Fuzzecl - Ultra // Green Border Gravel

Photo Tomaž Kos

Some rides take you somewhere completely new. Green Border Gravel was almost the opposite. Much of the route crossed roads, forests and gravel sections I already knew, but connecting all of them into one 300-kilometre ride made the terrain feel very different.

Ride overview:

// Location
Novo mesto, Slovenia

// Distance
306 km

// Elevation gain
6,990 m

// Total time
17 h 02 min

On Saturday, September 5, GBG was my final bigger challenge of 2026. It was also the inaugural edition of the event, organized by Adam Jordan and Jaka Magister.

We had talked about the idea quite a lot during the year. The route connected many local sections we already considered some of the best gravel riding in this part of Slovenia and across the Croatian border. On paper it was already serious: around 300 kilometers with well over 6,000 meters of climbing.

// In reality, it turned out to be even more.

Photo Gregor Lah

Photo Tomaz Kos

Photo Gregor Lah

A new event on familiar ground

The start and finish were at the Velodrome in Novo mesto, a familiar meeting point for local cyclists and home to the Novo mesto cycling team.

The whole event had been presented really well in the months leading up to it. The visual identity, road book, route presentation and even the small details like the goodie bag and T-shirt made it feel like a properly thought-out event from the beginning.

// At 8 AM, around 30 riders were ready to start.

Before Adam's briefing and the final equipment checks, there was coffee, drinks, croissants and rice cakes prepared by Eva. A pretty good way to begin what was going to be a very long day.

Photo Tomaz Kos

Photo Gregor Lah

0:00 // KM 0 // 0 m

The first few kilometres were neutralised behind a car. Soon after leaving the main road, we turned towards the first climb through Ajdovec and Straški hrib. Groups formed almost immediately.

Within the first minute of climbing I already knew I wasn't going to follow the fastest group. My main goal was to manage the effort properly through the whole day. After my experience at Balaton Bike Derby last year, I was quite convinced that letting the front group go was the right decision.

A second group of around six riders formed and the pace felt much more suitable. Žan Kuralt was there too. We have shared quite a few rides over the years, from Istra land and Human Fish Gravel to different group rides, so it was nice to find ourselves together again.

After the descent towards Soteska came the long climb towards Kočevski Rog. Towards the top, only Žan, another rider and I remained together. The third rider was Tilen Likar, an ultra trail runner whom I didn't know before the event. Both of them were riding just slightly above the pace I wanted, so I kept them a few meters ahead and concentrated on controlling my own power.

Before the descent towards Kočevje they stopped for a quick nature break. I rolled past, thinking they would catch me again almost immediately. I knew both were strong descenders. But I had mounted 50 mm Conti Race Kings for the first time before this event, and the confidence they gave me was noticeable straight away.

Towards the bottom of the descent I caught Marko Požun, which surprised me. He has shown many times how strong he is in this kind of event and I had considered him one of the favourites. Unfortunately, he wasn't feeling well and had already lost contact with the first group.

Photo Tomaz Kos

3:30 // KM 68 // 1,770 m

We stopped for a refill in Kočevje and continued together, but halfway up the next climb Marko could no longer keep the pace. I was alone again. At that point I decided I would try to catch Rajko. I was fairly convinced he had gone out too hard with the first group. :)

Only a few minutes later I found another familiar face sitting beside the road. Dimitrij wasn't feeling particularly good either. Normally I have trouble following him, not the other way around, so his slightly reduced pace happened to work perfectly for me. We continued together.

It was good to have company, although this route rarely gave us much time for relaxed conversation. There was almost always another climb, descent or rough section demanding attention. Approaching the refill point in Knežja Lipa, we looked behind and saw Žan and Tilen coming towards us.

Photo Tomaz Kos

Kocevski rog, Photo Tomaz Kos

5:05 // KM 100 // 2,500 m

By this point I could already feel some fatigue. That was strange. I had been eating and drinking well and expected this feeling much later in the day. Žan, meanwhile, looked completely fresh and was in a very good mood. The rest of us slightly less so. Dimitrij was still considering abandoning the ride early. I kept trying to convince him to continue so we could ride this great route together.

Soon after the refill we started climbing towards Mirna Gora. And then came the first real warning. A cramp hit my left leg and I had to stop. The others continued while I waited for it to release and then started riding again very carefully. Dimitrij waited for me and we continued together.

