Justinas Leveika

Omar Martinello

Niccolò Varanini

Samuele Tonello

Marcus Nicolson

Christopher Kraus

Markus Zimmermann

Erik Bizzoni

Joris Pesch

Andrea De Gruttola

Lorenz Eimansberger

Christoph Tapken

Niels Ihrman

Jason Eckenroth

Nerijus Skridaila

Pavel Ksenič

Philipp Kneubuehler

Adrian Fischer

Stefan Pacher

Sebastiano Frandino

Janis Meier

Pascal Spörri

Claudio Lima

Christof Jeker

Rene Mistlberger

Florejan Notebaert

Samuel Bänziger

Bo Harnisch

Sjoerd van ‘t Hul

Edoardo Botti

Oliver Schuller

David Koechli

Sebastian Ritter

Kirsten Cluley

Filippo Grilli

Hannes Decuypere

Benjamin Langgut

Rok Florjančič

Harald Bierbaumer

Martin Aylward

Simon Grabow

Lloyd Berry

Wolfgang Stemeseder

Florian Glaser

René Meyer

Dennis Schnepper

Marco Jochmann

David van Laak

Sandor Decsy

Saskia Martin

Mladen Milic

Mark Klein

Sandro Beck

Thomas Pann

Guido Pompanin

Armando Perri

Nelson Carter

Mex Wieshofer

Keith Wallace

Marco Störmer

Thomas Kallay

Joseph Dirmeyer

Stefan Funk

Adam Krabbe

Gerhard Holzner

Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi

Martin Henrysson

Stefan Burman Lundin

Pierfrancesco Santin

Marco Mongelli

Maximilian Böhlk

Lorenzo Andreoli

Davy Gouma

Gareth Taylor

Jean-Charles Sebille

Edoardo Mendez Scanavini

Dominik Engelke

Daniel Schartmüller

Georg Lindner

Sylvia Pietruska

Matthew Falconer

Tobias Schulte

Antonio Dell'ava

Felix Reichle

Christian Duerre

Fabian Öhl

Thomas Ballay

Alexander Thumwood

Thomas Van de Velde

Michael Jacob

Benjamin Fenner

Michael Baum

Phillipp Macrinus

Alberto Bovo

Adam Ellingford

Ambrož Bajde

Paolo De Pasqual

Iacopo Ruschetta

Jannes Möll

Michael Glatz

Michael Hermanek

Michael Leitner

Steve Rüstau

Tom Gehler

Peter Batt

Natalia den Breejen van den Bout

Massimo Armellini

Dario Rossi

Karsten Bay

Sandra Gardill

Djoeke Donkers

Jefte De Bruin

Gaele Atkinson

Jonathan Gorman

Tim Hessler

Francesco Alaimo

Pfaff Vera

Wildfeuer Leo

Ketil Røtvold

Hans Are Ovanger

Felix Bengelsträter

Eleonora Milesi

Asja Paladin

Christiaan Pol

Peter Buitendijk

Angelo Migliorati

Stuart Birnie

Malwina Malczewska

Ernesto Di Betta

Stefano Aimar

Stefano Talevi

Federico Aimar

Francesco Reni

Florian Johannes Elsässer

Henry Lansdown

MEDIA CAR - BRUNO

MEDIA CAR - ENRICA

Bara Pilna

Jonathan Burt

Norman Schulze

Jakob Hooge

Ruben Hooge

Claire Frecknall

Rico Pfleger

The 4th day and 4th night provided some drama at Seven Serpents. Paying tribute to the truly grueling conditions the first 3 days - as a little reminder, we are talking nonstop rain from the start, deep muddy forest roads, unusual headwinds and eventually storms that brought the ferries to a halt and bridges to a closure. In the middle of all of it: Over 160 little Serpents on 2 human powered wheels, covered in rain jackets and plastic bags around their feet, braving the elements, fighting their inner demons and hoping for the weather to turn. 

![A quick meal](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4QArFQ4WFfxWQe18BALtBj/98a52cfc0b2fd1471cf9d6cac4815b22/EP-Seven_Serpents-08243.jpg)

Towards the 3rd night the weather slowly got better as Kirsten and Hannah were making their way across Cres and Hannah managed to open up a little gap after a strong surge, in a serious effort tor each the final ferry of the day back to the mainland. Only to be stopped by running out of battery on her shifting and not finding the spare in her luggage, loosing valuable time and eventually running out of real estate in the quest to reach final transport of the island. 

While Kirsten pushed ahead towards the ferry port, Hannah opted for an early night and warm meal at the by now Seven Serpents legendary Tramontana hostel. A place run by kind hearted people who serve warm food, wash clothes for riders and prepare sandwiches for 4am morning departures. It was a trade off. A warm bed for an earlier get up and a very slow moving roll out into the dark forest in the morning to reach the AM ferry. 

