It is not a sport for the boy racers as everyone used to assume, but has become a hobby and activity for the 35 years and upwards age group. More and more women also seem to be enjoying the experience and there seems to be an increasing number of motorcycle associations and groups that are targeting Slovenia for weekends or even longer tours.
This Saturday alone, sitting outside a pub in a small peaceful mountain village of 81 inhabitants, the usual daily event of the postmans van and the odd lost motorist, seems like a distant dream. There has been a constant stream of humming, revving and whizzing past of big bikes since early morning, and this is the way it will stay now, while the weather holds out. If I could charge a euro for every bike that goes over 50 km an hour through the village, I would be treating myself to a caribbean cruise this winter.
Of course anyone who works in the tourist industry appreciates the revenue these white collar bikers bring into the country, they are always welcomed at the places they choose to stop at, and often they are the main source of income for a lot of the smaller guest houses and restaurants off the beaten path keeping them in business.
I have recently seen publications actually specially for the motor biking enthusiasts, marking out certain routes of interest and places to stop. The most popular seems to be a loop around the northern part of the Julian Alps cutting through Italy. This takes in two high mountain passes, the Predel pass and the Vrsic pass, but with over 60 hairpin bends between them, it is not for the inexperienced biker.
The law in Slovenia says that any group of motorcyclists traveling in packs, should stop at the boarders and have a Police escort, however, there are so many of them now it would be difficult to say where one group finishes and the next group begins. For the normal motorist it is a very unnerving experience to meet bikers in groups on these bendy roads, they always seem to be leaning too far over into the bend. I do wonder, however, if the statistics of accidents and fatalities of bikers on these roads was published, how many of them would still come? Probably all of them! it's just one of those things that if you have a passion for something, you are prepared to take the risks that come with it too, like an addiction. Well good luck to you all and I hope you all reach your destinations safely.
