Authentic, wild, and beautiful. The island of Cres. We will reveal to you a small part of Cres – just enough to make you want to come back again, and again, and again.
Destination
Authentic, wild, and beautiful.
The island of Cres.
Being the largest island, it was quite a challenge to fit everything it offers into just one Epic Rides. A good enough reason to plan a full Epic Rides weekend on this unique island in the first weekend of September.
Because Cres truly has so, so much to offer, and even more to explore and experience.
So let’s go through it quickly, just a few highlights of what awaits you on the island and why those who know Cres rarely accept any comparison with the other 1,243 Croatian islands.
For lovers of swimming and seaside holidays, Cres offers countless beautiful beaches and coves where—even in peak season—you’ll either be alone or find only a handful of like-minded explorers. Some can be reached by road, others by gravel tracks, some by goat paths, and many only by boat.
For lovers of history and antiquity, Cres was inhabited as early as the Neolithic era (5,000 years BC), and over the centuries it saw the rule of many: Greeks, Romans, Goths, Franks, Venetians, Habsburgs, Italians, and finally Croats, who have been here since the 7th century.
For those who love authentic historical experiences—the best examples are the towns of Cres and Osor, but the most fascinating are the small, today sparsely populated villages with millennia of history. Lubenice may be the most famous example (a village over 4,000 years old), but if you “study” the map a bit, you’ll find many more such gems that, once you step into them, feel like stepping back centuries in time.
For lovers of gastronomy—well, there’s much to say here. Cres lamb, alongside Pag lamb (the author’s subjective opinion), is probably the best you can taste in Croatia, though the competition is fierce; lamb from Krk, Brač, and Lika all “race” for the title. But the unique diet of wild aromatic herbs the lambs graze on, combined with some special methods of preparation, gives Cres lamb a special place. Olives, home-grown vegetables and fruit, and seafood specialties need hardly be mentioned.
For lovers of nature and wildlife, the entire island is like a huge botanical garden and safari park. We should mention Lake Vrana, a unique freshwater lake on the island whose bottom lies below sea level (a cryptodepression). In the north, another natural phenomenon, the Tramuntana forest, is not only unique for its several species of oak (some over 500 years old) but also hides a true little wildlife reserve—fallow deer, wild boar, hares, roe deer, martens, badgers, and in the skies above, majestic griffon vultures that maintain the ecological balance of the island and the entire Kvarner region.
For the marine wildlife—see the Eno-gastro section.
For cycling enthusiasts, the message is clear—Epic Rides Cres.
We’ll show you just a small part of Cres, just enough to make you want to come back again, and again, and again.
Route
If we had to describe the Epic Rides Cres route in one phrase, it would be – “poison comes in small bottles.”
Because the route is too short to show everything the island has to offer, yet it’s stunning in terms of experiences, views, scents, and cycling adventure, while at the same time partly bumpy and challenging.
Right from the start, you ride along the sea, and everyone will think it’s worth stopping right away to take a swim in that beautiful blue. Then a slightly steeper climb will surprise you, and the view of the open sea on one side and the bay and town of Cres on the other will make you stop and snap a few photos.
You’ll ride through forests, pastures, villages, and hamlets. On gravel paths, narrow roads, through dry stone walls, along old Roman roads.
The chirping of cicadas, the bleating of sheep, and the buzzing of bees, mixed with the sound of wind and silence.
Epic Rides Cres is certainly one of the most attractive, shortest, but not the easiest of the Epic Rides.
One where all your senses work at full speed.
One not to be missed.
And two important notes:
The specificity of the island of Cres are “lese” – wooden gates found all over the island, especially in this area where Epic Rides takes place. Their main purpose is to keep sheep from wandering where they shouldn’t, and it’s very important to emphasize – they must remain closed.
So, when you come to a “lesa,” open it, pass through, and be sure to close it again.
We’re here only for one day and as guests, so please try to leave as little trace behind as possible.
The second note concerns the combination of the island’s terrain and your bikes, or rather your tires.
The vegetation on the island is typical of the coast, which in this case means there are thorny plants with small spikes that just love puncturing cyclists’ tires. They’re most often found in the middle of gravel roads (that “grassy” part between the wheel tracks), so avoid riding in the middle of gravel paths and make sure to bring spare tubes.
NOTE: The Epic Rides route is carefully designed with the principle that the route never exceeds 50 km and 1,000 m of elevation gain (combined). Also, there are no technically demanding sections, and if, due to terrain configuration, they cannot be avoided, they are short, can be walked, and are additionally marked on the trail itself.
Meeting point: Town of Cres
Start time: 11:00
Because the route is too short to show everything the island has to offer, yet it’s stunning in terms of experiences, views, scents, and cycling adventure, while at the same time partly bumpy and challenging.
Right from the start, you ride along the sea, and everyone will think it’s worth stopping right away to take a swim in that beautiful blue. Then a slightly steeper climb will surprise you, and the view of the open sea on one side and the bay and town of Cres on the other will make you stop and snap a few photos.
You’ll ride through forests, pastures, villages, and hamlets. On gravel paths, narrow roads, through dry stone walls, along old Roman roads.
The chirping of cicadas, the bleating of sheep, and the buzzing of bees, mixed with the sound of wind and silence.
Epic Rides Cres is certainly one of the most attractive, shortest, but not the easiest of the Epic Rides.
One where all your senses work at full speed.
One not to be missed.
And two important notes:
The specificity of the island of Cres are “lese” – wooden gates found all over the island, especially in this area where Epic Rides takes place. Their main purpose is to keep sheep from wandering where they shouldn’t, and it’s very important to emphasize – they must remain closed.
So, when you come to a “lesa,” open it, pass through, and be sure to close it again.
We’re here only for one day and as guests, so please try to leave as little trace behind as possible.
The second note concerns the combination of the island’s terrain and your bikes, or rather your tires.
The vegetation on the island is typical of the coast, which in this case means there are thorny plants with small spikes that just love puncturing cyclists’ tires. They’re most often found in the middle of gravel roads (that “grassy” part between the wheel tracks), so avoid riding in the middle of gravel paths and make sure to bring spare tubes.
NOTE: The Epic Rides route is carefully designed with the principle that the route never exceeds 50 km and 1,000 m of elevation gain (combined). Also, there are no technically demanding sections, and if, due to terrain configuration, they cannot be avoided, they are short, can be walked, and are additionally marked on the trail itself.
Meeting point: Town of Cres
Start time: 11:00
EPIC RIDES
Distance: 43.1 km
Ascent: 760 m
Offroad: 58 %
SHORT
Distance: 32.7 km
Ascent: 550 m
Offroad: 69 %
Event info
Where is the START located?
Start location: Ulica Lungo mare Svetog Mikule 7, Grad Cres
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