Enjoying Riding My Bicycle Through Macedonia

In these cold January days, we share a text that will defy the snow and resonate with those who can't part with summer. Today, we introduce you to Igor Sivevski, who has traveled many kilometers on his bicycle. Igor is, for us, motivation, a lesson, and a reason to admire him. He knows how to make the most of his vacation and enjoy every new place he discovers.

Igor has ridden many kilometers on his bicycle across Macedonia. The type of tour he takes depends on whether he rides his mountain or road bike. With his road bike, he mostly rides in the Bitola region, traveling to Prespa, Oteshevo, Ohrid through Galichica, the Prilep area, and then to Krushevo and Macedonian Brod. At the start of his cycling adventures, he would take tours from Kumanovo to Bitola. Igor says that before he started these tours, he pretended to be a great expert on Macedonia and, when traveling with his German companion, who had ridden from Berlin to Istanbul, suggested they ride the old road from Veles to Prilep, unaware that the road only goes as far as the village of Izvor. 

The adventure became even bigger for him when, from Izvor through Prissad, located at the very peak of the mountain, they rode on a sandy road, which caught them even at night during their ride.

With his mountain bike, his most frequent destination is Pelister. According to him, Pelister has an incredible number of beautiful spots that make it hard for anyone to get bored. He often rides to the summit, the Big Lake, Neolica...

Igor shares the opinion of many other cyclists that Macedonia has huge potential in developing cycling tourism, especially mountain trail road cycling. He believes that by marking trails, setting up information boards, and, of course, appropriate marketing, people will learn about these paths.

He is happy that in recent years, mountain biking tours have been organized in Macedonia with a large number of participants, promoting the beauty of our landscapes. According to him, a resident of Paris or New York needs to plan a week in advance and travel for several hours to reach a beautiful place, but in Macedonia, this can be done very quickly.

Cycling attracts him because it’s great for adventure, offers a healthy lifestyle, and provides adrenaline. Among the destinations in Macedonia, he highlights the Big Lake at Pelister, Lazaropole, and the region of Kajmakchalan.

He dreams of doing several European tours. He wants to start a tour from Southern Morocco, through Spain, France, and Italy, all the way home. According to him, this will require three months and over 5,000 kilometers.

He is in the process of creating a website where all his past tours and information will be available.