge.
Support crew: Jernej Podgoršek & Andrej Marsel
Crew and support
Jernej Podgoršek and I have been friends for a long time. In the last few years mostly from a distance, but before that we spent a lot of time together producing longboard and skateboard videos with Bros Before Pros Production. He was in immediately. Since I wanted one more person in the crew, he suggested Andrej Marsel. I called him, and it quickly became clear that he would be a great addition to the team.
In the end, Jernej and Andrej were an excellent support crew. Both are skilled with a camera, but also practical, focused and adaptable enough for all the other tasks that came with the ride. On a project like this, that is almost as important as being physically prepared on the bike. If the support does not work, the whole plan can start falling apart very quickly.
Besides the performance goal, I also wanted to use this project as a way to connect with a few potential partners and supporters. I prepared a simple pitch and received a positive response from some of them. For me, this was also an important reference for future projects, mainly because I managed to execute this one in the way it had been presented and planned.
All photos were made by Jernej and Andrej!
The biggest support came from the company where I also work - Roletarstvo Medle. I was proud to represent the company colours, and it felt quite special to see our support van moving through some of the most iconic locations in the Dolomites and the Slovenian Alps.
During this period, I was also testing a new saddle from Selle San Marco, which their rider Adam Jordan gave me to try. It worked really well on my gravel bike, so I decided to use it for this challenge too. This time on the road bike.
Roletarstvo Medle
Garmin Slovenia
Oster Rob
Red Bull Slovenia
Selle San Marco
Jernej and his team at Oster Rob surprised me with a custom “Fuzzecl everesting” knife, which turned out to be very useful in the support van, especially when the menu was mostly built around small sandwiches. In those moments, a versatile knife is exactly what you need. Sharp. Very sharp.
Red Bull provided some much-needed refreshment and energy for everyone involved in the project, while Garmin took care of flawless navigation.
day before
The day before the start, I picked up Jernej and Andrej in Ljubljana and we drove towards Lienz, where we made a short stop, bought the last few things we still needed and continued towards our accommodation near Bolzano, more precisely in Völs am Schlern.
When we arrived, we settled in, checked the equipment and prepared almost everything for the start. The planned start time was 3:00 in the morning. After an early dinner, the plan was simple: go to bed around 21:00, try to fall asleep ASAP and get at least a few hours of rest before a very long day.
Just then, the sky started flashing and the thunder began. We were sleeping in one attic room, without air conditioning, with the windows open because it was really hot. At the same time, falling asleep was almost impossible because a strong storm was raging outside. I put earphones in, covered my eyes, tried breathing in a meditation rhythm, but nothing really worked. Several times the thunder was so loud that the whole house shook.
It was already past 23:00 when the storm finally started to calm down and I somehow managed to fall asleep. The alarm went off at 2:00. It was time to get up. I already had breakfast prepared, drank the coffee we got at the hotel and started getting the final things ready before the start.
THE RIDE
I started exactly at 3:00. The weather had stabilised, but the roads were still very wet. In some places, especially around the village where we stayed, there was a lot of gravel and debris washed onto the road. Soon, the first climb began - Passo Nigra. The rhythm was right, the motivation was good, and towards the top the day slowly started to appear. For the first time, I could see the silhouettes of the sharp Dolomite peaks.
At the top, it was quite cold. I was almost slightly underdressed, let’s say just enough, but my hands were already quite cold after the descent to Pozza di Fassa. Our first refill was planned in Canazei. From there, the scenic Sella Ronda loop began.
First came the climb to Passo Sella, where I really felt the Dolomites for the first time that day. They are something special. Sasso Pordoi was the first truly massive sight, showing the scale and beauty of the mountains in a powerful way. Not long after, the sunlit Sassolungo appeared. These are the kind of views you experience differently from a bike. Slower, more directly, almost physically.
After a short descent came the climb to Passo Gardena, followed by a fast descent to Colfosco and Corvara, where I stopped for another refill. I continued over Passo Campolongo to Arabba, and from there started the beautiful climb to Passo Pordoi.
By then it was already late morning, and the place had the full atmosphere of a cycling mecca. Lots of cyclists, even more motorcyclists, camper vans, cars and everyone else drawn to the beautiful roads of the Dolomites. The views were incredible. The descent back to Canazei was just as impressive.
I was slowly approaching the climb to Passo di Fedaia, where it was already getting quite warm. On the right side, the mighty Marmolada rose high into the sky, reaching more than 3,000 metres. A steep and technical descent followed towards Caprile. It was demanding at times, mainly because of traffic. It was not always easy to pass camper vans and slower cars, especially where the road became narrow and winding.
