Joined by my high-alpine bike partner in crime, the blondemoustache twiddling Swedish Viking, Hugo Magnusson, we spent a week trundling through North Macedonia and Albania in search of trail gold, cultural delights, and the Balkan Peninsula's finest rakia (fruit brandy).
The tour operator, Explorer 2018, invited us to help them assess the mountain bike potential of North Macedonia and Albania. We joined a motley crew consisting of bike guides Martin Grannas Brannstrom and Graham Pinkerton, travel agency reps Ross Cluley and Jonas Ernevi from Le Ripp and, believe it or not, French film actor, Michel Biel.
Aside from a verbal tussle with an over-enthusiastic Swiss border guard with a lagging grasp of the current EU/Schengen/Brexit rules, we touched down in Skopje International Airport unhindered.
Meeting us in the North Macedonian capital were Dimitri Dimitrov, Stojan Hadji Jevtimov, and Risti Risteski— three absolute gents and legendary purveyors of good times, Dimitri handled logistics for the trip, Stojen alternated between bike guiding and driving, and Risti, also known as Ricki, was our second driver. An ATV tour operator by trade, Ricki has bulging tattooed biceps coupled with a passionate love for the violin and one hell of a good nature!
DAY ONE
Great mountain bike trips should start with a good trail. Unfortunately, this one didn't, After a wonderful, rakiafuelled night, combined with many an
