I never had any aspirations to ride a raid until I was approached by Adam, a co-worker who knew I liked to ride motorcycles off-road. After a bit of research it seemed like a fun opportunity but I still had my reservations:
• Chantil and I were planning to ride through the Alps and the dates of the Illyria Raid would conflict.
• I have never spent much time with Adam outside of work. Would we be able to get along for a week of sleeping in the same room and riding together over challenging terrain?
• I’ve never done an organized trip since I feel they are too constrictive. I often want to slow down and enjoy taking pictures or planning side-trips. I also feel it is more cost effective to plan your own route, especially if you camp instead of staying at expensive hotels.
Six months before the date of the Raid, Chantil learned about a motorcycle event called “Girls on Top – Everest Base Camp”. It was an all-girls event guided by legendary Steph Jeavons – a British woman who rode around the globe and all seven continents on her Honda CRF250L. Her event was planned during the same time of the Illyria Road so we decided to have separate motorcycle vacations this year. She signed up for Girls on Top and I signed up for the Illyria Raid.
*Perhaps Chantil will write a blog about her Everest Base Camp trip (wink, wink).
Preparation
I was concerned about the weight of my BMW G650GS. It’s 440 lb wet-weight is not ideal for crossing challenging off-road terrain for a week-long event covering 2,200 km. My friend, Adam, offered to let me ride his Yamaha 250 but I am always weary of riding someone else’s motorcycle, especially over challenging terrain. I was also planning to ride from the end of the Illyria Raid at Croatia to Germany via 22 Alp passes. A 250cc motorcycle would not be ideal for this type of riding. So the decision was made – I’ll be riding ‘Apache’, my BMW mule.
Are you ready to rumble! Nearly 2,200 km crossing seven Balkan countries in seven days.
I’ve always been fascinated with flags. As a young boy, I would browse through atlases and marvel at the colorful flags of far away counties that I could only imagine in dreams. I am beyond excited to be adding the following counties to the windshield of my motorcycle. Let’s hope I don’t break a leg in Greece and ruin the whole three-week ride.
Since I was limited by vacation time (aren’t we all), I decided to have my motorcycle shipped to Greece using the services of EAO Racing, an off-road Rallye group in Belgium.
Some of the other bikes – Since this is an almost purely off-road trip most of the bikes are midsized enduro types.
It’s been proven that more stickers make a motorcycle go faster! 😆
Illyria Raid – Getting to the Starting Point
🗓: 6 Sep | 🌍: Flying from Düsseldorf, Germany to Ionnina, Greece
A week after dropping off my mule, Adam and I flew from Düsseldorf, Germany 🇩🇪 to Ionnina, Greece 🇬🇷
Burned by the metric system in Düsseldorf, Germany… Security wanted to throw this 2.75 oz travel size of shaving cream away because there was no milliliter label on it. I wasn’t willing to argue in the security line but afterward decided to look it up…
2.75 oz = 81.33 ml which is below the 100 ml limit. I went back, explained my case, and got back my shaving cream. Victory! A tiny 2.75 oz victory.
The Aegean Airbus A320 arrived for Athens! Months of preparation and planning and it’s starting to feel real!
Getting from Athens, Greece to Ionnina, Greece via Olympic Air was delayed a bit but all is well. Looking forward to reuniting with my motorcycle tomorrow!
🗓: 7 Sep | 🌍: Exploring a Bit of Ionnina, Greece
I had a lot of anxiety so I woke up early enough to get breakfast and walk around observing the town of Ionnina waking up.
The breakfast bar had some wonderful “feel good” signs. I’m a firm believer is surrounding yourself with positivity!
Adversity is just a small part of this wonderful life.
Greece is an interesting country. It appears that money was spent on infrastructure and building projects but then the money dried up – it’s collapsing from lack of maintenance. Sadly, many of the sidewalks in Ionnina look like this.
Graffiti is also a problem here. Much of it is really poor quality… but I happened to find this stencil art that was interesting enough to remember.
Some buildings are a bit run down but they still have a unique beauty about them. Perhaps it’s the various materials used and the decorative entrances?
Ferro animals also seem to be a problem here. This was one of three cats that seemed to be living in a small hole inside a crumbling home.
Lake Ionnina was quite and peaceful in the early morning.
