09.10.2022
KRK ‘N’ ROLL MTB MARATHON HISTORY
Last year’s Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon was the jubilee – 5th edition. In those past five years, we have gathered many sport successes, beautiful memories, anecdotes… and we continue to collect them in the 6th season – because Krk ‘n’ Roll returns to Baska on October 15th, 2022!
And this is how everything started in 2017…
Even before the first edition of Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon, Baska was a destination where we loved to work: the 4 Islands MTB stage race started from Baska for the third time that year; we have participated in the newly launched Baska Outdoor Festival for two years in a row with the project of Women’s MTB Camp.
That same year, 2017, a first edition of Husqvarna Adria Bike Series came to life and, in addition to the Adria Bike Plitivce Marathon and the Fuzine 2 Sea Marathon, needed the third race in the series.
And that’s how Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon came to life.
377 competitors started the race at the first edition of Krk ‘n’ Roll in 2017. The weather conditions were favorable, sunny and without wind. An ideal early Autumn weekend at the end of the cycling season. You can recall the race results HERE.
The first edition of Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon already gave us a hint that this race will be one of the most visited and most attractive races in Husqvarna Adria Bike Series.
Krk ‘n’ Roll 2018 MTB Marathon was started by 445 participants. The weather was nice and pleasant this time as well – moreover, very warm for that part of the year, so this edition was marked by mass swimming after the race. With the inclusion of Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon in the program, the Baska Outdoor Festival grew rapidly, and the afternoon and evening hours were filled with live concerts and DJ performances.
2018 edition was an introduction to the spectacle that awaited us in the following year. You can recall the results of the Krk ‘n’ Roll 2018 MTB Marathon HERE.
The year is 2019. The world met Greta Thunberg, the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris burned down in a fire, and Donald Trump visited North Korea. Somewhere at the very end of the 2019, the news about some unknown virus in China shyly made their way in the media. The last pre-pandemic year was also the so far peak of the Baska Outdoor Festival and the Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon.
DJs, a live performance by Elemental, over 500 registered Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon competitors and, again, beautiful and sunny, although rather windy weather.
There was a relentless fight for the winner’s title on the trails – on all trails and in all categories there was fierce competition for the sweet taste of the end of the season. You can recall the results HERE.
2020 was, by all accounts, a special year that will not be remembered fondly. Public gatherings and large events, as well as the organization of races, took on a new dimension of complexity and uncertainty. Until just a month before the race, it wasn’t known whether there would be a race at all.
3 weeks before the race, neighboring countries closed their borders, so Krk ‘n’ Roll 2020 MTB Marathon was a race exclusively for domestic – Croatian competitors.
That Krk ‘n’ Roll 2020 will be a truly special edition, it was shown by a strong north wind (bora) surge the evening before, which knocked down and broke everything that our loyal sponsors had set up in the Race Village.
The morning did not offer a better picture, on the contrary. Temperature of only 7 degrees Celsius, heavy rain and a strong wind (bora), brought the race to the edge of regularity.
But, when 10 minutes before the start we saw 134 competitors waiting steadily and calmly at the start line, in the heavy rain and wind, then it was really clear to us who we were dealing with here.
During the entire race, the weather conditions were really extreme. On the Surface of the Moon, wind gusts were reaching 80 km/h, accompanied by constant heavy rain and a temperature of only 5 degrees Celsius.
All 134 competitors finished the race. Some did not speak because of the cold, some were shivering, some claimed that this was the best cycling experience they had, some were just silent. Just as the winner’s announcement was over, the wind calmed down completely, the rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun shone.
In 2020, everyone who started the race was a winner. You can recall the results HERE.
Neither the jubilee, 5th edition of the Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon held in 2021, could not pass without a tireless bora wind. A partly cloudy Autumn morning dawned with a temperature of only 11 degrees Celsius and fierce gusts of wind.
Such gloomy and chilly weather completely surprised some of competitors because, as they laughingly said, they had been following the wrong forecast all week – for more southern location, Baska Voda. But, at least they appeared at the correct location for the race, and Baska at Krk Island warmly welcomed around 400 cyclists at the start line, eager to race along the best MTB trails that this beautiful destination offers.
As the day went on, the sun and good mood warmed the atmosphere at the finish line, where the competitors arrived bright-faced one by one. Because enjoying the top trails was not hindered even by the strong bora wind blowing all the way. And because after the successfully completed race followed what everyone missed so much during the corona-virus lockdown: socializing and fun.
You can recall the results of the 5th edition of the Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon HERE.
In 2022 Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon justifies the status of “a race that no one wants to miss”. More than 400 cyclists are already ready to compete at 6th edition of Krk ‘n’ Roll MTB Marathon, with a record number of competitors in the E-bike category. In 2022, also the most international Krk ‘n’ Roll race awaits us – almost 50% of the registered cyclists are from abroad. And the sports and entertainment program of the Baska Outdoor Festival is the best so far, so after another race to remember, you’ll be dancing late into the night.
October 15th, 2022 – Baska, Krk Island.
See you at the start line!