• 21 Dec

You are already a resident, have a residence permit in Macedonia, or you are planning to relocate? You are wondering what hobbies you can try here? Read on and learn a little bit about mountain biking in Macedonia 🙂

Origins

Mountain biking originated in California on Marin County’s Mount Tamalpais in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
A group of teenagers known as „The Larkspur Canyon Gang“, rode their single-speed balloon tire bikes on Mt. Tamalpais and through Baltimore Canyon.
According to the article of Mmbhof on the Larkspur Canyon Gang, they were „a large, loose-knit group of friends who in 1968, while still in middle school, started pushing bikes up Eldridge Grade to race back down. Self-described adrenalin junkies, they became obsessed with riding down the slopes of Tam. They chose cast-off balloon-tire bikes from prior decades, for their plentitude and stoutness. Through trial and error, they figured out what worked best and pieced together solid, soulful machines that inspired others to join. Their passion popularized biking among their peers at a time when bikes were otherwise not a part of the landscape„

Since then, mountain biking has come a long way. Today, there are generally 5 categories of mountain biking.

Categories of MTB

Mountain biking can be generally divided into five distinct categories:

–Cross country
–Trail riding
–All mountain (referred to as Enduro)
–Downhill and
–Free ride
And according to the category, there are different types of mountain bikes as well. For the bikers, every category demands different types of skills, endurance etc.

3 Interesting stats about mountain biking

*The first mass production of mountain bikes was on the Specialized Stumpjumper
*The most expensive mountain bike costs $1 million
*The fastest speed recorded on a mountain bike is 227 Km per hour (on snow) and 172 km per hour (on gravel), done by Eric Barone

Mountain biking in Macedonia

In Macedonia, you can find several groups that are passionate about mountain biking located in different cities, but my favorites are:

Drustvo Neozbilni Velosipedisti (A fellowship of non-serious cyclists)

A loose group of passionate MT bikers, that are into beer, bikes and mountains.
You can check tons of photos and videos on their Facebook Page and their YouTube Channel.

According to their page, they say:
„One, not so beautiful, cloudy day, my friend Žile called me to accompany him to Vodno. We got on, hit a can and I said to myself, this was nice. Since then, I open maps, draw, look for destinations, roll loosely, and drink beer in nature and clean air. And I said to myself, you can do this too! At least for one day, you can move away from the city crowds, from the daily responsibilities, from the worries that squeeze you. It doesn’t matter if you’re an alcoholic, a smoker, thin or fat, a boy or a girl, you have full equipment or just a wheel and goodwill. You fill a backpack with things you need and go! Every now and then you will stumble a little, and you will put your abilities to the test, but when you reach the goal, you realize that every drop of sweat has paid off. And when someone tells me – I’m not ready, I’m not fit, I tell him – Sit at home, friend, and everything will come by itself. 😉 One, non-serious cyclist“.

Famous recurring group MTB Tours in Macedonia held in different cities:

You can find recurring events, organized by different organizations, throughout Macedonia, on different mountains.
Usually, you should be able to find the following events:

May:
Mariovo Off-Road
Pehchevo na Tocak
Demir Kapija – Out door festival
Prv do Vrv – Vodno
Azot – MTB

June:
Osogovo Adventure
Alshar
When in Krushevo
Mysteries of Belasica
Sharra Challenge

August
Tour de lakes Ohrid
Krushevo niz korija
Maleshevska korija
Bistra adventure

These are usually recurring MTB events, but sometimes they are not organized, due to different reason (covid, finance, bad weather, etc..)

Decided to relocate in Macedonia yet?

If you still haven’t decided to relocate and build your business in Macedonia, we hope that this article has slightly pushed you towards a positive decision.
Feel free to contact us regarding registering a company in Macedonia, and getting your work permit and residence permit. Together with our immigration lawyer for a residence permit in Macedonia, we will make this happen.
Write us at: info@residencepermit.mk for any questions!