Biokovo () is the second-highest mountain range in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, located along the Dalmatian coast of the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

, between the rivers of

Cetina Cetina () is a river in southern Croatia. It has a length of and its basin covers an area of . From its source, Cetina descends from an elevation of above sea level to the Adriatic Sea. It is the most water-rich river in Dalmatia.Naklada Naprijed ...

and Neretva. It is sometimes referred to as Bijakovo, especially among inhabitants of the eastern side of the mountain. Its highest peak is Sveti Jure (Saint George), at 1762 m.a.s.l. It shows a typical karst landscape. Atop the peak there is a powerful FM and DVB-T transmitter. The 196 km² of its area is protected as a nature park with over 1,500 plant and animal species, some of which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

. Biokovo also includes the separate ridge and peak Sveti Ilija at . Biokovo is one in a line of

Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herz ...

stretching along the Dalmatian coast - northwest of it is Mosor and southeast are Sutvid and Rilić. To the east, the

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

runs in parallel. When the weather is very clear, from the top of Biokovo it is possible to see Monte Gargano in Italy, which is away. Zabiokovlje, a mountainous area in Biokovo, includes such townlets and villages as Gornja Brela,

Zadvarje Zadvarje is a village and a municipality in the Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. It has a population of 289 (2011 census), 99.3% of which are Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian a ...

Žeževica Žeževica is a village in central Dalmatia, Croatia with a population of 350 (2011). It is located in the municipality of Šestanovac, 15 km from the Adriatic Sea. The community has a Mediterranean climate, and the streets are lined with ...

, Grabovac, Rastovac,

Zagvozd Zagvozd is a village and a seat of Zagvozd municipality in the Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. In 2011 it had a population of 767. Municipality Zagvozd is a seat of the municipality of the same name. It includes the villages of: Biokovsko Sel ...

Župa A župa (or zhupa, županija) is a historical type of administrative division in Southeast Europe and Central Europe, that originated in medieval South Slavic culture, commonly translated as "parish", later synonymous "kotar", commonly transla ...

, Rašćane and Kozica. Major economic activities there were cattle raising, grape growing, and hunting. Part of this area is in the Biokovo Nature Park. To aid hikers, the

Biokovo Nature Park Biokovo Nature Park is the most dominating presence on the southern Dalmatian coast. Proclaimed a nature park in 1981, this mountain rampart towers a good 1500 meters over the Makarska Riviera and offers exceptional views over the sea and near ...

Visitor Center is in downtown Makarska. However, Biokovo can be perilous if hiking unprepared - tourists erroneously imagine peaks to be closer than they are and, oblivious to the danger, have been known to go hiking wearing flip-flops, without water, wearing shirts with military camouflage patterns making them harder to spot for search and rescue teams. From 1976 to 2007, 24 hikers have died on Biokovo, while 37 had to be rescued.

Professional road bicycle racing

Sveti Jure has recently found itself included as a climb in professional road bicycle races. It was visited for the first time on

the second stage ''The Second Stage'' is a 1981 book by American feminist, activist and writer Betty Friedan, best known for her earlier book ''The Feminine Mystique''. Summary Friedan contends that "first stage" of feminism, a movement intended to liberate wo ...

of the 2017 Tour of Croatia. However, due to bad weather the race organisers decided to shorten the stage in accordance with the UCI Extreme weather protocol. The final route was shortened by 15,2 km, moving the finish line down to Vrata Biokova on an altitude of 820 meters. The stage was won by Croatian rider

Kristijan Đurasek Kristijan Đurasek (born 26 July 1987) is a Croatian professional road bicycle racer, who is currently suspended from the sport. He has been competing since 2005, and has represented Croatia at two Summer Olympic Games, in 2012 and 2016. In N ...

of the team

UAE Team Emirates UAE Team Emirates () is an Emirati road bicycle racing team. The team competes at UCI WorldTeam level and has done so since the UCI World Tour was formed as the top category of road cycling in 2005. However the team was temporarily suspended fro ...

, outsprinting Jaime Rosón ( Caja Rural–Seguros RGA) with eventual general classification winner

Vincenzo Nibali ), The Nibbler , birth_date = , birth_place = Messina, Sicily, Italy , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2005 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2006–2012 , protea ...

( Bahrain-Merida) finishing third, three seconds down. The climb was revisited at the 2018 Tour of Croatia, where it was included as a 28 km long climb serving as summit finish on the third stage, which was dubbed as the queen stage of that year's edition. The stage was won by

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

ian rider Kanstantsin Siutsou riding for Team Bahrain-Merida, after 75 minutes of climbing.

References

External links

Biokovo photos

Biokovo
at the

Croatian Mountaineering Association The Croatian Mountaineering Association ( hr, Hrvatski planinarski savez) covers both mountaineering and a broad range of related activities. Unlike the majority of the international mountaineering associations, the Association's remit extends to s ...

Biokovo picture
{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Croatia Nature parks of Croatia Landforms of Split-Dalmatia County

Professional road bicycle racing

See also

References

External links