In Caprile, I had the next refill before the hardest climb of the day - Passo Giau. As soon as I turned onto the road towards Selva di Cadore, I noticed signs and a van from the organisers of a cycling marathon in the Dolomites. Luckily, their route did not include Passo Giau, but continued towards Passo Staulanza, so the road remained open for my support crew as well.
The sun was strong and Passo Giau was brutal. Both because of the gradient and because of the heat. Somehow, I still managed to get over it. Throughout the day, I had some smaller issues with my knees, since I had not managed to set the bike position completely perfectly before the ride. Still, I continued and hoped everything would hold together until the end.
After Giau came the descent to Cortina d’Ampezzo and then the climb to Passo Tre Croci. In the middle of the climb, I noticed our van next to the road. Jernej told me that he and Andrej had helped a cyclist who had completely cracked on the climb and drove him to the next junction to make his day a little easier. I, meanwhile, was properly cooking. The valley felt like an oven.
After Tre Croci, I had a long descent ahead of me towards the next refill in Auronzo. There I quickly ate some food I had prepared in advance, and soon continued towards the more remote climb to Passo Ciampigotto.
It started out extremely hot. I already thought cooling might become a serious problem, so I asked the support crew to wait for me somewhere halfway up the climb with a cold drink. Later, the sky thankfully closed in, and it became much easier once the sun stopped hitting me directly. Near the top, I even felt a few small raindrops.
Just as I crossed the summit, it suddenly started pouring. Luckily, Jernej and Andrej were very close. I quickly put on my rain jacket and continued down, because I could see that I was right on the edge of the storm and might still be able to escape it. And I did.
A long and beautiful descent followed all the way to Tolmezzo through dark tunnels, past traffic-light-controlled sections and along some interesting corners. I sent the support crew ahead so they could buy water and everything else we still needed in Tolmezzo.
From there, the road towards Chiusaforte started to drag on a little. For the first time, I really felt the fatigue. I knew the grande finale was still waiting for me, but first I had to get there.
IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER
Next came the climb to Passo Sella Nevea. It was getting dark, and soon it was time to switch on the lights. At this point, I already knew that my original plan A (finishing the route in 20 hours) was no longer realistic. But since the time goal was never the most important part, I did not worry too much about it. The main goal was still clear: 10,000 vertical metres and a completed route.
In the dark, I continued over Predel and finally returned to Slovenia. As I descended towards Bovec, I could see lightning behind the mountains. It looked like there was a storm on the other side, but it seemed to be moving away from me. That made me feel a little better.
When I turned towards Trenta, we noticed a sign saying that Vršič Pass was closed. We did not take it too seriously, because I assumed the sign had probably remained there from the previous day, when the Tour of Slovenia had passed over Vršič from that side.
This is where the hardest part of the ride began. The fatigue was at its peak, my knees were hurting and my motivation was quite low. Somehow, I had to pull myself together, even though riding through the darkness towards Trenta was already difficult.
When I started the final climb to Vršič, I knew it would be hard. Still, it surprised me. It was long, steep and it never really offered a place to breathe. But I did not want to stop.
The support van stayed with me the whole time. Jernej and Andrej always drove two hairpins ahead, waited for me to reach them and, in a way, I confirmed each time that I was still fighting.
After a long and painful hour of climbing, I finally made it. I reached the top of Vršič. At the summit, my device showed 10,000 vertical metres, and that honestly made me happy. The main goal of the challenge was complete.
All that remained was a long and, after 22 hours, quite demanding descent towards Kranjska Gora. But everything ended well. I finished the full route after 22 hours and 44 minutes. The computers showed 400.3 kilometres and 10,011 metres of elevation gain.
Incredible!
PROJECT COMPLETED
After the project, I felt a strange mix of pride and the question: why? Right after such an effort, the mind is already very tired and the feelings are difficult to separate. You are happy that you made it, but at the same time you cannot fully understand what just happened.
The real feeling comes only a few days later, when you look back. That is when things fall into place. You realise what you managed to do, and you understand that 10,000 vertical metres on roads like these, in an environment like this, and in a single day, is really not something ordinary.
After the ride, the project was also confirmed on everesting.com, where I received the Hall of Fame badge. It also meant a lot to receive a comment from the founder of the platform on my Strava activity. A small but meaningful confirmation from someone who truly understands this kind of challenge.
Thank you to Jernej and Andrej for the support on the road and for the excellent photographs from the ride. Jernej also captured some drone footage, which can be seen in the reels on Instagram and YouTube.
Everesting 10K: Roam the Alps was more than just a number on the bike computer. It was a project that brought together cycling, mountains, friendship, support, visual storytelling and that strange place where a plan on paper meets the reality of the road.
A few shots from my phone:
YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels:
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