A few months ago a topic appeared in the moredirt forum about mountain biking in Bulgaria. Several emails later we received a kind offer from Steve and Wendy at Early Bird Transfers inviting the moredirt crew to see what Bulgaria has to offer. We could hardly refuse the opportunity and in early May 2011 Carl, Richard, Dan and I set off to catch our flights to Bulgaria's capital Sofia.
Carl had arrived on an earlier flight and had already been lubricated with the local lager by the time we met up with him in the ski resort of Borovets. Bags unloaded and rooms found we followed Steve across the courtyard to one of the ski resort's bars where we filled our bellies. Over a few drinks Steve explained where Bulgaria is at with regards to mountain biking. The country has plenty of mountain biking but Steve expects Borovets to become the main resort for the sport due to it being only about an hours drive South from the airport at Sofia as well as the gravity riding to be found there. The resort is complemented by a four star hotel and chairlift right at the base of the trails giving the place the kind of convenience you'd like but rarely ever find.
Businesses at the ski resort had realised there was a summer time income to be made from mountain biking which meant the plans for new trails were being warmly met by the locals. The outlook was sounding very positive with new trails being planned and built. After all, if you're going to compete with the already established European mtb destinations you’re going to need trails and lots of them. Sadly there was some bad news. The winter had been an unusually mild one yet the Bulgarian spring was in no hurry and large patches of snow still on the trails meant the park was officially closed. Despite the assurances Steve had received the chair lift was not running and our attempts to get our bikes up the hill by car ended in some muddy wheel spinning. Luckily some of the local riders stepped in to save the day and offered to show us their local freeride trails at a place called Vitosha which is located on the outskirts of Sofia. Danail, Ema, and Aleksander led the way and we followed in the van.
At Vitosha we used Steve's van to run an uplift up the hill's winding cobbled road. Our descent started from half way up due to there being snow further up the hill. Vitosha turned out to be a cracking little spot with a very technical and continuously steep ride down into the town's square. Muddy spray coated our bikes and drew stripes up our backs as we made our way down through tight switchbacks, rocks, drops and a gap jump. The lack of a proper bike park resort at Vitosha means it's unlikely to become a popular tourist destination but, if you can get someone to act as a guide it's certainly worth a visit since you'd most likely be flying into nearby Sofia anyway.
Next up was a little town called Sopot which is home to the Shambhala Downhill Course and the Shambhala Open Cup. We'd heard stories of this place and were both excited and nervous to see what was there. After a meal and a drink on the balcony of a café down in Vitosha we said our good byes to our guides and headed East. We hadn’t been on the road that long when we came across what politicians might call a new challenge. A funny smell followed by a few wisps of smoke drew our attention to some smouldering wires in the front end of the van. Steve, who by this time was losing his sense of humour with the anything that can go wrong will go wrong vibe, got stuck into saving his van from the potential fire while us moredirt boys watched the traffic go by on the busy road. It was amusing to see a man on a cart pulled by a donkey drive down the road in the inside lane then promptly cross three lanes onto the other side of the road and exit the wrong way down a slip road. Bulgarians don't seem to let the rules get in the way too much it would seem.
Disaster averted and bikes still coated in mud, we made it to Sopot not long after nightfall.
The next morning we got our first glimpse of the hill we'd be riding down. Two minutes in the van and we arrived at the Shambhala Centre for Extreme Sports on the edge of Sopot. It is worth noting Sopot is a town not a ski resort. The lift there was built in the communist era so the workers from the local munitions factory could enjoy the mountains in their free time. These days Sopot is very popular for para gliding and hang gliding as well as mountain biking. The lift hasn't been adapted for any of these activities so you really just sit down as the chair scoops you up, then try to hook part of your bike on part of the chair’s frame. It just wouldn’t be allowed in the UK but in Bulgaria it’s no big deal. The morning air felt cold and a thick mist hung around all but the bottom part of the hill. Steve took us to see the bottom of the downhill course and the four cross track. The four cross zig zagged through large banked corners taking in the odd jump and rhythm section along the way. It looked fun. The DH race route had us worried though. Some stern looks were exchanged as Steve enthusiastically described just how tough it was further up. Trail builders were busy making some changes. This year the upper section of the four cross track was being made use of in the DH race. A gap jump was nearly finished which would have riders using the edge of a berm to launch them a significant distance to the landing. It was at this point we lost the mental battle and talk turned to how beyond us this course felt. Standing around thinking about it was not helping so I opted to warm up on the four cross track and try to fight back the scary thoughts of the lift and where it would take us. Rain came in a heavy thunder shower then the sun came out, the mist lifted and it was like a whole new day had begun. The dampness was replaced by clear blue sky and intense heat. With the lift running we spent some time observing other riders as they mounted their bikes on the ever moving chairlift. Some hooked their bikes on using their saddles, others used the inside pedal. Rich's enthusiasm some how got us in the queue and I watched as both Rich and Carl fell hard onto the concrete as their first attempt to board the lift went wrong. Rich limped away pointing at his knee and was replaced by Dan for a second more successful attempt. The twenty minute journey to the top was less than relaxing with the safety bar pinned open by my bike and masses of empty air beneath me. I expect you get used to it. At the top the view was huge. We could see for miles and miles across the plains. It seemed like the top of the world. We hadn't expected it but Rich arrived after a minute or two. He had injured his knee back in the UK and after the fall at the bottom of the lift I hadn't expected to see him again until we were back down there.