The different shades of blue in the layers of the hills was especially picturesque.
A uniquely molded fence surrounds the lake along the walking path.
Enjoying the solitude and beauty for a brief moment.
It’s all Greek to me 😂 !
Our walk back to the hotel, took us through the residential apartment area of town.
I ran across this old gas pump that had been abandoned for some time. I found the mechanical gears and number wheels to be interesting.
I passed by a gallery of an artist that adds a bit of modern illustration techniques to an old art form.
We walked back to the hotel, packed up, and hopped in a cab that took us to the Epirus Palace Hotel where we were going to register and then start the event the following day.
Epirus Palace Hotel
I was definitely impressed when we were dropped off at the Epirus Palace Hotel…
…with its large welcoming lounge area.
Just outside the hotel in the parking area I was reunited with my mule ‘Apache’ – It’s been A WHOLE WEEK! Thanks to EAO Racing for getting my mule safely to Greece!
Rider 145 and Apache are ready to ride starting tomorrow! There are about 60 other riders on the raid – Most of them were on dirt bikes, some four-wheelers, and one side-by-side.
We spent much of the afternoon making sure the motorcycles were gassed up and ready for the next days early start.
In the evening the hotel come alive with lighting, dinner, and dancing.
No dancing for me. I sat by the pool and tried to calm my anxiety of riding in my first raid event.
That night we received a nice dinner and then were briefed on the next timings and route. Tomorrow will be day 1 of a week of off-road riding through some of the most beautiful scenery of southeastern Europe.
Check out PAGE 2 to enjoy Day 1 of the Illyria Raid…
Illyria Raid – Day 1 of 7
🗓: 8 Sep | 🌍: Ionnina to Kastoria, Greece
Day 1’s route is 270 km of riding from Ionnina to Kastoria, Greece and will have four off-road sections. I’m riding a pretty big bike compared to most of the other riders so we’ll see how it goes!
We passed through a handful of small Greek town today with their narrow roads and brick buildings with red clay shingled roofs.
The views were breathtaking and often reminded me of my home state of Colorado.
My BMW 650 and Adam’s Yamaha 250. I think he had more fun on a smaller bike.
Some unique trees along the trail.
In the morning we climbed a mountain trail that rewarded us with views of the clouds in the valley below.
We saw a lot of stray dogs along the trail.
Much of the roads today looked like this. It is best to avoid coming around corners at too fast a speed.
The late afternoon blesses us with this view of the sun and clouds.
Signs to places I can’t pronounce.
Overall is was a wonderful day of riding a variety of off-road trails and remote two lane roads.
We came down this blissful road!
Memorials can be often seen dotting the roadside.
There was a small section of beautifully restored road as well!
I destroyed any notions of not dropping my mule on the first day! We came across a section of trail that had a recent rain shower and it made the trail muddy and super-slick. I ended up dropping the bike twice in the slippery mess.
The last part of the route took us through some prairie farm land.
A great day of riding and enjoying the countryside of Greece!
Enjoy this video highlighting Day 1 of the Illyria Raid.
By the end of the day we covered 270 km from Ionnina, Greece to Kastoria, Greece. The off-road sections were not too difficult but they were long. Adam and I ended up riding for 11.25 hours today!
Check out PAGE 3 to enjoy Day 2 of the Illyria Raid…
Illyria Raid – Day 2 of 7
🗓: 9 Sep | 🌍: Kastoria, Greece to Pogradec, Albania
Today the raid covered 215 km from Kastoria, Greece to Pogradec. Albania.
The first climb rewarded us with some incredible views of Lake Orestiada, Greece.
Once we entered Albania, the mode and environment changed – People were obviously much poorer but they seemed to wave and smile more.
Shortly after I snapped this picture, I stopped to tighten a loose screw on my windscreen. While I was tightening the screw, Adam went into SPASTIC MODE waving his arms and pulling his helmet off!?! What is going on?…
It turns out there was a spider LIVING IN ADAM’S HELMET!!?! He wasn’t sure how long it was in there but he was glad that is didn’t decide to crawl on his face while he was riding. If that had happened to me and if I had packed a flame-thrower, I would have burned the spider and helmet into a molten plastic mess on this remote dirt road of Albania. Frightening! PTSD stuff for sure!
