January 24, 2019 - The sunshine island of Hvar is expanding its tourism credentials beyond nightlife and the beach, as Suncani Hvar introduces more cycling initiatives.
Famed for its sun, beaches, lavender and vibrant nightlife, the island of Hvar is slowly adding another high-quality tourism offer to its already impressive repertoire - active tourism.
There have been a number of high profile sporting events held on Hvar in recent years, such as the Otillo Swim Run, which have added to the sporting calendar already populated by long-standing international events such as the 40-year-old 16km open sea swimming race, the Faros Marathon.
But one sport in particular has really taken off on Hvar in recent years, thanks largely to some very energetic efforts of enthusiastic locals - cycling.
Cyclists seem to be coming more plentiful on the island's roads (and off-road) in the shoulder months, replacing the rental scooters which are so fashionable with peak season tourists. The founding of adventure tourism agency, Hvar Adventure, back in 2005, first put adventure tourism on the map, but in recent years, things have gotten a lot more organised, particularly on the cycling front.
More agencies are now offering active tours on Dalmatia's islands, and better organisation has allowed cycling and island-hopping to become a reality. The islands of Brac, Hvar and Korcula, in particular, are popular destinations.
Hvar Life, an agency which is related to the original Hvar Adventure, has breathed life into the island's cycling story, and a number of initiatives with leading hotel group, Suncani Hvar, has led to the profile of cycling on Hvar going international.
The best example of this was in December 2017, when Bahrain Merida, one of the world's top cycling teams, descended on Hvar for 10 days for their winter training. The complete Bahrain Merida team, some 75 strong - stayed at the Suncani Hvar Pharos, hvar bayhill hotel, the first cycling hotel on the island.
Included in the team was World Champion Vincenzo Nibali, who was very complimentary about the riding conditions and challenges on Hvar.
The Bahrain Merida visit was a great success all round, and the team returned to Hvar last month for a repeat. A great promotion for the Hvar cycling story.
Meanwhile, as part of the 150-year celebrations of the oldest organised tourism in Europe, a special cycle ride was organised, which started in Greece. A group of island riding enthusiasts cycled from the island of Paros all the way to the Stari Grad Plain, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that was first cultivated by the Greeks from Paros some 2,400 years ago. The fields of this fertile plain are today filled with vineyards and olive groves and cultivated much the same way as they were all those years ago. It is a very popular cycling route, connecting Stari Grad with Jelsa and Vrboska, and there is even a cycling race - Cycling Through Heritage - held every year.
The good news is that you don't have to be a world champion to cycle on Hvar, but if you do want to get into training and improve, Suncani Hvar Hotels have teamed up with both Hvar Life and Meridien Ten, two great cycling agencies, to bring 4 cycling training camps to Hvar, which will be run by nutritional adviser and top cycling and triathlete, Miro Bebic, above.
Mijo was born in Split in 1978. In his childhood he was active in rowing and was actually in the rowing champion team of Croatia couple of times. He graduated from Maritime High School in Split and began his maritime nautical studies at Maritime University to become a nautical officer, but although he truly likes and enjoys the sea, he never went to work on the big ships, because his interests and dedication to sport led him to some different shores. And so his ”cruises” continued, still keeping him constantly on the move – swimming, biking, running – and dedicating himself to triathlon, firstly just on a recreational basis which later led to competing in national and international races. He is also a licensed spinning instructor, personal trainer, group trainings leader and nutrition adviser. When not training or working, Mijo really enjoys playing Picigin – a traditional game played exclusively on sandy Bačvice beach in Split (The goal of this game is to impress the watchers by keeping the ball dry while doing crazy stunts in shallow water. The Picigin World Championship takes part each year in June, so if you are lucky to be here, you might see him at his best).Mijo’s philosophy is - Give everything you have, take just what you need!
The cycling camps will be held in the shoulder months, when the temeperatures are cooler and the roads less busy. Suncani Hvar will be hosting Hvar Life groups at Hotel Amfora and Meridien Ten at Hotel Adriana on the following dates:
31/03-05/04 – Meridien Ten
21/04 - 28/04 – Hvar Life
20/10-25/10 – Meridien Ten
27/10 - 03/11 – Hvar Life
You can get a flavour of what the bike camp will be like here.
Looking to learn more about Hvar or cycling? Visit the new Total Croatia website for an introduction to cycling in Croatia and Hvar in a Page.
