http://www.transbalkanrace.com/

Trans Balkan Race, Royse City, TX (2026)

09/07/2026

Back to the wild heart of the Balkans

Back to the borders, back to the mountains, back to the long way south: the Trans Balkan Race is getting ready for its 6th edition!

Back, but not the same.

In 2027, we’re taking new trails, new directions, new climbs. We’re drawing a new line: the kind of line that takes you from the mountains to the sea, carrying a journey inside.

For the ones who already feel the pull, and for those still wondering:

the Trans Balkan Race 2027 will start on May 28.

💌 Applications open on October 25

📸 Andrea Securo

09/01/2026

New website online!

It’s been a super busy summer, and we’re not even done yet! Our last long ride of summer, Istra Land, starts in just 18 days, which means our hands will be full for at least a couple more weeks.

In the meantime, we’ve also updated the Trans Balkan Race website and started getting ready for the new season.

A couple of sections have been intentionally left untouched for now, as we’re still scouting and finalizing the 2027 route. You’ll definitely hear more about this once the final decision is made.

For now, take a look at the new website and don’t forget:
📍 Trans Balkan Race 2027 — May 28
💌 Applications open October 25

The road to the next Balkan Party has officially begun!

📸 Morten Schrøder

07/10/2026

Hi everyone! Our documentary about the 2026 Trans Balkan Race, CONNECTING DOTS, is now live.

We started filming because we wanted to show what it really means to organise an unsupported bikepacking race from behind the scenes: following the riders across the Balkans, making difficult decisions in real time, and carrying the responsibility that comes with them.

As the race unfolded, the story became about much more than we had originally planned. It also became a reflection on our role as organizers, and on the moments when watching from a distance was no longer enough.

You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS1btECWF-Q&t=259s

We put a lot of ourselves into this film, so it would mean a lot to us if you watched it, left a comment on YouTube, or shared it with someone who might enjoy it.

We’d genuinely love to hear what you think.

07/06/2026

CONNECTING DOTS — available now on YouTube

Behind every dot, there is a rider, and behind every rider, there is a story. And telling the stories unfolding on the route has always been part of why we do this.

When we first started filming at the beginning of 2026, the idea was to tell one more story: the one behind the race direction. What it means to direct an unsupported race from the inside, follow riders across the Balkans, and carry the pressure of decisions made in real time.

But as the race unfolded, it became clear that we were filming something more.

The result is CONNECTING DOTS: a film about what happens when observing from a distance is no longer enough.

This is not a perfectly polished film. It’s the story of the 2026 Trans Balkan Race through our eyes, from inside the race, with all the pressure, uncertainty, and responsibility that came with it.

What you will find here is a film about the moment when small details begin to matter, when questions can no longer be left unanswered, and when race direction has to make decisions in real time, with incomplete information, limited time, and consequences that affect the whole race.

Everything we lived during the six days we managed to film made it into this movie. We hope it gives you a sense of the absurdity and difficulty of connecting dots on the ground — and the space to connect them yourself.

You won’t find judgment here. Only the events as we lived through them.

And of course, there is much more than the events that took center stage. There are riders, landscapes, volunteers, checkpoint moments, tired faces, small gestures, and everything that makes this race what it is.

CONNECTING DOTS: an investigative documentary.

Now available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS1btECWF-Q

06/29/2026

CONNECTING DOTS — official trailer out now

In early 2026, we started filming a documentary about race direction.

We wanted to show what it means to organize the Trans Balkan Race from the inside: the pressure, the decisions, the sleepless nights, and the responsibility of following riders across the Balkans.

But during the race, the story changed.

What began as a film about race direction became a documentary about trust, responsibility, and what it means to make difficult decisions in real time.

The full movie will be released on YouTube next Monday (July 6).

You can find the official trailer on YouTube now — link in bio 💌

CONNECTING DOTS // an investigative documentary

06/18/2026

“Conflict is gonna find you”

I skipped this mentoring ad on IG before the start of the Trans Balkan Race, without paying much attention. Then I saw it again after the race, and it suddenly felt painfully fitting.

What happened during this 5th edition was not on our cards. Not in a million years. But no matter how much you try to avoid it, conflict is gonna find you. And when it does, you have two choices: say nothing and stay safe, or say something and risk everything.

Maybe it’s my Swiss side, or the way I was raised, but I’ve always struggled with shortcuts. As a child, I couldn’t understand why someone would want to win a game without playing it fairly. An academic career in Italy probably didn’t make me any less sensitive to unfairness.

Looking back, maybe these are among the reasons why I often say I don’t like rules. Don’t get me wrong: Luca and I value rules. They are necessary. But we also like to believe that good people are willing to follow them without being constantly policed.

One of the things that draws me most to bikepacking is the trust at its core. Yes, organizers write the rules and make the final calls, but this community still feels like one where people want to race clean, honestly, and with respect for everyone else’s effort. And that trust is worth protecting.

So yes, conflict is gonna find us, and we are not willing to stay silent just to stay safe. Not because we love rules for the sake of rules. But because fairness matters, and every rider deserves an equal chance to reach the podium, set a new FKT, or fight for their personal goal, knowing that the race was held with integrity.

We do not want to change the Trans Balkan Race or turn trust into suspicion. Kindness, local encounters, and small moments of connection are part of what make bikepacking through the Balkans unforgettable. And this spirit is worth protecting too.