This is Omni, one of two boys who saw us park our motorcycles to take some pictures. They ran towards us and wanted to see the motorcycles up close. I offered to let them both sit on the seat but they shyly declined. They did each have a chance to start the engine and rev the motor though!
In every small town we passed through there were kids who wanted to give us high-fives and cheer us on as we rode through their neighborhoods. It made Albania one of my favorite countries of the raid.
Another beautiful day for exploring the backroads of another country – Albania 🇦🇱!
While trying to avoid a large muddy section, I got stuck in a deep marsh and the motorcycle fell over. After we got it back upright, Adam noticed the chain has come off. Fortunately this is about a 10 minute fix and I had all the tools to take care of it on the trail.
The supplied lunches were traditional meals from the local area and were very delicious. I could gain a lot of weight eating in the Balkans!
A nice home for Apache, don’t you think?
We explored this church building built in the early 1700s.
The wooden rafters of the ceiling contrasted against the stone pillars and walls of the church building.
A unique and modern building surprised me in this small town’s visitors center. We stopped at a nearby resturant to enjoy a couple coca-colas before continuing along the route.
The end of the day brought us to some highland prairie lands that offered some wonderful views.
One of my favorite pictures and memories of beautiful Albania.
Video highlights of Day 2. Overall, the off-road sections were challenging with many steep rocky hills, lots of rutted trails, and a long rocky stream section.
We ended up riding for 12 hours today and had to skip the last off-road portion in order to make it to the hotel before dark.
Day 3 continues on PAGE 4…
Illyria Raid – Day 3 of 7
🗓: 10 Sep | 🌍: Pogradec to Tirana, Albania
312 km!! Our mentality is more adventure minded than race minded so our pace is quite slow compared to the other folks. So we decided to cut off the first loop which means Macedonia 🇲🇰 will not be on the agenda this time ☹️. 240 km with most of it being off-road is still a long day. See you in Tirana, Albania 🇦🇱…
Albanians drive CRAZY! I can imagine the wrecking yards are full of vehicles just like this one.
Some of the UK riders traveling past us.
The main off-road section provided lots of picturesque landscape.
Cows, goats, horses, and donkeys are just tied to an anchored rope. No fences, just a bunch of tethered animals. Roaming wherever. This is going to nearly cause an accident later in the day…
The views continued to impress as we climbed higher and higher.
Adam was a rockstar on his 250cc Yamaha.
We stopped to wave and ask if we could take a picture. He agreed!
We rode our motorbikes up some pretty heinous hills full of various rocks in all their angryness! But the view at top made it all worth the effort.
Picturesque landscapes ALWAYS look better with a motorcycle. 😁
Taking a moment to take it all in. Albania, you continue to impress!
Another UK rider that I spoke with the very first day of the Riad. Apparently he went down hard a few days before the Raid and fractured his wrist. He decided to go ahead and ride it anyways. Hardcore!
Adam enjoying the beautiful day and our success at climbing the mountain road to this incredible view.
On the descend we rode by many beautiful farming villas.
Thousands of switchbacks going up and down.
The last trail portion of the ride provided views of the capital city of Albania – Tirana.
Doing good Apache! Sorry I drop you on the trail so much buddy.
We came across an old hotel sign…
Now it just reads Hotel ‘M’.
Islam is the primary religion in Albania and small mosques are in most towns.
Remember the animals tethered to ropes without fences? This donkey had his rope stretched across the trail we were riding on and I almost got my rear wheel stuck in it. Imagine me trying to maintain control of my motorcycle while dragging a donkey down the trail while some Albanian farmer is chasing me with a shovel!!
Driving on the streets of Tiranais was mental! The GPS route to the hotel was riddled with traffic and I didn’t see a single traffic light. Intersection seem like “free for alls”. Pure CRAZY, but in a strange way it was also fun – In a lawless, wild-west, kinda way!
Once we arrived at the hotel for the night we had our bikes and riding suit washed. Cost: 1 euro or 100 lek!
Enjoy a summary video of Day 3.
The Illyria Raid continues on PAGE 5…
Illyria Raid – Day 4 of 7
🗓: 11 Sep | 🌍: Tirana, Albania to Kolasin, Montenegro
Today we will be leaving Albania and heading to Montenegro – Our third country of the trip. With our “take our time and remember the experience pace”, 450km is WAY TO MANY KM for one day so we shortened it to just the first off-road section and then took to the pavement for the rest of the day.
