What happens when you mix world-class mountain biking with jaw-dropping landscapes, ancient cities, and crystal-clear Adriatic waters? You get one of the most unforgettable adventures of a lifetime.
Join us as we spend two epic weeks travelling through Croatia and Slovenia—racing the legendary 4Islands Epic MTB stage race and soaking up everything this stunning part of the world has to offer.
Our journey begins in Zagreb, winds across the border into Slovenia, and then takes us across the rugged beauty of the Croatian islands—Mali Lošinj, Krk, and Cres—where we ride, race, and recover in postcard-perfect harbours and forests. After conquering the 4Islands challenge, we slow things down with a soul-refreshing detour into Istria, followed by a visit to the breathtaking Plitvice Lakes UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We wrap it all up with time spent in the historic coastal gems of Split and Dubrovnik—where centuries-old stone streets meet sunsets over the Adriatic. From mountain bike adrenaline to moments of quiet awe, this trip had it all.
This video captures the essence of what drives us: movement, challenge, nature, and presence. It’s a reminder to explore the world with your heart open and your wheels spinning—because you only live once.
🎥 Ride along. Explore more. Feel it all.
🌍 Locations featured: Zagreb • Slovenia • Mali Lošinj • Krk • Cres • Istria • Plitvice Lakes • Split • Dubrovnik
🚴♂️ Race: 4Islands Epic MTB Stage Race
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[Music] heat Heat [Music] Heat up [Music] here Heat Heat [Music] [Music] He goes again Heat Heat [Music] Right Good afternoon and welcome back to the channel and more importantly welcome to our next adventure We’re uh we’re in Croatia at the moment We landed in Zagreb which is the capital city of Croatia this morning We’re here to do a mountain bike ride of all things Um and also to have a little bit of a holiday and explore Croatia We landed this morning As I said we’re waiting for our friends to arrive They’re going to arrive tomorrow and then Ronald and I will tackle what’s called the Four Islands Epic which is a mountain bike um ride across Four Islands as it says And um that starts on Tuesday midm morningish and we’ll have 5 days of riding and then about another week of exploring what we hope will be the beautiful country of Croatia So far so good The weather’s lovely It’s about 23° We’re walking around in t-shirts Um although we were told this morning that the weather last night or the temperature last night dropped to minus one It’s hard to say with blue skies and warm uh warm vibes at the moment that it was that cold last night but uh that’s what the driver told us Anyway we uh we’ve spent a little bit of the day already walking around Zagreb Um yeah there’s a there’s a lot of history here We’re currently walking through the old town Um and we’re on our way to go and do a bit of a wine tasting So we’ll see what that’s all about Um didn’t sleep that well on the plane so we’ll probably have an early night this evening But we’re going to kick it off with a wine tasting and uh yeah we’ll keep you posted on the adventures over the next two weeks Um as well as the ride and we’re looking forward to a yeah a good time in [Music] Croatia that we had to put to sleep Hope that we can break this [Music] spell Heat Heat [Music] if you want [Music] it So the one thing about Zagreb at the moment is that there’s a lot of restoration of buildings that’s happening Um the big uh theater the big cathedral a lot of the museums apparently were damaged in an earthquake a couple of years ago So yeah there’s basically restoration happening all over all over the show Um so if you are coming to visit some of the historic places museums you probably need to give it another year or two cuz I think this uh this project is going to carry on for a while [Music] Clearly it’s a springtime in Europe and everybody’s celebrating ing with flowers and palms It’s also Palm Sunday so there’s a lot of uh a lot of branches being bought in celebration of Palm Sunday I guess But uh yeah springtime in Europe very different to springtime in Africa I can tell you that for sure [Music] [Music] Karen and I spent the first night of this trip in Zarreb as we needed to wait for our friends Ronald and Georgie to arrive from the UK The next morning however we left Zagreb and headed west towards the islands off the coast of Croatia but not before a quick detour across the border into Slovenia where we spent a night in a beautiful thousand-year-old castle [Music] Heat Heat [Music] [Music] Heat Heat [Music] So [Music] This is just going to [Music] So the good news is that we have made it to the start of the Four Islands Epic We’re at uh we’re on the island of Marley Ling Um it’s a bit of a weather system that we uh that we’re dealing with at the moment Lots of uh rain out there a little bit of wind Um they’re predicting high winds for tomorrow which is the start of the prologue Um but we’re on the island We uh we spent last night in Slovenia Had a wonderful time there Um but really the whole point of visiting Croatia was to do this bike race And um we’re now checked in We’ve registered We’ve built the bikes up and uh yeah we’re just praying for uh for good weather over the next