On the climb we crossed paths with Rajko, who was already descending from Mirna Gora because this section used the same road up and down. At the top we found Žan sitting at a table in front of the mountain hut, smiling and inviting us to join him for pasulj. Bean stew!?

At that moment I couldn't quite understand how anyone could even think about eating a bowl of bean stew. I was already going through a small crisis and only wanted to keep moving. Dimitrij and I turned around fairly quickly. After a short conversation with Adam, we started descending. I checked the time and estimated that Rajko was around ten minutes ahead.

At the junction below Mirna Gora we met Marko again. He had decided not to continue to the summit and would finish his ride early. To my surprise, Dimitrij decided to continue with me. That was good news.

Water refill

Zan

Mirna Gora, Photo Tomaz Kos

Photo Tomaz Kos

Dimitrij

7:05 // KM 140 // 3,500 m

At the next water stop, the heat had become one of the main factors. It was extremely hot for September, well above 30°C and at times close to 35°C. From here began the longest climb of the day towards Trdinov vrh.

The first part followed the main road towards Vahta pass. The combination of asphalt, heat and the accumulated climbing was starting to take its toll. I couldn't follow Dimitrij anymore, but he waited for me at the turn-off at Vahta. I know this climb very well. The gravel section begins steeply, and as soon as I pushed harder on the pedals it happened again.

// Cramp.

Stop. Relax the leg. Start again. Not a great feeling. I slowly continued, trying to keep Dimitrij somewhere within reach. Behind me, Žan and Tilen appeared again. I was suffering, but at least I was moving.

A little further up the road I saw Dimitrij standing next to his bike. At first I thought it was a puncture, but he pointed towards the rear wheel. A broken spoke. He wrapped it around another spoke and continued, although understandably with slightly less confidence in the wheel.

Just below Trdinov vrh there is another short and very steep ramp. And, of course, another cramp. This one was stronger. I had to stop for a few minutes and did quite a lot of swearing. I even called my wife to complain for a moment. Morale was fairly low at that point, but there wasn't much else to do.

// Keep going.

Photo Tomaz Kos

Photo Adam Jordan

Photo Tomaz Kos

Trdinov vrh, Photo Tomaz Kos

Photo Tomaz Kos

9:15 // KM 160 // 4,400 m

When I finally reached the top, there was a surprise. All three were waiting for me. Huge respect for that.

I told them the cramps were going to destroy me before the finish. Tilen offered me some salty tabs, which I hadn't brought with me this time. I took two and we started descending towards Croatia. The others were already talking about how, according to Adam, everything after Trdinov vrh was basically an easy roll towards the finish.

I had ridden the next part with Adam only a week earlier. So I knew better.

There was still one particularly steep, rocky and loose section waiting for us. I told them we had a small party coming. After a very rough descent we reached the bottom and started climbing again. The rear wheel quickly began spinning on the loose surface and at one point I stepped off the bike rather than risk another cramp.

To my surprise, the cramps stayed away. The climb remained very steep, but somehow I managed to ride almost all of it. Towards the top we spread out again. Žan rode through without much drama while the rest of us spent some time pushing our bikes.

I waited for Dimitrij at the top. This time he had made his decision. The broken spoke had caused too much movement in the wheel and he no longer trusted it enough to continue through the remaining technical terrain. He would descend and take the main road towards the finish.

For a moment I felt a little guilty. I had spent a good part of the day convincing him to continue, and now he had ended up with a mechanical problem on top of everything else. But these things happen.

Thanks again, Dimitrij, for the company. As always.

Photo Tomaz Kos

Across the border

By then Žan and Tilen were already somewhere ahead. Strangely, I was beginning to feel good again. I knew the terrain, I trusted the bike and the Contis were giving me a lot of confidence on the technical descents. To my surprise I eventually caught them, and the three of us continued together.

After the long gravel section, a few kilometers of asphalt almost felt relaxing. We had some canine company along the way and wide views towards Croatia before another excellent descent through Žumberak. Several kilometers of fast, flowing gravel. Rajko was still somewhere ahead.

11:20 // KM 203 // 5,050 m

We stopped at a water source near Park Divlje vode. We filled our hydration packs and bottles and prepared the lights. Daylight was disappearing quickly. Around here I realized we probably weren't going to catch Rajko.

The reason was quite simple. Rajko was riding alone. He could stop, fill his bottles and immediately continue. There were three of us. We naturally waited for each other at every stop, and over the course of a long ride those minutes add up.

