Why Biking In Brac Island In Croatia Is Cool

"Levant, Maestral, Tramuntana....", these tree winds, from East, North-West and North, blow in the whole Mediterranean area and particularly on the Dalmatian coast,  the island of Brac and, at the North-west part of the island, in the little harbour of Sutivan, just opposite the main town of Dalmatia, Split.

General Brac Island Bike Map

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These winds that refresh the hot summers are also the names of tree tracks of  "Bike Friendly Sutivan", officially opened during last summer. Starting from Sutivan, you can chose your track according to your capacities. Maestral, the easiest one (an asphalt road), leads you to the splendid beaches around the bay of Likva, on the west of the harbour. Taking the Levant track, at the east side, you can go to the delicious nearby village of Mirca. And with Tramuntana you climb the little hill of St Roko (the patron saint of Sutivan) with a small church of the 17th century and a splendid view on the mainland.

Sutivan On Brac Island, On The Back Solta And Vis Islands

You can also go much further and discover the whole island on your bike. Going around the coast but also, and it is perhaps the only way to know Brac, venturing inside the island. Biking in the middle of olive groves and vineyards you can understand what is really this island, discovering his past.

A Bike Track In The Heart Of Brac Island

A Bike Track On The Southern Shore Of Brac Island

Brac Winreyards

Brac Island Olive Trees

Biking, you'll pass through perfectly preserved old little villages and little towns where people used to live for centuries, staying far from the dangers of a sea full of pirates. One of the oldest settlements on the Island is Skrip with his Illyrian town walls from 1400 BC and the legend (there are no historical proofs) says that Saint Helen, Emperor Constantine mother, was born there. In Skrip you can visit a very interesting museum of Brac. In Dracevica, Dol or Gornji Humac, for example, the tourism hasn't spoiled at all the authenticity of the little villages because there are no beaches. The same for Nerezisce that was the capital of the island from 1000 to 1827 and that still has some beautiful old mansion.

Skrip - Brac Island

Dol - Brac Island

Biking, you'll find yourself on Napoleon's old roads, the first ever made on the island (as, in fact, in the whole Dalmatian Coast). You might also cross a bridge called Franz-Josef, in memory of a visit that the Emperor made to the island and to Sutivan in 1875.
Biking is also a good way to climb on the peak of the island, Vidova Gora (780m) and discover an extraordinary panorama with a necklace of islands.  You could make some strange encounters in old caverns, with dragons or a Hercules that was sculptured in the stone in the old Roman times...

Vidova Gora - Brac Island

Two years ago, when he still was the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson spent the summer holidays in Sutivan with his family and he made this enthusiastic declaration in a little video that is used now as a publicity for "Bike friendly Sutivan":
"We have all been cycling around in the neighbourhood of Sutivan and it is been very safe, absolutely beautiful, food is superb and I cannot recommend it too highly."
"Bike Friendly Sutivan" organised his first competition at the end of May, a few days ago, under the name "Uvati Vitar" that means in Dalmatian dialect "Catch the Wind”

Bike Friendly Sutivan - OFFICIAL VIDEO from Hani Salama on Vimeo.

Nothing strange to that when you know that Sutivan is, from many years, the centre of an international festival of outdoor extreme sports named "Vanka Regule"  ("Out Of Norm") that takes place in July.

Biking During Vanka Regule Festival