The descent wasn't as bad as I'd imagined. It started off with a fair gradient on sharp looking rocky ground and gradually became steeper as we went on. We hit switchback after switchback and dodged the road gap with its crazy blind landing into a tight right hand berm. The steep terrain had us on the brakes most of the time and we were glad of a two minute break to rest our burning muscles. Our group stopped again at the main rock garden which is about two thirds of the way down the course. We found some riders there practicing for the Shambhala Open Cup which was being held in a few days time. The rock garden was intimidating but could be cleared in two jumps with enough speed. What made it so tough were the awkward rocks on the landings that could easily kick a rider over the bars or smash a rear wheel. One young rider roared in celebration after successfully clearing the fastest line for the first time. We left them to it and headed for the bottom. The track became very steep again before easing as it joined the four cross course. We were happy to have made it down alive and I personally hoped I wouldn't have to do it again. It is funny how there is such a fine line between what is thrilling and what is genuinely terrifying. Shambhala is a track for serious downhillers that's for sure.
Day two at Sopot started out much the same as day one but rather than the sun coming out the rain came in, and stayed in. Some of us sessioned the four cross track in the rain while others took shelter in the café. The weather got steadily worse so we decided to cut our losses and leave earlier than planned. We headed for a place called Bansko a good few hours drive to the South.
Bansko used to be a sleepy little mountain town but expanded rapidly due to the good skiing to be found there and the influx of foreign property buyers at a time when world economies were booming. Today's Bansko is like a combination of what we found at Borovets and Sopot; a mix of Bulgarian town life with that of a tailored ski resort. We heard how Bansko is in some ways like a Bulgarian Tyneside with an accent all of its own and various words and phrases you won't find in use in other parts of the country. The mountain biking to be had was cross country really but Steve bussed us up the hill to avoid wasting precious time on the long climb. Our guide was a young Bulgarian called Ivan who is involved in the Bulgarian online mountain bike community. The first trail we attempted was blocked in many places by trees brought down by the winter snow. Ivan selected an alternate route which mixed single track heaven with a wide rock strewn ski road. It turned out to be a winning combination. The ski road had large patches of snow crossing it and as our confidence with this unusual surface grew we hit the snow sections with ever greater speed. The route was downhill all the way and we weaved through trees on flowing natural single track trails we considered to be much like the red grade stuff you find in UK trail centres. We managed two runs that day in glorious sunshine but the weather didn’t last and we awoke the next day to dark skies and persistent rain. Eventually seeing there would be no riding that day we decided to pack up and head back to Sopot for the beginning of official practice for the Shambhala Open Cup. We heard it hadn't really stopped raining at Sopot since we left two days earlier but there was hope that better weather was on its way.
Our group arrived at a windy rain soaked Sopot but by the next day the weather began to clear until by late afternoon the DH course was all dried out. Carl and Rich were issued with press passes and disappeared up the hill to take photographs of the riders coming down. Somehow thanks to the event organisers, Dan and I were treated to another run down the hill. This was unexpected and our nerves returned as we waited in line for the chairlift. There was a long delay due to a mechanical problem with the lift. There were various versions floating around as to what had happened but the result was the lift stopped for around an hour which meant Dan and I endured the anticipation of the journey up the hill and the ride back down for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually it was over and we were back at the bottom of the course alive and elated. Rich, Dan and I set off for Sofia airport the next afternoon after spending the morning watching the qualifying runs for the DH. Carl followed the next day and no sooner had it begun the moredirt trip to Bulgaria was over.
Bulgaria has an established mountain biking scene however, the country's mountain bike tourism venues are in their very early stages right now. Bulgaria is certainly one to watch out for over the coming years with Sopot's Shambhala Cup already proving to be a popular annual destination with brave UK downhillers. Moredirt would like to thank a number of people for giving up their time to make this trip not only possible but thoroughly enjoyable.
Thanks to Steve and Wendy at Early Bird Transfers for organising our trip and looking after us every step of the way.
Thanks to Aleksander Iliev, Danail Angelov and Ema Paunova for all their help at Borovets and Vitosha.