After a brief encounter on the ferry and a few short selfies between Hannah and Kirsten, the sun came out but cards were mixed again as Hannah had to make the difficult call to end her Seven Serpents journey and the duel for first place we've enjoyed so much for the past 350km. With still over 300km to go she experienced too much pain in her knee and opted for the smart version to look at the long season ahead and not risk injury. 

Not far away from her, only 3km ahead in a little town the dots of our leading women Asja and Eleonora hadn't moved in a while either and despite sitting in a solid second place, within contention to win the pairs overall category, Eleonora had been struck by such severe stomach issues that they had to call it quits as well and find alternative modes of transportation to Triest. 

![DSC01795](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3QWTY69k0PsHxB4ZQ9iyGa/9caefc7da29e31d0aff922124c380487/DSC01795.JPG)

All the while Kirsten, now being chased by Saskia started what I call the roller coaster section of Seven Serpents. First a sheer endless seeming, often super steep climb over hours and hours to the top of Vojak before heading back down into the valley and looping back inland on a never ending up and down roller coaster and then tackling those super steep, slighly random looking hills near Buzet. 

Rewarded by a stunning sunset Kirsten has now broken into the final 100km to the finish. She made the long push to the coast through the night and has turned inland again to tackle the final 100km still including 4 significant climbs with the last one being a real life sucker up to the final checkpoint. (Read the previous posts for the detailed description of the Slavnik climb) 

Saskia is not sitting in second place in the womens around 160km behind.


Chasing the sun - Seven Serpents Day 4

Gravel the size of basketballs, 25% climbs straight off the ferry when the lactate has almost brought the legs to submission, the burning hands of the constant impact on the handlebars, dehydration and hunger are just not enough for this years Seven Serpents. 

As riders were chasing the ferries to Cres and then back over to Istria, the weather decided to turn once again, allowing only a few to escape the claws of Zeus. The rain returned and the storms got so bad that ferries were first delayed and eventually came to a complete stand still. The conditions on the open sea were just to dangerous and just as treacherous on the bike. 

Before you read the status of the race, go check out the stories from the amazing riders reposted on [Seven Serpents](https://www.instagram.com/sevenserpents.cc/). They are scenes you won't often see but are a beautiful testament to what ultra bikepacking racing is all about and also how grueling and brutal it can be. 

You see docked ferry captains inviting stranded riders inside the ferry to serve them hot tea and offer them shelter from the brutal conditions, riders frozen to the bones cuddling up in gas station and a race turning into a survival adventure with competitors sharing a hot meal where ever they can. 

![Climbing in Croatia](//downloads.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3rhRevbDfwnG9dfbpLPMoe/c4120228aea6e317848b2a2a0494a8d5/nm_7s_preview_018.jpg)

__THE MEN__
Some riders scratched, others tried to find shelter where ever the wide open, rocky terrain allowed and only in the front Justinas was still pushing ahead. He was the only one to reach the final ferry of the day back towards Istria to tackle the longest yet some how not quite the most brutal climb of the route. It starts out straight from the ferry before zickzacking up the mountain on steep, sometimes slippery and loose gravel but just as patience tends to run out it opens up to an unforgettable, stunningly beautiful plateau with the peak reaching into the clouds right ahead of riders. 

Realizing he had a 100km lead by now and Omar behind had stopped to sleep, Justinas allowed himself his first nap of this years race as well which was a wise decision, considering the message I received from him earlier that even in Istria "things are just slow and the headwinds never stop". 

Coming off the endless Vojak climb navigational skills are once again needed when flying into the forest descent where it becomes crucial to not take a wrong turn and head deep into the valley, forcing you to climb back up once again. If taking the correct route the next fueling stop seems to close yet is so far away with constant short, steep climbs, soggy forest roads and burning gravel descents asking everything off the riders and just as a short few downhill kilometers along the river promise some relief the next left turn takes riders into yet another brutal 25% road climb. The region there looks a lot like some giants have piled up huge mountains of clay that riders now ascent on the one side before descending on the other. 

We are deep in the land of truffles now and every time riders hit a little town on top of those clay mountains, the smell of the restaurants dares them to just stop, rest the tired bones, dry the wet swollen feet but instead hundreds of kilometers still lie ahead towards the coast. What on a good day is an amazing 100-130km beautiful gravel bike path, mostly flat with time to recover and refuel for the big bad finale, is a nonstop headwind drag this year, wearing the riders out mentally and physically. 

While Justinas has reached and left the coast again to attack the final, most brutal climb of this years race to the final checkpoint before descending towards the finish (don't you worry, the descent will still make him suffer. It is high speed and super rugged and got me to the point of "I don't care anymore if I crash or not but I can not pull my brakes anymore, nor can my neck hold my head up high" last year. With only 70km to go he can smell the finishline and victory. 

