One of the best parts about BMX is that you literally can go anywhere in the world and either find something to ride or meet somebody that rides. Sure, some places have some of the best spots and there are more riders than you could imagine, but there are places “off the beaten path” so to speak that are almost untapped places with spots and experiences you cannot find anywhere else in the world and only a few riders who are working to keep the scene alive.
The other day, we received an email from Tyrone Kelly who recently decided to take one of those “off the beaten path” trips to Slovenia, which we don’t see a lot from when it comes to places we see videos and content coming from on a regular basis. The goal of the trip? Experience something new and meet some riders he had yet to have the opportunity to catch a session with.
Although this place may not be as beautiful as a city like Barcelona, Spain, it still had an amazing story contained in it. Tyrone put together the story of his trip and collected a handful of the photos he shot during his visit for you to enjoy below. Take a look and start looking at the map to find somewhere you have yet to experience!
Words and photos by Tyrone Kelly
Ljubljana, Slovenia is well known for it’s beautiful architecture, fables about dragons and epic food. It’s part of the Balkan countries and was formerly part of Yugoslavia.
The tourism there has begun booming, as the country officially became part of the EU recently (relative to how old the world actually is) and the fact that it’s no longer a warzone also makes travelling there a tad easier.
If you’re feeling posh, all of your expensive habits can be done for half the price of almost anywhere else in Europe. Sipping on a Cappuccino while walking through the old town will cost you a mere €1.40 and filling your face with a traditional Slovenian meal shouldn’t cost you more than €7. The street food in the old town consists of hearty, meat-filled meals; anything from a traditional sausage to a warm soup can be bought at anytime of the day, and enjoyed with some mulled wine in winter.
The country itself has been through more revolutions than your favourite Black Sabbath tee in the washer, that has led to a substantial amount of poverty, rebellion and surprisingly one of the biggest punk scenes I’ve ever seen. With ‘UP2PUNX’ sprayed in various colours and styles throughout the outskirts of the city you can’t help breathing in the remnants of revolution in the air.
If you ride BMX or skate and have been lucky enough to travel, even if only a modest amount and have felt the power of networking within a passion-driven sport, I really don’t need to elaborate on how much better it is to travel with your bike or board. Meeting other like-minded individuals on the other side of the world is no longer surprising once you’ve travelled a little; it becomes something that is to be expected.
In Slovenia though, your mind may just be blown and your expectations will be exceeded. Stumbling across a Facebook page has never been so rewarding. Upon finding the page, ‘Skate park ROG’ inquiring about when the park is ride-able and whether or not there would be some locals at the spot to session with. You can expect a welcoming response within an hour or so and they will let you know when a session is going down.