Thanks to Nikolay Georgiev for organising last minute accommodation as well as his wonderful company in Sopot.
Thanks to Ivan Denkov for guiding us at Bansko even though he had not been to sleep at all the night before.
Thanks to Simeon Stoilov from RAM Bikes for organising press passes and the number boards required to ride during the Shambaha event.
Words: John Dunn
Photos: Richard Easton & Dan Nisbet
What can we say guys, you were brilliant, and although Steve did get stressed at times, we both really did enjoy your visit and most importantly, your company... Thank you... Steve and Wendy...
We are in Borovets at the moment, big developments, looks like all the talk is actually happening... and ironically, fantastic weather.
Businesses at the ski resort had realised there was a summer time income to be made from mountain biking which meant the plans for new trails were being warmly met by the locals. The outlook was sounding very positive with new trails being planned and built. After all, if you're going to compete with the already established European mtb destinations you’re going to need trails and lots of them. Sadly there was some bad news. The winter had been an unusually mild one yet the Bulgarian spring was in no hurry and large patches of snow still on the trails meant the park was officially closed. Despite the assurances Steve had received the chair lift was not running and our attempts to get our bikes up the hill by car ended in some muddy wheel spinning. Luckily some of the local riders stepped in to save the day and offered to show us their local freeride trails at a place called Vitosha which is located on the outskirts of Sofia. Danail, Ema, and Aleksander led the way and we followed in the van.
At Vitosha we used Steve's van to run an uplift up the hill's winding cobbled road. Our descent started from half way up due to there being snow further up the hill. Vitosha turned out to be a cracking little spot with a very technical and continuously steep ride down into the town's square. Muddy spray coated our bikes and drew stripes up our backs as we made our way down through tight switchbacks, rocks, drops and a gap jump. The lack of a proper bike park resort at Vitosha means it's unlikely to become a popular tourist destination but, if you can get someone to act as a guide it's certainly worth a visit since you'd most likely be flying into nearby Sofia anyway.
Next up was a little town called Sopot which is home to the Shambhala Downhill Course and the Shambhala Open Cup. We'd heard stories of this place and were both excited and nervous to see what was there. After a meal and a drink on the balcony of a café down in Vitosha we said our good byes to our guides and headed East. We hadn’t been on the road that long when we came across what politicians might call a new challenge. A funny smell followed by a few wisps of smoke drew our attention to some smouldering wires in the front end of the van. Steve, who by this time was losing his sense of humour with the anything that can go wrong will go wrong vibe, got stuck into saving his van from the potential fire while us moredirt boys watched the traffic go by on the busy road. It was amusing to see a man on a cart pulled by a donkey drive down the road in the inside lane then promptly cross three lanes onto the other side of the road and exit the wrong way down a slip road. Bulgarians don't seem to let the rules get in the way too much it would seem.
Disaster averted and bikes still coated in mud, we made it to Sopot not long after nightfall.
The next morning we got our first glimpse of the hill we'd be riding down. Two minutes in the van and we arrived at the Shambhala Centre for Extreme Sports on the edge of Sopot. It is worth noting Sopot is a town not a ski resort. The lift there was built in the communist era so the workers from the local munitions factory could enjoy the mountains in their free time. These days Sopot is very popular for para gliding and hang gliding as well as mountain biking. The lift hasn't been adapted for any of these activities so you really just sit down as the chair scoops you up, then try to hook part of your bike on part of the chair’s frame. It just wouldn’t be allowed in the UK but in Bulgaria it’s no big deal. The morning air felt cold and a thick mist hung around all but the bottom part of the hill. Steve took us to see the bottom of the downhill course and the four cross track. The four cross zig zagged through large banked corners taking in the odd jump and rhythm section along the way. It looked fun. The DH race route had us worried though. Some stern looks were exchanged as Steve enthusiastically described just how tough it was further up. Trail builders were busy making some changes. This year the upper section of the four cross track was being made use of in the DH race. A gap jump was nearly finished which would have riders using the edge of a berm to launch them a significant distance to the landing. It was at this point we lost the mental battle and talk turned to how beyond us this course felt. Standing around thinking about it was not helping so I opted to warm up on the four cross track and try to fight back the scary thoughts of the lift and where it would take us. Rain came in a heavy thunder shower then the sun came out, the mist lifted and it was like a whole new day had begun. The dampness was replaced by clear blue sky and intense heat. With the lift running we spent some time observing other riders as they mounted their bikes on the ever moving chairlift. Some hooked their bikes on using their saddles, others used the inside pedal. Rich's enthusiasm some how got us in the queue and I watched as both Rich and Carl fell hard onto the concrete as their first attempt to board the lift went wrong. Rich limped away pointing at his knee and was replaced by Dan for a second more successful attempt. The twenty minute journey to the top was less than relaxing with the safety bar pinned open by my bike and masses of empty air beneath me. I expect you get used to it. At the top the view was huge. We could see for miles and miles across the plains. It seemed like the top of the world. We hadn't expected it but Rich arrived after a minute or two. He had injured his knee back in the UK and after the fall at the bottom of the lift I hadn't expected to see him again until we were back down there.