couple of days But let’s see how it goes It’s time to conquer the rocks Over 270 km 6,000 m of climbing Right we’ve just collected the bikes We are getting I guess prepped for prologue stage one Prologue back And uh yeah the weather is miserable It is raining Proper British weather Proper British weather So we’ve come all the way to the islands to get some proper British weather But the good thing is the bikes are all in working order The pressures have been checked on the wheels and uh now we play the waiting game Waiting for our start time which is at 21 minutes 1 this afternoon How you feeling Peg Oh always pensive riding with the big dog But uh you’ll just have to wait for me [Music] Right we’re 20 minutes before start It stopped raining In fact there’s a little bit of sunlight even So yeah perfect [Music] timing Here we are The team welcome to the island [Music] Go and mark off they go Team 1 2 4 3 2 1 go Ronald [Music] So the rain has held up which is lacker first official little climb of the four islands epic underway [Music] Come on Come on [Music] [Music] First proper muddy rocky descent of 2025 over and done with We survived May the rest of the B race be just as safe and just as [Applause] fun Just making our way through the little forest here and we’ll hit the finish line any any minute now Stay on hold [Music] [Applause] So the bikes are successfully checked into the bike park to get bike the bike boat to get service tonight That is the bike boat and we are now trying to find our accommodation for the evening which uh is going to be floating We just don’t know which floating vessel we’ll be sleeping on tonight but we’ll hopefully solve it quite quickly Welcome to the Symphony which is uh our yacht for the next week as we ride the race Um yeah it’s beautiful Beautiful Apart from the weather lovely way to spend the next week And um yeah we’re going to move pretty much from island to island over the next couple of days as we uh as we finish the stages of the race But yeah first first day first hour on board And uh we’re going to eat here we’re going to sleep here we’re going to move around from island to island So it should be [Music] fun Heat [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat Heat [Music] Heat [Music] Heat Heat [Music] Today is the start of stage one Weatherwise it’s cleared up overnight Uh we don’t have any any rain forecast for today but the winds are pretty high Um in fact seasonally they reckon it’s quite unusual and they’re a little bit afraid to uh to move the yachts between the islands So they’re trying to find a a bit of a gap in the when the wind dies down to to move all the the yachts and the and the crew to the next island But that’s not my problem That is their problem I’ve got to move my bicycle from the start of stage one to the end of stage one Um yeah it’s a 40 km stage about 900 m of climbing today Uh I think it’s going to be a good day on the bike just given the fact that there’s no rain and hopefully the mud has dried up uh with all of this wind overnight So looking forward to it Feeling good Um yeah let’s see what the day holds But uh in the meantime check out these views [Music] [Music] But how you feeling today pick Yeah All right Riding with the big dog who’s always uh chasing his tail but uh we’ll keep him on a leash and uh yeah no rain which is a big tick Exactly And uh we have the supporters crew with us and they are going to be chilling on the the island today So let’s hear from the supporters quickly Girls what’s the plan for the day Good morning And doing a little bit of cycling maybe a little bit of a trail Go for a walk work off this breakfast that we’ve been wellfed with Nice There we go Good day planned Let’s hope it pans out that way [Music] [Music] [Music] You’re the fest today I love you the most and I hope you have fun today Go go go go go Best of luck everybody Have fun out there Enjoy conquering the rocks We’ll see you back here Not too short Not too long over time Let’s go Have a great day today See you back on the finish line [Music] Say it again Some will take too far Half awake fading heart behind this You don’t care at all Sure A little bit of drama already We’ve seen one lady fall another guy basically come down a little hill break his nose Looks like another guy wipe out in the mud All action here today All that we got left this solid [Music] ground All we knew is left and found [Music] So pretty good ride so far This uh little tar road climb goes to the highest point on the ride today which I assume is at the peak of this island So yeah it’s a little bit of a slow and steady climb and then hopefully some exciting descending memory for all time But behind this there is no place I call it fade I’ve just faded just beautiful beautiful scenery here Yeah Heat Almost there 3K to go Finish line coming up You say your banana sweet Africa [Music] friends Let’s go gentlemen [Music] Right So that is stage one done and dusted Uh quite a technical stage Um quite a few steep climbs and some yeah some really rocky descents 40 kilometers just over 1,000 meters of climbing but uh all good And the main thing was that we had pretty decent weather today A bit windy but no rain which is good and blue skies Hopefully the weather stays the way it is now for the rest of