Behind him Omar Martinello is on the long long straight path back towards the coast battling the headwind. The 110km between him and Justinas in the front first take him to the coast in Novigrad before heading along the Croatian cost towards Italy, with rolling hills through the fields. This part is pleasant to ride and offers some relief before turning back inland after Karigador eventually facing a crazy 3 shorter but crazy steep climbs and beginning the endless seeming ascent to checkpoint 7. It will be a monster with 2 steep climbs first, some rugged single trail climbing before hitting the plateau forcing riders into a 5km headwind battle and then in steep zick zack lines up to the peak. Loose gravel, sharp turns and never ending steep climbing will force many off the bike before hitting the fully exposed peak where the wind is howling so badly that it is hard to hold on to the bike. Despite being close to home riders will have to be smart their and get some clothes out as the wind is so sharp and cold that the body temperature drops fast. 

Thanks to the unpredictable and unforeseen weather last night and the ferries coming to a complete stop as well as Pierfrancesc in 3rd having to scratch we now have a 10 man battle for 3rd with all riders sitting within 10km and about 280km from the finish. These riders are currently battling for positions on the before mentioned longest climb of the race, straight off the ferry from Cres. Little do they know yet how slow and challenging the remainder of the route still is! 

__The women__
Slowed down by the brutal conditions Hannah and Kirsten made it to Cres this morning and have realized the strength right now lies in partnerships. After a hot pizza spirits are high again as they are 483km into the race. They are now out of Cres on that first South bound loop described in detailed in the update post before. A stretch fully exposed to the heavy winds with huge rocks along the route making it impossible to ride all of it. But let me tell you, the stunning views of the ocean so very much make up for it. 

We expect them to push into the night towards the ferry that will take them back to the mainland tomorrow. There is not a chance for them to reach the final ferry tonight nor does it seem to be in their interest to even attempt after all the race has been asking off them already. As a matter of fact only a handful of riders still have a chance to catch tonight's ferry. It will be a big bunch gathering for the 6am ferry tomorrow making for an exciting race up Vojak climb to checkpoint 5. 

__The pairs __

The leading pairs are on the north side of Cres heading towards the ferry back to Istria. The duo of Michael and Michael has managed to pull away a little from Asja and Eleonora who are still charging hard in 2nd but odds are in the favor of the Michael double right now as they stand a realistic chance to reach the final ferry tonight whereas for our womens duo it will be a true nail biter if they can make it or not. They are close, in the road climb towards the coast but will the drop back down to the east side of the island before looping in an S-shape loop to the ferry. It isn't a long loop but one through the forest on slow, rocky fire roads. This section of the race up until around 10km before the ferry is a real mental game. It is insanely slow, riders will constantly be checking their watches and remaining kilometers, do calculations in their heads over and over again seeing nothing but their time and hope of reaching the ferry ticking away. The ones who won't be stopped by it and push through this challenging part will be rewarded as they are literally flying towards the ferry on the final 10km making up serious time and seeing their hopes of reaching Istria by nightfall rise again. 

Come and check back in tomorrow to find out how the madness continues and who the winners in the different categories are. 


When the ferries come to a halt. Crazy conditions on Night 2 of Seven Serpents

"Man, nothing moves fast on Krk, absolutely nothing" was the message we received from Justinas this morning after pushing through the night. He made it onto the first in Croatia in first place and has opened a gap of 40km over Pierfrancesco and Omar who met up again during the night and have reached Krk as well. 

One of the brutal highlights of Krk is a km long, super steep, loose gravel hike a bike section followed by a wicked loose gravel descent. The kind of gravel descent where when you pull the brakes, the tires stop but the gravel below you keeps moving and you just put one foot out of the pedal and hope to drift with the moving gravel into the next turn. 

This hike a bike section truly drains the already shattered legs as all other climbs on Krk are short but super steep, breaking the rhythm and asking all of your legs and when you are not pushing over climbs, you are facing "Krk style gravel" which isn't smooth but more like rugged rocks no sane person would usually consider riding a bike on. 

![WhatsApp Image 2023-05-15 at 08.37.14](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/568ZtwkwaAbzrl8ZKKtl7c/6cf3159edb115c1f39cc992a2f947886/WhatsApp_Image_2023-05-15_at_08.37.14.jpeg)

While Justinas has gone past this section already, Pierfrancesco and Omar are just about to reach the end of the hike a bike section. 

Justinas is now (8am on day 2) at the port in Krk, ready to take the ferry to Cres. The next highlight of Seven Serpents. Cres is a special one. Coming off the ferry riders look straight ahead at a wall of rocks that reaches into the sky and that's exactly where the route will take riders. Up a long, long steep climb that will force many riders off their bike and bike to hiking before a pleasant descent into the town of Cres. It will be smart to detour from the route into town to refuel before conquering the first loop of an 8 that is ridden on Cres, taking riders south first before returning to Cres and then heading North, chasing the next ferry. 

