Whoever rides to Albania for mountain biking usually has the mountains in their sights and not the UNESCO city of Berat with its castle and its thousand windows. But the hill on the other side of the river is worth the climb with at least two trails, one flowing, the other a real challenge.

Thank you, dear Unknown, for posting the "Goricë Track 1" on Trailforks. I would never have found it. In fact, even with the app, I missed it at first because I couldn't see the entrance in the undergrowth.

As I roll towards the trail entrance for the first time, I take a wrong turn shortly beforehand. First I see goats gathering their meal in the undergrowth. Then a first dog appears in front of me and soon a second. Together they convince me to turn back. So back onto the gravel road that rides below the ridge directly to the start of the Goricë Trail. The transmitting antenna is an unmistakable feature.

I don't find the trailhead, but instead follow a trail that gets lost in the undergrowth. About 50 meters further down, after an intensive search, I come across the "Goricë Track 1". And the fun begins. Even now, the continuation is not always obvious in the tall grass. But it is usually clear in which direction it continues: in the fall line. Nevertheless, almost all the hairpin bends are manageable for good bikers. I descend the one or other extremely steep section with steps on foot. There are probably people who ride these too.

At the end, the trail spits me out in the old town, just a few meters from the pedestrian bridge that the Berati call the Golden Gate Bridge. Incidentally, a few meters from the Golden Gate Bridge is The White House, a recommended restaurant.

On the way to the entrance, I had crossed the "Mountain Partizan Biketrail", which is even signposted. The next day, I ride to this spot and push my bike up to the start of the trail. I'm pretty sure I would have made it to the start on the ridge on my first visit if the dogs had let me.

A partisan and two dogs

The Partisan begins on earthy ground, partly covered with pine needles - pure flow pleasure. But as soon as it gets steeper, it is covered more and more with loose limestone gravel. It looks cool, but is tricky in the bends. Towards the end of the trail, which is also mapped on Trailforks, the lines split. A playground with bumps and channels makes you want to climb up again and again and choose a different route.

But I aim for the traverse to the Goricë Track. On it, I come across two dogs who are whistled back by a goatherd. He is convinced he knows where I should ride: in the opposite direction. I try to make it clear to him that I know where my path is and that I prefer it to the comfortable gravel road. Unlike many Albanians, he doesn't speak Italian or any other language that I speak, so at some point I simply have to ride away from him. I understand his language and he doesn't understand my intention.

As I drive away, it occurs to me that his two dogs must have been the ones that barked at me to turn back the day before. The lower half of the Goricë Track follows, which is as much fun as the first time I rode it. I wouldn't get bored of these steep steps and hairpin bends even if I were Berat at home.