Cycling event: Ćiro Heritage (Počitelj - Stolac)
Association "HerzegovinaBike" announces Cycling event: Ćiro Heritage (Počitelj - Stolac)” which will be held on Sunday, September 15, 2024. starting at 10:00 a.m. in front of the President Hotel in Čapljina.
The Ciro Trail event is realized with the financial support of: City of Stolac, Nekropola Radimlja, tvrtke HT Eronet, Continental Tires, Turističke Zajednice HNŽ/K, Škoda Apolo, agencije REDAH and Capriolo SC Mostar , and in order to promote "South Herzegovina and the Ćiro Narrow Gauge Railway".
- Date: 15.09.2024.
- Departure time: 10:00 am
- Track length: 60 km
- Organizer: HerzegovinaBike Association and Mostar Bicycle Club
- Tel. +38763400260
- e-mail: info@herzegovinabike.ba
- web: www.herzegovinabike.ba
- Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/4Mn3SN4jl
Sign up at the link:
The sixth in a row Ćira's bicycle race in 2024 takes us from Počitelje to the city of Stolac, along a path 30 km long in one direction, while we will accumulate some 60 km in both directions. This is the third time that the Ćiro bicycle race has been organized on this section, and we will ride on asphalted sections towards Stolac, where there is almost no traffic and we find it ideal for cycling. Also, we will be accompanied by a van with groceries and water, and for those who find cycling in both directions too much, there is an option to transfer you to your vehicle in Počitelj after visiting Stolac (the number of places for transport is limited).
The trail is attractive and lively with beautiful landscapes and an asphalt surface, so it is suitable for all types of bicycles. As we said, this is a very nice section, where we drive through rural areas, visiting villages on the section from Počitelje to Stolac. We end the bike ride in Stolac, with a tour of the stećak necropolis of Radimlje and the Old Town of Vidoški, and the hosts have provided refreshments for all participants, which is why we need your registrations so we know how many people we need to count on for meals.
The return to Počitelj, the starting point of the bicycle tour, is individual or group, that is, according to personal preferences, because we return the same way we came.
MORE INFORMATION:
The bike ride starts in front of the President Hotel in Čapljina (LINK LOKACIJE STARTA), where all participants have a large parking lot at their disposal and can park their vehicles and drink coffee in a local cafe before the start of our bike ride. The start of the bike ride and the beginning of our socializing is planned for 10:00 a.m., and the bike ride goes along the road that leads to Počitelj (towards Domanovići) and on to Stolac, it is currently free of traffic and we find it ideal for cycling. It is important to mention that the section is attractive, it contains several shorter climbs, but again it is not too demanding, and all participants will have a van to accompany them in case they feel too much cycling. There is also an option for a van to transport those who find 60 km too much cycling to transfer from Stolac to Čapljina, where their vehicles are parked. The participants of the cycling event will also have at their disposal 10 volunteers, experienced cyclists who will take care of the safety of all participants during cycling and take care of any unforeseen situation, and remove it as soon as possible.
The entire route is paved with asphalt (mild macadam in a few places) on which, in addition to the MTB bike, you can also ride a trekking or road bike. The driving pace is easy and suitable for most participants.
Volunteers, a service vehicle, photos and video from the bike ride are available to all participants, and they are provided with: refreshments, water and first aid in the service vehicle...
HISTORY OF CIRO:
In the past, a narrow-gauge railway with a steam locomotive ran from Mostar along the Neretva river, through Čapljina, Popovo polje, Ravno, and in the town of Hum (the main railway junction) it split into two tracks, where one leads to Trebinje and on to Bileća and Nikšić , and the other branch to Uskoplje (that is, Zelenica and Dubrovnik). It is important to emphasize that in the town of Uskoplje (2km before Ivanica) we had another junction, where one branch goes to Zelenica (Montenegro), and the other to Dubrovnik (Croatia).
Construction of the railway began in 1898 and ended in 1901. During its existence, Ćiro connected places in Herzegovina and brought them life, and today the railway has been reconstructed into a bicycle path.
Track available at the link : https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/ciro-heritage-mtb-trail-5bce843?u=m&sh=0zvzk1
PLEASE NOTE: The dates of the event are created at the beginning of the year and are of a tentative nature, and depend on several aspects, such as the weather forecast, the calendar of events in the area, etc. We confirm the exact date of the event one month before it takes place, and we create Facebook events and send notifications to all interested participants. Thank you for understanding.
Organizer
The association for the promotion of cycling "Hercegovina bicycling" was created as a result of the need to promote cycling in Herzegovina in a comprehensive way, with the desire to gather around it all relevant cycling employees and cycling clubs in order to jointly try to brand Herzegovina as a region desirable for cycling, and which would ultimately contribute to the popularization and massification of cycling, but also to the creation of preconditions for the development of cycle tourism, which in recent years in Europe, but also in the world, is increasingly expanding and becoming an important tourist branch.