The hotel had some interesting black-and-white artwork. This piece reminds me of Albanian streets – chaos!
The hotel seemed nice but we hardly enjoyed it because we check in, eat, get a brief on the next day, and then go to bed in order to get enough sleep for the next day.
We didn’t get a super early start so we had to deal with the chaos of Tirana traffic. Not how I like to start my day, but before long we were leaving town and enjoying the dirt under our tires once again.
An abandoned structure now looks like a home for squatters.
A former People’s Republic of Albania monument has become a target for shooting practice. This part of the trail seemed to have a lot of memories of the former Stalinist style of government that ended in 1998.
This area was the first defense during the hay-day of the Soviet Union. These bunkers were built all along the border from the 1960 to the 1980s. By 1983 a total of 173,371 bunkers had been constructed with 5.7 bunkers per every square kilometer!
A concrete fence post and barbed wire provides a reminder of a former military compound.
An interesting home in the mountains of Albania.
We came across this abandoned structure that looks like it used to be a church.
The cracking cement and brickwork looked interesting.
Mountains and evergreen trees!
Anytime you climb into the mountains expect switchbacks!
Once we reached pavement we were rewarded with amazing views of the incredible green colored river.
We notice this suspension bridge and decided to take a detour to see it up close.
Half of it looked like it was freshly restored…
The other half looked like this! It was a bit sketchy walking out to this section for the picture.
There was quite a long line waiting to enter Montenegro. Once we reached the customs booth, there was a little issue with my proof of insurance because it didn’t list my German plate number – only the model and VIN. Once I showed the VIN, the customs guy seems fine with it, stamped my passport, and send us on our merry way. A little delay…
…but the incredible mountain views and roads of Montenegro were worth it.
We didn’t stop too much because we were losing daylight but I did enjoy the steep cliffs rising from the river below. This stretch of road was some of the most enjoyable pavement so far.
It is sometimes easy to lose track of what day it is when your on vacation, but I didn’t fail to remember that today was 9-11. It doesn’t seem that long ago but there is a entire generation starting college this year that were born after 11 Sep 2001. Even through, I was half a world away, I took some time to remember the 2,977 victims of this senseless and horrific act that killed citizens from over 90 different countries.
Video highlight of Day 4.
Day 5 continues on PAGE 6…
Illyria Raid – Day 5 of 7
🗓: 12 Sep | 🌍: Kalason, Montenegro to Bjelasnica, Bosnia
Today we will explore three counties: Leaving Montenegro 🇲🇪 to explore a tiny bit of Serbia 🇷🇸 and ending the day in Bosnia 🇧🇦. This was our longest day by far with 13 hours of riding. We arrived at the hotel tired and well after dark.
Map of Day 5. Kolasin to Bjelasnica, Bosnia. The route coordinator recommended that we skip Serbia since Adam and I have a slower pace. I initially agreed until we got closer to the border and realized that the mud was not going to be as bad as forecasted.
The beginning of the morning was foggy and cooler but we quickly climbed above the fog to enjoy this wonderful view.
Some of the other riders from the Netherlands.
A great morning!!
It wasn’t too long before side-by-side vehicle (SSV) caught up to us. The pilot and navigator are both German and it was the only SSV in the raid. Admittedly, a SSV would be a lot of fun – and fast!
The plateau offered incredible views of rocky hills and natural grass.
Look closely – There was a herd of horses looking at our two wheeled machines with interest.
A brightly colored yellow metal roof stood out from the standard red or green ones. Every neighborhood has a show off who has to be different 😆
The plateau went on for miles and miles of golden beauty.
Signs to various places in Northern Montenegro. Fortunately, I used the Garmin GPSr with Europe maps and the route provided by the raid folks.
After descending the mountain, we arrived in a small town with this interesting architectural building. Hmmm… let’s go get a closer look…
…it looked abandoned. We parked the bikes and went for a closer look…
…Inside is was gutted. Eerie. I wonder what the story of this place was?
Other nearby buildings with their unique roof design. Wonder what is going on with the blue and red section of the roof?
Once we neared the Montenegro/Serbia border we decided to continue through to Serbia instead of skipping it. We had already missed one country, Macedonia, earlier in the week and didn’t want to miss out on another.
