4) CHECKPOINTS IN GENERAL
Although predetermined by locations of select natural beauties and touristic destinations, the 10 obligatory checkpoints are pretty evenly and logically dispersed throughout the route and all of them offer commercial accommodation at the spot or nearby, while some come with restaurants attached to them. For those with a healthy appetite, it’s convenient to make a short stop and have a full course lunch at CP3 during the first day, followed by getting accommodation at CP4 for the first night. This plan should suit all but the dedicated racers – the ones that are trying to outsmart the stopwatch – that are going to ride throughout the night. Please note than the town of Trebinje, where CP5 is located, will host a huge moto gathering, therefore it will be crowded and loud and with very scarce accommodation options.
From then on, the tactics will determine the remainder of the individual logistics but CP6 – that marks the halfway point of the route – is another great spot for tasting local cuisine. People opting for the classic 4-day ride will find it convenient to plan the second nightly rest at CP7, while the quickest racers will have already arrived or passed CP8 by this time, so this will be another good place to plan your overnight stop – especially as it is located on top of Jahorina mountain.
It might be a good analogy to say that the section from the START to CP7 is the “B” part of B-HARD, because from CP7 until the FINISH it definitely becomes “HARD”. This section is the “all hell breaks loose” part of the route, with mountain pass after mountain pass – containing Cima Coppi, e.g. the highest point of the whole route (at CP8) as well. However, everyone should be able to reach CP9 (or at least the mountain preceding it) by the end of the third day and have a good night’s rest there before starting a relatively short fourth day, with a finish in Banja Luka in the evening by 11 PM. Slightly quicker riders will complete the course during the fourth morning/day, while the quickest ones will have already finished on the third day or third night.
Note: B-600 goes to CP4 and then cuts directly to CP10
You can familiarise yourself with the checkpoint host towns and the descriptions of the route in-between them on our website:
https://www.bhardultrarace.com/cp/start-banjaluka/
5) ACCOMMODATION INFO
We have tried to make it as easy as possible to obtain accommodation on the route, therefore practically all the CPs offer commercial lodging options – for those riding a predefined plan, it would be a good idea to reserve ahead, while those racing against the clock might want to do it on ad hoc basis, though in any case it’s best to reserve at least a few hours before your arrival to make sure you would actually get a room. Either way, most of them provide special pricing for our riders, so make sure to mention B-HARD during reservation.
Let’s start with accommodation in Banja Luka. There are still some rooms available at our bike-friendly “race hostel” Hostel Herz (they are avid dot-watchers as well). It is located only 750 m away from the starting point and offers various types of rooms and apartments. The Hostel also offers safekeeping of your luggage and bike bags and vehicles parked in their private parking while you’re away riding. This would also be the best option for people planning to arrive by campervans.
The best way to contact the hostel for a quick response is by WhatsApp/Viber on +38766770610, telling them you are a B-HARD rider and what your exact needs are. They can also be contacted by email on hostelhertz@gmail.com
As for the actual route, here are the best options:
CP3 KUPRES: Hotel Maestral – the actual CP – it’s only at 242 km of the route but you can drop in ad-hoc should you need to
CP4 MOSTAR: Hotel Hana – the actual CP / hotelhanamostar@gmail.com / +38763408055
24/7 reception, double and triple rooms, big apartments, prices around 27-33€ per person
CP5 TREBINJE: Hotel Central Park – the actual CP / info@hotel-centralpark.com / +38759490850
24/7 reception, double rooms – prices from 62€ per person
Due to the moto-fest, they only have 5 rooms pre-booked for us, available for the next few days
Restaurant open from 7 AM to 11 PM
CP6 SUTJESKA: Hotel Mladost – a couple of kilometers before the CP / office@sutjeskanp.com / +38758233130
24/7 reception, double and triple rooms – prices around 27€ per person
CP7 VIŠEGRAD: Hotel Višegrad / the actual CP / hotelvisegradrecepcija@gmail.com / +38758620710
24/7 reception – already sold out, so please refer to the alternative accommodation, as below
Restaurant open from 7 AM to 11 PM
Alternative CP7 accommodation:
Hotel Andrićgrad – a few hundred meters away from the CP / andricgradinfo@gmail.com / +38766703722
Reception open from 7 AM to 11 PM – booking and contact obligatory to obtain entry during night time
Double, triple and quadruple rooms from 16€ to 26€
CP8 JAHORINA: Hotel Lavina – the actual CP / reservations@lavina.ba / +38766010723
24/7 reception, double rooms, prices from 27€ to 37€ per person
Restaurant open from 7 AM to 11 PM
CP9 KONJIC: Hotel Garden City – the actual CP / recepcija@gardencity.ba / +38736712800
24/7 reception, single and double rooms, big apartments, prices from 32€ to 62€ per person, including packed lunch
Restaurant open from 7 AM to 11 PM
CP10 VLAŠIĆ: Mountain Hut Erik Brandis – the actual CP – you can drop in ad hoc but this is very close to the finish anyway
Of course, there are several other accommodation options right on the route in-between the actual checkpoints.
6) SOCIAL MEDIA
We are eager to see you train and inspire others to ride and potentially join the B-HARD family – so please tag us in your posts and stories as @bhardultrarace and we will happily share them.
If you are proud and excited of the fact that you will be riding with us, we have included a few photos you can post/share at your leisure – again tag us as @bhardultrarace and https://www.bhardultrarace.com (where applicable).
Also, let us see your efforts in detail by joining our Strava club: www.strava.com/clubs/563459
7) MISC
In case we’ve forgotten to mention something that you absolutely need to know at this point – do let us know and we will do our best to help out!
Take care and speak soon.
