Seven Serpents Illyrian Loop

Seven Serpents Illyrian Loop is the newest and most remote addition to the Seven Serpents series — a 650-kilometre gravel event starting in Shkoder, Albania, with 14,000 metres of climbing through the mountains of northwestern Albania, northern Montenegro, and Kosovo. The Illyrian Loop takes its name from the ancient Illyrian peoples who inhabited the western Balkans before the Roman period, and the route passes through a landscape that carries the marks of successive civilisations: Roman roads, Ottoman fortresses, Byzantine churches, and traditional highland communities that maintained their own legal code for centuries. Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo are among the least-cycled countries in Europe among foreign riders, which is both a challenge (limited infrastructure, unpredictable road surfaces) and a significant part of the event's appeal. The Albanian Alps — locally called the Bjeshket e Namuna, the Accursed Mountains — are some of the most dramatic in the entire Balkan range, with sheer limestone peaks and passes above 2,000 metres on terrain that is simultaneously spectacular and demanding. Planned for April 2027, this edition targets the brief window when the highland passes have cleared of snow but the summer heat has not yet arrived.

Date to be confirmed: Apr 2027 (TBA)