the week We’ll see Um anyway we’re on our way now to get our bikes checked in and drop them off with the mechanic so they get a service tonight and uh get them all ready for tomorrow’s stage So yeah let’s um plan for the afternoon We’ll be to go and chill on the yacht Looking forward to that So the wind is back Uh this the waters are pretty choppy The um the plan for today due to the the wind and the weather situation is that we’re going to get bust through to stage two which is today It’s the third day of riding but it’s stage two And um the reason we’re getting bust there is because the yachts are not going to go out um out of the harbor into the Andreatic Sea just because it’s too rough So yeah a little bit of a pity We we had a good night’s rest on the boat Um and it would be nice to be kind of sailing to the next stage but hopefully we’ll get to do that tomorrow Today however we’ll get past there It’s um it’s a 70 km stage 1,800 m of climbing Um it’s going to be windy it’s cloudy but they’re not expecting rain which is a bit of a blessing And uh hopefully the rain does stay away but um yeah the winds are meant to be pretty ferocious today So yeah it’s probably going to be a tough day on the in the saddle but um yeah we’ll take some some footage show you what it’s all about and uh we’re moving up to Crest Island for stage two in about half an hour [Music] [Music] lots of wind Clouds are back We are Yeah just hoping the rain stays away but we’re definitely in for a windy day And we’re waiting for the bus now which is uh supposed to be arriving a little bit late Yeah we’re hanging out with some of the other riders and we’re only starting in a couple of hours so it’s going to be a bit of a lazy morning but we’ll start just now Got supporters in check So let’s Yeah we’re ready first Supporter number two Had our coffee We’re ready for the day Ready to rock and roll Heat Heat [Music] made it to the next island and um we’re just walking to find the ferry that has all the bikes It’s a bike park and then uh we’ll get ready to ride stage two How do you relax today That’s it [Music] [Music] [Music] And after two days of competition on top the proud owners of yellow leaders jerseys B Mega Moore Hans Becky [Applause] [Applause] found And we are offer to back No stretching Go and enjoy it [Music] Quick systems check We’re 12 km in Mostly climbing Um I think the first 18 km of today are all about the climbs We’re probably a couple of hundred meters above sea level now having started at the harbor So yeah another 6ks of this I think we get to about 450 m and uh hopefully we can enjoy some downhill after that But yeah weatherwise not too bad Nice and cool to ride in No rain yet which is great And uh yeah just beautiful being out in uh in the nature It’s very good [Music] [Music] Keep going Keep going [Music] Okay We’re up here on the hill now We’re at 730 m after 20 km And um yeah temperatures dropping fast big thick clouds above I hope we can beat the rain But so far so good Saw the saw the supporters at the first water point which is nice And uh yeah just soaking up the sounds of the forest at the moment Nice and tranquil [Music] going up Came down Now we’re going up We are 37.3 km in 1,100 m of climbing done We still got about another 700 m of climbing and yeah about another 33 35 km So we’re just over halfway I think the water point is coming up We’ll have a little stop there fill our water bottles and uh get ready for the second half [Music] [Music] [Music] So we’ve got yeah just under 20ks to go and um little bit of rain couple of drops but it’s now on this side of the It seems a bit warmer and a bit of sunshine which is lacker But yeah so far so good [Music] [Music] 10ks to go and this brutal rocky stony climb to finish the day Sure Just going on and on Okay Yeah [Music] [Music] [Music] Okay there’s the harbor baby So that means the descent is coming The sweet sweet descent Couple of little stingers left in the tail here [Music] [Applause] though Almost done Just waiting for Ronald to catch up and we’ll go down together But yeah so far Croatia is delivering When they say conquer the rocks they’re not kidding eh Um I expected better weather but it’s still beautiful nonetheless [Music] United Kingdom coming crossing the finish line Stage [Music] [Music] two little weather report Morning Weather report the link there They saw I tell you get some good sleep No nothing’s been good in the last 24 [Music] hours Right Good morning As you can see the waters are calm Uh still a few clouds in the air but uh the good news is that they’re expecting to move the boats today So um the boats take about 4 or 5 hours to get to the next island We are not going to go on the boat as it makes its way to the the next island We’re going to go on the the buses ride our stage and uh we’ll finish in a town called Basa and the boats will be at Basa So yeah we get to finally move out of Mali Las uh which has been beautiful but uh we’d also like to experience a little bit of time on the water So that’s the good news Um in fact it’s all good news No rain expected today Um calm seas and like I said the boats will be moving to the next town So looking forward to it legs are a little bit tired after yesterday’s stage But today is day four of riding stage three today