But if doubt enters the race, we will not look away. We will ask questions. We will investigate. We will get to the bottom of it. And when action is needed, we will act.

Bikepacking is not only about who gets to the finish line first. It’s about the way you get there. So don’t forget to enjoy the view.

06/08/2026

Of stones, rocks, and friendship tokens

Now that Trans Balkan Race 2026 is officially closed and the finish line house is quiet, there’s one more story we want to share.

Yesterday, as the last riders made their way to the finish line, Paul Riedel had something for us: a small gift from New Zealand. He had thought about giving it to us at accreditation. Then maybe at the start. But after thinking about it, he decided this gift was not meant to stay still. It was meant to travel and to experience the whole Trans Balkan Race with him!

So Paul carried it across the Balkans, safely guarded for almost 10 days. Through mountains, storms, long nights, fatigue, and all the moments when he was not even sure he would make it to the finish line himself.

But he did… and so did the gift.

At the finish line, Paul gave us two pieces of pounamu, New Zealand greenstone. Two stones shaped like blades, or Toki: a form that symbolizes strength, authority, and courage. Pounamu is traditionally gifted to others to seal bonds of friendship and respect.

Paul said it felt especially fitting to bring us stones after riding over what felt like every rock in the Balkans. And honestly, we were deeply moved by it. This gift has become part of the journey, and it’s one of those gestures that says more than words ever could.

Thank you, Paul, and thank you to every rider who carried a piece of this race home.

📸 .nik._

06/08/2026

Half a decade of Balkan Parties

With yesterday’s beach party and the welcome of the very last riders, we have officially closed the 5th edition of the Trans Balkan Race.

In the past five years, many things have changed in our lives. I’m not sure this is exactly where, or how, we pictured ourselves in the early summer of 2021. But one thing has always stayed the same: this race was never just about riding from Slovenia to Montenegro.

The Trans Balkan has always been a journey across a region that feels wild, raw, beautiful, uncomfortable, but also generous and deeply human.

A race where riders cross borders and move through vast mountain ranges, enduring everything in between, and, somewhere along the way, discover something within themselves.

Five editions later, this is still what keeps us coming back. The people. The stories. The tears of joy. The checkpoint hugs. The instant connection between strangers. And the strange feeling that yes, maybe this is just another bike ride. But one that will stay with us forever.

Even when a race starts with two people and a crazy idea, it’s never carried by those two people alone. So thank you.

To every rider who trusted us and showed up at the start line, no matter how complicated the journey was, or how many challenges you had to overcome.

To everyone who followed from home, refreshed the tracker obsessively, cheered for dots they had never met, and kept the race alive from afar.

To our volunteers, media crews, family, and friends: we are so lucky to be surrounded by people who give so much, so freely. None of this would have happened without your help, your tireless work, your patience, and the purest kind of love you gifted us once again. There is no thank you big enough for that.

And to the Balkans. For the broken roads, the high plateaus, the forests, the storms, the katuns, the mountains, and all the beauty that never comes without a price. Thank you for allowing this race to pass through your lands for the fifth time.

Another edition of the Trans Balkan Race is officially closed, but the stories are not done traveling.

Thank you for another unforgettable Balkan Party 💛

📸 .cc

06/07/2026

DAY 10: Where stories gather

The finish line is getting crowded now! More and more riders are making their way to Risan and the Bay of Kotor, slowly filling the finish line house with tired bodies, salty clothes, sunburnt faces, broken voices, and stories that are told again and again.

This is what the finish line becomes in the last days of the race: a place where every rider brings back a different version of the Balkans, and where people sit down, breathe out, and finally begin to understand what they have just done. A place where the route turns into words, laughter, tears, hugs, and memories.

And one story that really stayed with us was Avri Beach’s .beach

We first met Avri last year at the Croatia Rally with , during her YOU BETCHA summer. After a rough start to the year, and after taking time to work on herself and put her mental health first, Avri decided to say yes to every new adventure. So, of course, the Croatia Rally became part of that great summer plan!

A week spent riding with the FLINTA* community gave her another boost of confidence, trust, and energy. She was ready to go big… so she signed up for the 2026 Trans Balkan Race.

At the finish line, Avri told us she would have never imagined joining an event like this. And not only did she join it: she crushed it all the way to the finish line!

Avri, we are so proud of what you achieved!

Tonight, more riders will join the final beach party in Risan, and we can’t wait to hear their stories too.

📸 .cc

06/07/2026

DAY 10: What the Balkans leave on you

The Balkans do not let you leave untouched.

By the time riders reach Montenegro and Risan, the race is written all over them. There’s dust on their legs, and salt on their jerseys. Scratches on their skin, and sunburnt faces. Swollen hands, tired bikes, worn brake pads, and shoes that may never fully dry again.

But the route leaves more than marks. It leaves stories from the road and a new kind of confidence, but also a softer way of looking at the people around you. A deeper respect for mountains, weather, distance, and your own limits.

It leaves the memory of places that felt impossible to cross and of strangers who helped, without knowing exactly why you were there or what you got yourself into. The memory of storms that passed, and climbs that never ended, and of all the nights that somehow became mornings.

And then, suddenly, it is over. No more plans to make, just the sea, the finish line, and the strange feeling that something has changed, even if you cannot name it yet.

The Balkans do not let you leave untouched.

📸

Trans Balkan Race

09/07/2026

09/01/2026

07/10/2026

07/06/2026

06/29/2026

06/18/2026

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request