Association HerzegovinaBike was founded on February 8, 2013. and gathers members of cycling clubs from Herzegovina. Since its foundation, the association, together with the ministries of resources (Tourism, Culture and Sports), has been actively promoting cycling as cycling tourism first, and then as sport, recreation and a way of life. So far, we have presented a number of projects of active cycling as a sport and recreation, of which we would like to highlight: Bicycle caravans of friendship "Mostar - Vukovar" which gathered over 1,000 cyclists from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Croatia, International bicycle road races "Hercegovina Classic", International multi-day the "Blidinje BIKE Festival" event, which gathers thousands of cyclists and tourists from several countries through a three-day organization, and she was also the holder of the project to mark the European Car-Free Day and organized several cycling events in urban areas. Association "Hercegovina Bicikl" gathers cycling clubs from the areas of Mostar, Široki Brijeg, Posušje, Grud, Drinovac, Ljubuški, Čapljina, Neum, Trebinje, Ravno, Stolac, Jablanica and Rama.
The association for the promotion of cycling "Hercegovina bicycling" together with REDAH participates in several projects related to the sports and tourism promotion of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and independently implements the project "By bike through Herzegovina", which passed the competition of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Firmaprojekt fund of the established from USAID and SIDA organizations. The association is also an active partner in the revitalization project of the Austro-Hungarian narrow-gauge railway, popularly called Ćiro, a project that has received worldwide positive attention and has been covered by many foreign media, and which connected Mostar and Dubrovnik via a bicycle route. Also, together with the West Herzegovina County Office for EU Integration, we implement and actively participate in the implementation of the "CYCLING RURAL" project, which aims to promote rural tourism through bicycle paths and cycle tourism offers. Furthermore, for several years now, the association, in cooperation with the Bicycle Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina and tourist associations, has been implementing a training project for cycle tourism guides, and together with the Regional Development Agency of Herzegovina "REDAH" has been implementing the "Bike Friendly" project in which we educate motels, restaurants and inns about cycle tourism. cyclists as guests and we assign them BikeFriendly tags.
Venue
Stolac is located in the southeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the extreme east of Herzegovina-Neretva County. The city was built on the banks of the river Bregava, in the valley, and is surrounded by the mountains Hrgud and Vidovo polje; Križevac hill is almost in the center of the city and Krstac and Križane are also nearby.[1] To the east of Križevac is Komanje hill, Ošanići is to the west, Hrgud is to the north and Bacnik hill is to the south towards Hrasno and Neum.[2] The surrounding places are written with the pen of a rich cultural past. The very approach to Stolac from the western side is the Dubrava plateau, which is specific and famous for its peaches and, above all, the Dubrava vineyard for which Stolac's wines are known.
Climate
The climate is Mediterranean.[3] The storm reached speeds of up to 120 km/h in Stolac. The speed depends on the difference in temperature between Hrgud and Stolac and is exactly proportional: the greater the difference, the greater the speed.[4] The mean annual temperature is higher than 7 °C. Sunshine is 2,500 hours a year, an average of 6.4 hours a day.[5] The average annual cloud cover in Stolac is 4.5.[4]
Prehistory and antiquity
Drawing from Badanj cave
The Stolac area has attracted people since prehistoric times with its Mediterranean charm, good water, mild skies, gentle landscape and harmony of natural beauty. Illyrians and Greek sailors, Roman patricians, Eastern Gothic conquerors, Slavic dignitaries, Ottoman nobles, Venetian generals, Austro-Hungarian governors, and many devotees of the sun, the freshness of the Bregava River, cultural and historical values and secret messages from past centuries, left their mark here: castles and graves, names on plaques-messages for those who will come after them.
Stolac is an area with the longest and most luxurious history of urban life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it belongs to a small group of Balkan areas where material evidence of urban forms of life has been preserved for a period of over 3,500 years, which is the age of the last known finds of the Illyrian city of Daorson.
The continuity of the presence of the human community in the area of Stolac goes back 16,000 years. That there has been interest in living in this area since ancient times is evidenced by the places that surround it: the Badanj cave - a Paleolithic habitat, the fortified Illyrian city of Daorson, which inspires admiration with its cyclopean walls, and the famous stećak necropolises on Radimlja, Boljuni, Rotimlja and Vidoštak as well as the fortress of the Old Town itself. The Stolac area as a human habitat has existed continuously for 15,000 years. The name Stolac was given relatively late - the first known information is from the 15th century, and the development of Stolac can be traced through several names. The oldest name that we can record with certainty is Daorsoi, or Daorson, an Illyrian megalithic city in the village of Ošanjići above Stolac (IV-III centuries BC). Next comes the Roman municipium Diluntum, then castrum Vidoskij and loco dicto Stolaz, then Vidosich, Vidoski grad, Ottoman Ilce and IIstolce, then Vidoska and finally Stolac. Since the region is located in the Mediterranean climate, all kinds of fruit thrived, especially grapes.
Stolac was a city museum. The city with its historical heritage has been under the protection of UNESCO since 1980. Traces of human hands date back to 15,000 years ago, as evidenced by the drawings in Badanjska Pećina. These are descriptions of hunting details with a clear image of a horse (it is the Eneolithic era). The first inhabitants of the Balkans, the Illyrians, left their mark in the fortress Daorsonu, and the remains of the Roman fortress Diluntum were also found. There is also Radimlja with the famous stećak necropolis. There is also the grave of Jewish Rabbi Moše Danon in Krajšina. That place was and remains one of the Jewish sanctuaries, the second most important place of pilgrimage for Jews from all over the world.[8] Monuments, mosques, squares as well as churches, libraries were built during the Turkish rule. Later, the characteristics of the Mediterranean culture were added to these buildings.