Uh slightly shorter stage 66 km and about 1,600 m of uh of climbing I think the terrain’s going to be pretty much the same Um lots of rocks but uh yeah looking forward to getting stage three day four uh underway Heat Heat Heat [Music] plan for today A little uh bus trip to the not even the start actually the bus trip to the ferry Then we’re going to uh hop on the ferry Got a half an hour journey across the water to the island that we’re going to be uh having a little cruise around today Um weather looks good Weather looks It’s going to be probably the warmest day we’ve had No wind which is a big tick after yesterday Um yeah I’ll just keep Great’s Red Mist under control and all will be well Pack the shorts in hope that it’s going to be uh a bit sunnier and warmer and no wind So yeah we’ll come and uh hopefully get to the first water point and come and see you boys through Nice Karen what’s your plan for the day Ready and waiting Ready and waiting for what You boys You wait long A little bit long [Music] Heat [Music] Heat [Music] Heat [Music] Heat Heat Heat Heat Heat And our final shot this [Music] morning It rained here last night The rocks are super slippery covered in moss Makes for quite a challenging climb But yeah nice beautiful forest that we’re going through now [Music] Heat [Music] Heat Heat Heat [Music] Now that is a proper view [Music] Systems check We are 27 km in 519 m climbed Um yeah it’s warming up Beautiful day Um very remote island This lots of little stone alleyways The guys were saying some of these stone walls are over a thousand years old which is just amazing to think about as you ride through them But uh yeah peaceful quiet beautiful Couldn’t ask for a better day on the bike Check this out [Music] 41 km 858 m and climbing [Music] [Applause] frogs I love your madness It’s so incredibly beautiful We’ve just had we’ve we’ve just had an awesome descent A little bit of mud as you can see We’re trying to keep clean the whole day missing the little puddles But that little valley we went through now just full of mud So we’ve definitely we can say we’ve mountain bike today It looks like we’re on a quite a steep climb Luckily it’s Tar And uh to my right is the most gorgeous gorge valley whatever you want to call it I’ll show you some pictures once we get around the hill But up ahead some support crew Where you guys from Germany Germany Where you from South Africa There we go Some German tourists in Croatia [Music] What a day What a day Yeah I want it all Could care less the cost I give you my everything Some would say I’m insane in the running away but I just love to play in the fun Always hungry for more That’s just how I was born Take me somewhere I don’t know Give me your freedom Oh great point Welcome to the first I keep it [Applause] We have made it to the town of Bashka Day four stage three It is a beautiful little island This check this out And over there is our boat accommodation for the night [Music] Give me your freedom Wo yeah to pieces Yeah I need it [Music] [Applause] [Music] So we’re on the boat and we are finally on the move The waters are calming up and uh we’re going to leave Bashka tonight I don’t know where we’re going to stay I’ll tell you when we get there but um yeah it’s good to be it’s good to be moving Um weather’s good I think we’re going to We got a couple of hot tubs going here I think we get a drink watch the sun go down while we cruise to the next destination [Music] Thank you [Music] [Music] That’s so wonderful [Music] Good morning and welcome to stage four or day five on the bike Um we’re on the move as you can see We spent the night last night in Kirk City which is the little harbor behind me and we’re now making our way to Bashka for the start of this final stage Um the weather is a little bit uh chilly It’s cloudy Looks like there’s a bit of rain in the air Hopefully by the time we get to Bashka it would have blown over and uh we’ll have some good riding weather for the final stage Check it out Heat Heat [Music] [Music] It’s so awesome What’s the plan What’s the race strategy for the last day here Pick the race strategy for the last day I like consistency and uh I like stability in the pack Mhm And just got to keep the great old red mist under control And if it’s not under control you can just wait to the top of the hill and then it’ll calm down So all is good Well I’m going to propose that uh seeing as this is the last day and we’re not riding tomorrow that uh we can burn a few more matches today Can we Yeah And what happens if I run out of matches before the end No we’ve only got 70ks 70ks left and we’re there We’ll we’ll light a few more matches than yesterday Loss and we will uh to run out of matches and then we’ll we’ll enjoy it How’s this for a beautiful setting M fact that what a beautiful way to wake up Little boat trip this morning Breakfast on the sea and uh few clouds to keep it nice and cool for a little climb out And uh yeah keep that sweat under control Yeah They uh 30 30 minutes to 30 minutes to race time Is it I think so It’s round about that Supporters in full flow as well Supporters ready to support Fantastic stage four underway for UCI men here this morning Here we go Go go go go go Best of luck everybody Heat [Music] Heat Heat [Music] up here [Music] 17 km in