If the only goal had been the result, I would have needed to avoid situations like this. But by that point it was completely clear that this wasn't how I wanted to finish the day. Riding together suited us, and there was no real reason to change it.

After Divlje vode we climbed on asphalt towards Stojdraga and then descended back into Slovenia. The difference in the gravel was immediately noticeable. Smoother. In Poštena vas we very honestly put our rubbish into the bins, then continued towards Bušeča vas and Kostanjevica na Krki.

By now it was properly dark. And Žan was getting hungry. He kept asking if anything nearby would still be open, but it was only a few minutes before 9 PM and most of our final options for food were about to close. On the way towards my home town of Šentjernej, I remembered The Cave. I called ahead and ordered two portions of fries for Žan and Tilen.

Personally, a big portion of food is usually the last thing I want during this kind of ride. I had enough food with me and tend to do better eating smaller amounts continuously. But they had been dreaming about fries. :)

13:15 // KM 241 // 5,600 m

The scene was pretty good. Three filthy cyclists standing around a table on the terrace, eating fries and drinking cola. We also happened to meet Rajko's wife there, who told us they had been cheering for him and that he had looked fairly tired. Even then, I thought catching him would be difficult. We were entering his home roads now and he knew exactly where he was going. We couldn't even finish all the fries, so eventually it was time to continue.

The route passed very close to my house. And there I found my own small support crew waiting beside the road: my wife and older son, while the younger one was already asleep, together with my mum and dad. My father even followed us for a short distance in the car, cheering from behind.

A small moment, but a really nice boost before the final few hours.

Photo Ria

Photo Jaka Magister

The final climbs

At the bottom of the second-to-last major climb through Gorjanci towards Gabrje, something changed. Žan's legs clearly still had plenty left. Suddenly he was several meters ahead. Then a few more.

The gap continued growing and both Tilen and I knew he was going to ride his own pace all the way to the finish. He had looked relaxed and strong throughout the entire day, especially on the climbs, so it made perfect sense. He had earned the chance to empty the legs a little.

Tilen and I made one final refill in Gabrje, climbed a few more steep sections towards Podgrad and then started the final climb across Radoha towards Birčna vas. From there only a few kilometers remained through Straža and back towards the Velodrome.

Photo Tomaz Kos

17:02 // KM 306.6 // 6,990 m

Tilen and I crossed the finish together, becoming the sixth finishers of the event. Seventeen hours and two minutes after leaving the same place that morning. Along the way we had also collected a surprisingly long wildlife list: a rabbit, deer, squirrel, donkey and hedgehog.

Probably a few larger animals had been watching us too.

Rajko might know more about that. On one of his final descents, a roughly 150-kilogram wild boar apparently decided to run alongside him for a while. Considering some of the forests we crossed, it was almost surprising nobody reported seeing a bear.

At the Velodrome we were welcomed with drinks and food. This time I was actually hungry, which isn't always the case after an all-day effort. It was good to sit down, meet the riders who had already finished and slowly realize the day was done.

Jurij Kumer and Pablo Villar Arribi recorded the fastest time at 14:39, followed by Rajko Blažič at 16:26. Žan Kuralt reached the finish a little over fifteen minutes before Tilen and me, a few minutes behind fourth-placed Matic Bošnjak.

Full results are available on MapProgress.

Pablo & Jurij, Photo Tomaz Kos

Rajko, Photo Tomaz Kos

Zan, Photo Tomaz Kos

Fastest GBG finishers, Photo Tomaz Kos

Thanks Adam & Jaka, Photo Tomaz Kos

Home roads, different perspective

Green Border Gravel was the final bigger cycling goal on my calendar for 2026. It wasn't a perfect ride. The heat hit harder than expected, the cramps appeared far too early and there were several moments when the remaining distance suddenly felt very long.

But that also became part of the experience.

I started the day trying to manage the effort carefully and thinking quite a lot about pacing and the riders somewhere ahead. Somewhere along the way that became less important. Instead, much of the day became about sharing kilometers with people I knew, meeting some new ones, waiting for each other, solving problems and moving through landscapes that were familiar but somehow felt different when connected into one continuous 300-kilometre loop.

For a first edition, Green Border Gravel showed how much good riding we already have right outside our doors. And sometimes the roads closest to home can still make for a proper adventure.

Amazing photographs by Tomaž Kos, Gregor Lah, Jernej Lah, Adam Jordan and Jaka Magister

Ride supported by

Roletarstvo Medle