But we were delayed. We needed gas and there was a 30 minute delay and long lines at the fuel pumps in Montenegro. We patiently waited our turn and then made our way to Serbia.
Welcome to Serbia! The border was quick and easy with a relaxed vibe. Even the stray dogs were relaxed – barely lifted their heads as we motored through the checkpoint.
The off-roading in Serbia was a mix of forest logging and fire access roads. Once we reached the summit there were amazing views in nearly all directions.
Adam called these “God rays”.
Speaking of Adam, he showed a great amount of patience with me today. Last night we had agreed to skip Serbia due to time but today I changed my mind since I came to see and ride as many countries as I could. This decision really made it a long day and we ended up riding well into the night before getting to the hotel. Thanks Adam for hanging with me, brother! It was a long day but worth it!
Crossing the border from Serbia to Bosnia was really quick. Stray animals seem like a problem here as well. This guy is enjoying the warm sun along the side of the road.
Once we reached Bosnia we took pavement all the way to hotel. We’ll have some off-road time in Bosnia tomorrow…
Stopping along the road to capture memories of the beautiful countryside of Bosnia.
We arrived at our “lunch” spot in time for dinner. We were surprised to see our lunch host still there! We enjoyed a hearty meal of Ćevapi or ćevapčići (a grilled dish of minced meat) and delicious bread.
By the way, the lunches provided by the Illyria Raid staff was primo! Today was a classic example of the great tasting food and incredible service they provided. We were easily the last folks in the group today and the crew patiently waited for us before continuing along to the hotel a few hours away. Thanks guys!
I didn’t take any more pictures after this because we rode hard for the last three hours in order to reach the hotel and get ready for the next days brief and get some much needed rest. Until tomorrow…
Highlight video from Day 5.
Day 6 continues on PAGE 7. Hope you’re enjoying the journey…
Illyria Raid – Day 6 of 7
🗓: 13 Sep | 🌍: Bjelasnica to Kupres, Bosnia
Day 6 was one of our shortest days as we ride through Bosnia 🇧🇦. The feeling that this is going to end soon is starting to sink in.
Our favorite sections of Bosnia were the two sections of high prairie lands with wonderful tracks cutting across the vastness of beauty.
Low laying hills and golden grass for miles and miles.
Signs to places I can’t pronounce. The languages here are Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian!
The paved section took us by this emerald colored lake.
Another off-road section through some forested roads provided this view at the top.
A fellow North American! This is Michael, a Canadian who we met on the trail going the opposite way towards Montenegro. Check out his jacket – We’re twinsies!!
Beautiful country…
…but it helps to have a GPS since much of the signs look like this…
…or this. I wonder if our children’s children will even know what a road sign is once they have GPS retinal inserts.
I was enjoying the great weather, solitude, and beautiful scenery when…
…My worst crash yet. Excuse the cuss word, I just finished throwing myself and my mule on a rocky dirt road. 😠
I didn’t expect to film my crash since I only record short clips when I see something interesting or have a comment to make. Fortunately, I was able to capture it all, quite by accident, with the wonder of GoPro. Nice!
Falling was my biggest concern during the Illyria Raid since crashing/laying down my mule was extremely likely during the week-long 2200 km even. I was fortunate that it just knocked the wind out of me and bruised some ribs. A broken collarbone or cracked rib would have been the end of the trip.
Adam enjoying a wooden tower on the side of the trail.
Signs from different countries interest me, especially ones with children crashing through a yield sign!
Admittedly, I don’t know much about Bosnia other than the armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. This memorial was places to honor the dead.
The memorial was made of millions of tiny ceramic tiles!
After the memorial, we rode the last 3 km to the hotel and enjoyed talking to many of the other riders. It was nice to arrive at the hotel early for a change. 😜
Enjoy some video highlights from Day 6!
Tomorrow will be our last day of the raid. 😔 Check it out on PAGE 8…
Illyria Raid – Day 7 of 7
🗓: 14 Sep | 🌍: Kupres, Bosnia to Biograd, Croatia
The final day as we cover 284 km from Bosnia 🇧🇦 to our finish in Croatia 🇭🇷 – an easy day!
Good morning Bosnia! Another beautiful day. We ended up being blessed with wonderful weather the entire week-long event.