The descent wasn't as bad as I'd imagined. It started off with a fair gradient on sharp looking rocky ground and gradually became steeper as we went on. We hit switchback after switchback and dodged the road gap with its crazy blind landing into a tight right hand berm. The steep terrain had us on the brakes most of the time and we were glad of a two minute break to rest our burning muscles. Our group stopped again at the main rock garden which is about two thirds of the way down the course. We found some riders there practicing for the Shambhala Open Cup which was being held in a few days time. The rock garden was intimidating but could be cleared in two jumps with enough speed. What made it so tough were the awkward rocks on the landings that could easily kick a rider over the bars or smash a rear wheel. One young rider roared in celebration after successfully clearing the fastest line for the first time. We left them to it and headed for the bottom. The track became very steep again before easing as it joined the four cross course. We were happy to have made it down alive and I personally hoped I wouldn't have to do it again. It is funny how there is such a fine line between what is thrilling and what is genuinely terrifying. Shambhala is a track for serious downhillers that's for sure.
Day two at Sopot started out much the same as day one but rather than the sun coming out the rain came in, and stayed in. Some of us sessioned the four cross track in the rain while others took shelter in the café. The weather got steadily worse so we decided to cut our losses and leave earlier than planned. We headed for a place called Bansko a good few hours drive to the South.
Bansko used to be a sleepy little mountain town but expanded rapidly due to the good skiing to be found there and the influx of foreign property buyers at a time when world economies were booming. Today's Bansko is like a combination of what we found at Borovets and Sopot; a mix of Bulgarian town life with that of a tailored ski resort. We heard how Bansko is in some ways like a Bulgarian Tyneside with an accent all of its own and various words and phrases you won't find in use in other parts of the country. The mountain biking to be had was cross country really but Steve bussed us up the hill to avoid wasting precious time on the long climb. Our guide was a young Bulgarian called Ivan who is involved in the Bulgarian online mountain bike community. The first trail we attempted was blocked in many places by trees brought down by the winter snow. Ivan selected an alternate route which mixed single track heaven with a wide rock strewn ski road. It turned out to be a winning combination. The ski road had large patches of snow crossing it and as our confidence with this unusual surface grew we hit the snow sections with ever greater speed. The route was downhill all the way and we weaved through trees on flowing natural single track trails we considered to be much like the red grade stuff you find in UK trail centres. We managed two runs that day in glorious sunshine but the weather didn’t last and we awoke the next day to dark skies and persistent rain. Eventually seeing there would be no riding that day we decided to pack up and head back to Sopot for the beginning of official practice for the Shambhala Open Cup. We heard it hadn't really stopped raining at Sopot since we left two days earlier but there was hope that better weather was on its way.
Our group arrived at a windy rain soaked Sopot but by the next day the weather began to clear until by late afternoon the DH course was all dried out. Carl and Rich were issued with press passes and disappeared up the hill to take photographs of the riders coming down. Somehow thanks to the event organisers, Dan and I were treated to another run down the hill. This was unexpected and our nerves returned as we waited in line for the chairlift. There was a long delay due to a mechanical problem with the lift. There were various versions floating around as to what had happened but the result was the lift stopped for around an hour which meant Dan and I endured the anticipation of the journey up the hill and the ride back down for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually it was over and we were back at the bottom of the course alive and elated. Rich, Dan and I set off for Sofia airport the next afternoon after spending the morning watching the qualifying runs for the DH. Carl followed the next day and no sooner had it begun the moredirt trip to Bulgaria was over.
Bulgaria has an established mountain biking scene however, the country's mountain bike tourism venues are in their very early stages right now. Bulgaria is certainly one to watch out for over the coming years with Sopot's Shambhala Cup already proving to be a popular annual destination with brave UK downhillers. Moredirt would like to thank a number of people for giving up their time to make this trip not only possible but thoroughly enjoyable.
Thanks to Steve and Wendy at Early Bird Transfers for organising our trip and looking after us every step of the way.
Thanks to Aleksander Iliev, Danail Angelov and Ema Paunova for all their help at Borovets and Vitosha.
Thanks to Nikolay Georgiev for organising last minute accommodation as well as his wonderful company in Sopot.
Thanks to Ivan Denkov for guiding us at Bansko even though he had not been to sleep at all the night before.
Thanks to Simeon Stoilov from RAM Bikes for organising press passes and the number boards required to ride during the Shambaha event.
Words: John Dunn
Photos: Richard Easton & Dan Nisbet