The South loop doesn't look long but takes riders onto a wickedly rugged section of the 4 Island MTB route and will make the minds wonder forth an back between enjoying the insane beauty of Cres and constant views of the ocean on the one hand and their building hatred for Bruno the race director to add this section to the route :-) 

Upon returning to Cres there is another great opportunity to refuel before heading north, as riders are passing one of the few supermarkets on their way out of town. 

Those riders who reach the North loop by night will be in for a real treat if they are lucky. Due to it's location Cres often sees dry Thunderstorms on the west side and as the route goes along the east side, riders are safe but on a good night can enjoy a real highlight with constant lightning in the distance, illuminating the dark skies. A very welcome distraction. 

In the women's race Kirsten and Hannah are still a mere KM apart as the are just minutes away from reaching checkpoint 2, Guslica. (read more about Guslica and the setting of this amazing mountain in the update before). They will be enjoying unforgettable morning views of Risnjak National Park before descending towards Krk but it is still a long way to go and one more super challenging climb is in their way before seeing and smelling the ocean. They are currently 255km into the race and yet only 700 meters apart. 

Stay tuned for the next update, on how the scenery will suddenly drastically change, the smallest navigation mistake can cost hours and to find out how are riders go on now that the rain has stopped and conditions get a little more pleasant. 

You can also find more regular updates throughout the day here: [Till Schenk](https://www.instagram.com/tillschenklive/) 


Nothing, absolutely nothing moves fast on KRK - Seven Serpents Day 2

Beautiful forest climbs, dwindling roads through the fields, calm lakes and smooth fire and mountain roads. The start of Seven Serpents is a a true gravel joy. On a normal day.

Today is not a normal day. Riders got up to an early start in the pouring rain this morning and as they are nearing nightfall both riders and equipment are already pushed to the limits. 

![EP-Seven Serpents-05599](//downloads.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/RZFgT7ogCxVyJm6Jjj3dN/69032906632773b7f2d954e713a6fda4/EP-Seven_Serpents-05599.jpg)

Deep mud on the first steep climbs, challenging on a normal day with few hike a bike sections and super speedy descents mixed in, the equipment is soaked and efforts are being slowed down. Little do the first time riders know about the surprise they are about to face. Crossing into Croatia from Slovenia needs no boarder control, signage or announcement. The sudden change from smooth gravel roads to loose rocks, blocked fire roads up and down the mountains and the non stop impact on body and bike make it instantly clear when riders have reached Croatia. 

At 6:30pm, almost 12 hours into the race Justinas Leveika is leading the race ahead of[Omar Martinello](https://www.instagram.com/omarmartinello/) by 7km. [Justinas](https://dotwatcher.cc/race/seven-serpents-2023) is only kms away from crossing into Croatia and behind is a hard charging Pierfrancesco Santin who was off to a slow start but slowly reeling riders in. 

Justinas is well equipped for the rough terrain, using Seven Serpents as a testing ground for his Tour Divide setup and Omar has opted for a mountain bike, absolutely smashing the descents. He will have a serious advantage in tonights descents off some of the most rugged terrain of the entire race. 

We expect Justinas and Omar to push through the night while indication is that Pierfrancesco might opt for a short nap before Krk. 

Make no mistake, Krk might look close but is still a grueling effort away and while lying ahead looking all pretty, it throws some brutal single trail sections at riders. Let's just say: Some of the route was used in the 4 Island MTB Race just last month. 

Day 2 will be the true challenge of Seven Serpents with brutal terrain, steep and endless climbs, challenging navigation in the way towards the next ferry and of course, always chasing the next ferry in order not to lose time. 

In the women's race Scottish native Kirsten Cluley feels right at home in the cold and rainy conditions, delivering a an early battle in the lead with [Hannah Ghazi-Idrissi](https://www.instagram.com/hey.hannanah/?hl=en).  They have been playing cat and mouse all day in the women's lead and have just passed the 165km mark. They  are now facing 2 long and challenging climbs heading into the night and will reach both peaks in the dark. 

In the pairs competition Enough Cycling's Asja and Eleonora are riding a full attack and fearless race absolutely smashing the course. Spotters say they look fresh and confident despite the challenging conditions out there. 

Stay tuned for more updates and live action photos from the route!! This is just the beginning of Seven Serpents 2023. 


Washed away in Slovenia - Seven Serpents Day 1

Till Schenk

Seven Serpents 2023 Tracking and Commentary: A free-route race between seven checkpoints from Slovenia through Croatia and its islands into Trieste, Italy via gravel and secondary roads.

Seven Serpents 2023 Tracking

A set-route race between seven checkpoints from Slovenia through Croatia and its islands into Trieste, Italy via gravel and secondary roads.

Seven Serpents 2023

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