The 3-day bikepacking event from Ljubljana to the Croatian border and back returned. With the biggest field of participants we've seen so far, prime gravel roads, and a twist: this time we rode to our beloved Kamp Beli Gaber and stayed for two nights! Chances are high we will keep it that way. Read on to find out why.
Our partnership with the Loose Cycles bike shop in Ljubljana resulted in a yet another successful bikepacking event. After Loose at the Coast this spring, Loose in the Woods (LITW) was our second event of the year and our second Loose edition in the forests of Notranjska (read about last year's LITW here). A lot has changed in the meantime, since gravgrav is now a non-profit collective, but the core idea of our joint adventures stays the same. They were never designed as races and they are not guided tours either. They are self-supported in theory, but in practice the riders are supported by the community that is building around these events. So we tend to ride together (more or less), gather at the campsite, and repeat the next day. After weeks of preparation, we finally gathered for the grand départ at Loose Cycles on July 31st with the biggest attendance we've seen so far.
When we say the biggest attendance, we are not talking records or thousands of people. We are talking about 50 riders who share the love for gravel and bikepacking and enjoy some good campfire talks in the evening (actually, campfires were off the table this year since Slovenia was under a high wildfire danger warning throughout the event - but the conversations happened anyway.)
This year, five of the available spots went to scholarship recipients: riders joining their first proper bikepacking trip through the Loose Cycles x gravgrav Bikepacking Scholarship. Seeing them out there was one of the highlights of the weekend. The scholarship itself was a first attempt, put together on a rather tight timeline and with a fair share of improvisation, but it worked. We are already thinking how to do it even better next time while the recipients will have their own say on that in the coming weeks. Expect some cool stories!
The group was as colorful as ever. We had everything from the fast people who wanted to push long and hard days, the party pace group in wide colorful shirts, the "e-dads" as we call our e-bike crew, and everything in between. We even had a Brompton rolling in the group! The mood from start to finish was wonderful. Of course there were small groups forming on and off the road, but in general the whole group was in good spirits, and we had people laughing with each other all 3 days. In contrast to last year's edition, the entire group stayed together for the first 30 km all the way to Vrhnika, and what a sight it was - a gravel peloton on dusty roads of Ljubljansko Barje.
Our (forest) home away from (sauna) home
Two nights at Beli Gaber allowed us to leave the bags and luggage at the camp the second day and ride a loop around the camp unloaded, while the first and last day were point-to-point stages: from Ljubljana to the camp and back. Riding quiet gravel roads through the shade of the forests was a perfect way to escape the scorching heat of Slovenia's capital.
On the second day, riders could choose between a long(er) and a short(er) loop. Make no mistake, though, since at 80 kilometers with 1500 meters of climbing, the "short" one was still a proper ride, hence the parentheses.
In the end, we endured high temperatures the whole weekend and decided to shorten and re-do the long(er) route a bit in order to route it through shaded forest most of the way and make the ride as pleasant and safe as possible for all of us. Thank you to our route and general organization wizard, Žan!
The long route was still around 130 kilometers and close to 2500 meters of climbing. We were happy to see all riders arriving back at camp with huge smiles and looking forward to a cold shower and some cool drinks.
A word on our neighbours: the forests around Beli Gaber are home to plenty of wildlife, bears included. At least three riders spotted them during the event, among them a cub the locals have named Polde, known for wandering a little too close to camp out of curiosity. As Beno, our host at Beli Gaber, explained, the bears are becoming increasingly accustomed to human presence: some apparently turn up whenever they hear a chainsaw, having learned that woodworkers sometimes leave food behind. It's charming on the surface, but a reminder that coexistence with large predators is something the local community navigates carefully. We were glad to pass through as guests and with no incidents.
Back at camp, we arranged breakfast and dinner for the riders - including a vegan variant - every day. We were also lucky to have Iztok and Daphne Levac back with us. They supported both Loose at the Coast and LITW with sandwiches and cookies, and this time joined us as participants too. If you're wondering what kind of people make this scene worth being part of, there's your answer.
On top, Slovenian food supplier Kolinska supported us with Argeta, Cedevita, Lemonish, and more. Riders paid a fair, donation-based price for everything they consumed, and the income went to our lovely hosts at Beli Gaber to honor their services and incredible hospitality.
Lastly, we had the opportunity to arrange a few things at camp: a bit of branding, a large map of Europe for riders to mark their dream destinations, and of course a large pinboard with memories from past events. I talked about my very nerdy way to set up bikes and optimize my setup toward specific events or rides I'm planning. I was absolutely surprised by how many people came and asked questions. In the end, we had to wrap up the discussion to move on and award some of the riders: grey and white jersey (oldest and youngest rider), heaviest bike, most ice cream eaten, and more "awards" were given. The happy, amused crowd walked away with LOOSE CYCLES bottles, socks, sporks, and more.
Long story short: we love Kamp Beli Gaber, and it was a great decision to stay there all weekend! An amazing escape in the forest, cooler temperatures than the boiling cities, and the most lovely hosts we could wish for. Thank you, Mateja and Beno!
Team work makes the dream work
As we've mentioned a few times now, gravgrav is a non-profit. We have passionate members and a board who combine their skills to make these events happen. And I think the most important thing to mention here is that no one gets paid for their work, though building toward fair compensation for contributors is something we are actively working on. The event charges members pretty much exactly our expenses, non-members still pay a very fair price, and any surplus is reinvested directly into the project: future events, infrastructure, and the tools that help us grow sustainably.
None of this would exist without Loose Cycles, our partners and co-organisers from day one. Loose in the Woods starts at their shop, is shaped by their community, and is as much their event as it is ours. Thank you, Tine and Marko.
Within gravgrav, Žan and Jan are the main driving force behind the event: from route scouting and logistics to photography and partner coordination. Ika and Boris kept things running smoothly on the ground during the event itself. Karen managed our social media throughout - remotely, as she couldn't make it in person this time, but no less present in how the event was communicated. And Jaka, though only able to join for one day, designed the banners, flyers, and beach flags that gave the camp its visual identity.
Seeing the happy faces and reading the feedback afterwards is a quiet confirmation that what we're building together is working.
Where are we running?
Well, it should say "Where are we riding?", but I love music references.
The event wasn't even over and we already received a lot of feedback from participants. There are still things we want to do differently in the future, such as find ways to bring people together even more and make the most of the time we spend at camp. Still, we will not overly complicate things. These past couple of events, we learned it's the simplicity that does wonders. A day spent in the saddle riding well-designed routes, followed by a hearty dinner, a warm (or cold if one prefers) shower and a good night's sleep. Repeat the next day and that's basically it, no fancy gimmicks needed.
The obvious question that came up:
"Will you do another one? It would be good to ride somewhere else!"
Short answer: yes.
We are already planning another event, and it will show you another very beautiful area with absolutely dreamy gravel roads. However, that is something for 2027.
But first, we owe one — exclusively for our members. We'll be in touch soon, and the message will be: thank you all, we are not done, but fired up. We love seeing familiar faces showing up again and again.
Stay tuned and follow us for the things to come!