The off-road portions started through muddy forest roads…
…but soon we were enjoying the dryer, high prairie lands.
Funny story: My SD card for my GoPro was full so Adam let me borrow one of his. While holding two cards and putting one into my GoPro I dropped the other one down between the motorcycle seat and into the engine area. We searched for about 5 minutes without any luck so I started the motor and revved the engine until the card rattled out and fell on the ground. Victory!! No corrupted data – double victory!!
Not so victorious… This SSV had a collision with another motorcyclist from Switzerland (not in our group). They were both on the trail moving opposite one other and the rear tire of the SSV hit the foot peg of the motorcyclist. The motorcycle was damaged but ridable. A hole was ripped on the boot of the Swiss rider and a hole was ripped in the sidewall of the tire of the SSV!
Fortunately, no one was hurt seriously. The medical support crew, from our group, picked up the Swiss rider and had him checked out at a hospital and then brought to our hotel to recuperate. The navigator of the SSV ended up riding the Swiss riders motorcycle to the hotel. It was an unfortunate accident that ended about as good as it could have.
A pretty Christian church along the route.
It was a very muddy day today. At one point Apache was so stuck that we needed two people to free him from the deep mud.
Mud and grass in places it shouldn’t be!
The chain will have to be cleaned and oiled before I start the next two-week portion of my trip.
We debriefed the event and each participant received this memento to remember the trip.
Video highlights from Day 7.
Closing thoughts on the Illyria Raid
What an experience! Riding from Greece to Croatia via some of the most remote and beautiful trails in Europe was an adventure of a lifetime. We rode a total of almost 2,200 km and most of it was off-road. Each country was unique but Albania was the most memorable. The friendly waves, the bright smiles, the ‘high fives’ from giggling children, and the crazy traffic made it so unique and memorable.
Positives
- This was my first organized motorcycle trip event. The cost was a very reasonable €1790 ($1990) considering that all hotels, meals, routing (road-books and GPS), security for the motorcycles, mechanic, and medical support were all included. It costed me an additional €800 ($890) to ship my motorcycle and two large bags to the start-point in Greece. Because the organizers took care of everything I could just focus on riding the route. This is why I feel that organized trips are so popular – just show up and it’s all planned for you! However, it does come at a cost.
- Seeing six counties from the vantage point of the backroads and off-road trails provided a completely different way to see a country. Although, we were passing through quickly, we got to see the countryside, homes, and farms of average folks. Definitely not touristy!
Negatives
- My bike was just too heavy for this kind if event where the focus is on covering a lot of off-road miles in a single week. Many may wonder “since when is a 650cc heavy?” In the world of adventure motorcycles it is definitely on the lighter side. However, in the world if dirt bikes – it’s a heavy pig of a bike! My bike was the heaviest of all the motorcycle participants – some even called it “The Beast”. My bike was often a challenge to move around the trail and especially during very steep climbs or descents. Did it work? Of course it did, but a better tool for the trail would be a lighter dirt bike.
- The pace was just too fast for a relatively new rider like me. I was not comfortable riding at the speeds needed to get to the hotel well before dark so we rode nearly 10-12 hours every day. Riding that much, especially off-road, is physically exhausting at times. My hats off to professional rally riders who cover much larger distances at much higher speed.
How did the bike and rider fair?
- The bike did great despite how difficult some of the trails were. The kilometers of gravel and rocks did their best to rattle every bolt not torqued to spec. The bracket for my tool box broke and needed zip-tied. A bolt for my windscreen came loose but I noticed it and tightened it. My chain came off but was easily put back on and adjusted. I had to remove my throttle lock because it was effecting my throttle after I dropped the bike in a rocky section.
- As for me… I was pretty sore after each day and in the morning. Standing on the pegs of the motorcycle for hours a day is a lot of work. Having to maintain a high level of concentration is also mentally demanding. The worst was after my fall. I was thrown to the ground so hard that I had the wind knocked out of me. That evening I felt like my chest was bruised a bit and I had difficulty sleeping on that side. By the next day I was feeling much better.
Overall, a wonderful experience with many cherished memories but not something I would do again due to the constrains of time and having to be at a specific place each night.
Thanks to Adam Testor for approaching me and asking if I wanted to join him. You were a wonderful and patient motorcyle companion and roommate.