Epic Rides
Kočevje

There is one country that has the word LOVE in its name.

And if a country has LOVE in its name, that is surely not a coincidence.

It is also no coincidence that this country is our neighbour. We are talking, of course, about Slovenia.

It has long been our wish to organise an Epic Rides in Slovenia, and this year, for the first time, Epic Rides crosses the border to the west. And for the first edition, we wanted something truly special. That's why the first Slovenian Epic Rides takes you to Kočevsko and Kočevje.

When you look at the map, Kočevsko looks like a huge green blob between Croatia and Ljubljana. And for good reason. It is one of the largest and best-preserved forest areas in Europe — a vast expanse of forests, gravel roads, clearings and remote villages. A place where the network of gravel paths seems almost endless.

Describing Kočevsko would mean mixing Slovenia, Gorski Kotar and... Canada.

Kočevsko is the largest Natura 2000 area in Slovenia, and within it lies the Krokar primeval forest, protected by UNESCO. The climate is ideal for what awaits us on 06.06. — fresh mornings, pleasant temperatures and days that are almost never too hot.

Historically, a German community lived here for centuries, and after World War II, the area was largely closed off due to military bases of the former state. And that, paradoxically, helped nature remain untouched and preserved to this day.

And Epic Rides in Kočevje? Almost perfect.

More of an expedition than a "coffee ride" and a true, genuine outdoor experience. This is gravel Epic Rides in its purest form, because gravel roads like those in Kočevsko practically don't exist in Croatia. Fast, hard-packed, perfectly maintained and connected into an incredible network of roads that gave us a serious problem deciding what to include in the route and what to leave for another time.

And then, for the finale — the specialty of Kočevsko. A few kilometres of flow trail descent through the Kočevsko bike park, literally all the way to the finish line.

Epic Rides Kočevje is part of the Kočevsko Outdoor Festival, which begins a week earlier with trail races. On Friday evening, the day before Epic Rides, the Žive ulice festival takes place, accommodation of all types is available at very affordable prices...

In short — there is not a single good reason not to be there and be part of the first Epic Rides in Slovenia.