Albania: in bikepacking paradise

The 40 kilometers of trails that separate the capital Tirana from the city of Croïa in the north are done in one day. They are also epic enough that I will remember them for years to come.

In Albania for a month, Gabrielle and I had the chance to receive cyclist friends passing through the land of eagles. For a few days, we jumped at the opportunity to swap our accommodation in Tirana in exchange for their bikes and panniers (for this route).

Mountain bikers are well served in Albania. Seventy percent of the territory is covered with rocky peaks that are difficult to access and reach over 2 meters. We wanted to avoid the highways and discover this wilder side of the Balkan country.

Starting from the capital, the tall modern buildings in the city center quickly give way to a series of square dwellings reminiscent of the 45 years of the Communist dictatorship. Still in town, the asphalt often gives way to dirt and cars to donkeys and carts.

The city quickly gave way to the countryside after Tirana.

A long climb on both sides of Lake Bovilla, the capital's water reservoir.

Each landscape is more epic than the last in this land of sharp mountains.

After about fifteen kilometers, the road slopes towards Lake Bovilla, a deep azure reservoir providing most of the capital's drinking water. Then come a series of tight switchbacks lifting us 150 meters in just over a kilometer.

Going further down this magnificent stony road, we stop for a moment to discuss signs and onomatopoeias with a shepherd who even offers us chestnuts and the possibility of feeding his goats. The sky is already colored when we leave it, doubtful that we will succeed in reaching Croïa the same day.

Our touring bikes with excessively smooth wheels are not the most suitable for bumpy roads. The eleven kilometers we have left to find the asphalt take us a few hours and a lot of energy. Despite the sun quickly disappearing behind the mountains, I can't help stopping at every turn, to admire the endlessly plunging views over bubbling torrents and valleys with fall colors that vary according to the altitude.

An old abandoned and half-dismantled truck by the side of the road.

Gabrielle pushes on her pedals to get as far as possible before dark.

A few hours of pedaling in the dark, with a single headlamp and a small red rear light.

When we finally resume a baptized path, we are almost completely enveloped in total darkness. The bikes do not have a light except for a small red flashing light almost completely discharged, I install my headlamp on the helmet borrowed from my beloved. For my part, I insert my phone - maximum flashlight - in my pants on my hip to try to be seen.

Some of the rare trucks that pass kindly offer us a ride, but our pride "not to cheat" makes us refuse. For the last fifteen kilometers, we climb a little more before tumbling down nearly 500 meters above sea level along serpentines grazing epic cliffs barely visible in the dark, until arriving at the medieval cobblestones of Croïa.

What remains of Croïa Castle (left) and the illuminated Skanderbeg Museum, seen from our hotel room the following evening.

Back

After a day of rest and sightseeing, we come back by another path, almost as remarkable. We pass an old Ottoman bridge, are greeted by enthusiastic schoolchildren at recess, and even have to walk a few kilometers on a path so stony that even the goats have to watch where they put their hoofs.

Sheep and goats brighten our way.

Old bridge dating from the Ottoman Empire, south of Croïa.

After these eighty kilometers - which will be followed by a week of contemplating the forests and mountains of the country from the window of a rented car - I promise myself to come back and explore more of the paths of Albania, but this times with a bike from bikepacking and a little less smooth wheels!