Done about 500 m of climbing Feels like we’ve been climbing all morning Just uh waiting for my partner to catch up here Quick systems check 28 km 700 m climbing We’re in one of the rare flats in Croatia And uh we just passed the water point We got out of first gear second today Woo Heat Beautiful bissimo Right 65 km on the clock 1,600 m of climbing done We are within the five last 5 km of this four islands epic 2025 And uh yeah can smell the finish line smell the cold beer It’s all going down baby Coming up to the final kilometer [Music] Let’s go Let’s go The ladies have been waiting here for the last 2 hours Come on Hey you come here 2 1 Let’s give a round of applause What a day Right the race is over and uh the bikes are just being cleaned up I’m on my way now to the bike park just to break the bike down and um pack it in its bike box ready for transport back to South Africa Um yeah it’s been an amazing amazing race Really good time Croatia is beautiful It’s uh it is rocky The the mantra of this ride is conquer the rocks and literally that is what this race is all about There are rocks everywhere But the natural beauty is something that uh has to be seen to be believed And I always say if you want to see a country you want to see parts of a country you really need to get on your bicycle and uh yeah cross cross country on your bicycle because that’s how you get to experience the culture That’s how you get to experience the scenery the natural beauty It really is quite incredible the forest that we went through today the mountains the single tracks the the coastline just so so so special Um but as with all things they come to an end and uh this race has now come to an end We will be going to Switzerland in August to attempt the Swiss Epic So uh yeah that’ll that’s uh something to keep training for something to try and keep fit for And um yeah that’s what the next biking adventure is all about So until then enjoy the the scenes here in Croatia the beaches and uh we’ll see you in Switzerland You’re okay You’re okay You’re okay [Music] Good morning from Manetti Managete wine estate It’s a beautiful uh establishment here in Istria which is known for its white wines We had a lovely uh dinner last night and uh yeah it’s a little bit cool this morning We about 2 kilometers from the coastline So we’re actually just going to try and find some bicycles Our bikes are packed up in the boxes and uh we’re going to see if we can take a little ride down to the coastline Let’s see what we can [Applause] [Music] find [Music] Heat up [Music] [Music] here Heat Heat [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat [Music] Heat Heat [Music] up here [Music] So we’ve just arrived in the Plit Plitvitz um lakes region And we are staying in the most magnificent forest Uh it’s a nature reserve Yeah this place is famous for its lakes and the little waterfalls Um so we’ll hopefully get to go and explore those a little bit later and I’ll show you what those look like But uh yeah check this out in the meantime [Music] Check Yeah [Music] I see different just where it was needed as night justice Clickfice Lakes is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia and in 1979 was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list for its outstanding and picturesque lakes caves and connected waterfalls Honestly this is one of the most beautiful natural settings I have ever seen At 296 km in size it contains a series of 16 connected lakes that are surrounded by tens of kilometers of hiking trails and an incredible 20 km of continuously maintained boardwalk It should definitely be on your list to see if you ever plan to visit Croatia [Music] I feel just what it was needed Green in the blackest night Justice and the eyes of time Nobody is losing [Music] Spirals will be here by when we over [Music] there My eyes will [Music] always Heat Heat [Music] [Music] [Music] I can wait Oh I [Music] know [Music] Heat Heat [Music] Right we currently find ourselves in the beautiful town of Dubravik We arrived yesterday afternoon having spent the previous day in Split uh which was also a beautiful little harbor town Um lots of medieval places to go and explore and visit but uh this town is something magical It’s uh obviously the location of the Game of Thrones um series So lots of little nooks and crannies to explore We did that this morning Um and tomorrow that island we’re going to go and uh catch a ferry to the island and walk around And apparently there’s a there’s a monastery on the top and some botanical botanical gardens which are worth visiting But uh right now we are taking a little stroll into the old town to go and have a sundowner uh and find a place to eat and yeah just basically take in to Bronik Check this out [Music] Our time in Croatia was fast coming to an end as we spent our last day soaking up the sights and sounds of Dubravnik wondering what it was like to be a merchant in this historic trading port thousands of years ago It’s trips like these with friends like Ronald and Georgie that keep the spirit of adventure alive and well and remind us why it’s so important to get out and live your life After all you only live [Music] once Heat Heat Heat Heat [Music]
1 Comment
Living the dream Graeme. Beautiful trip and well done to you and your mate