Petra Olympus
Village at the banks of Mt. Olympus
Petra is a village well hidden, away from mass tourism activities, whilst being in close proximity to the mountain of Olympian Gods! The cycling routes around this region are of low to zero traffic and of great quality, whether you choose to ride on (gravel or tarcac. The aspect of visiting more than just a few authentic villages, where time seems to have stopped, makes a cycling journey here a true gem.
Routes into forests, through alpine meadows, vineyards, cherry and apple grows, surrounded by the true odorful Mediterranean vegetation. All compose a great cycling experience, almost divine. Also, cyclists visiting the region can be part of the vast number of cultural activities, such as the Olympus festival, visiting the archeological site of Dion or even, plan a day's ride to to Vergina , the very place where Alexander the Great comes from.
The spectacular views of Olympus summit with its glaciers are just one (1) hour of cycling away from the beachside. Longer loops, can get the cyclists reach to refreshing long beaches. Where else in the world, cycling can get so excited?
Discovering that place was a result of those mysterious ways life itself imposes, of which we have no control. It was just during a light talk with one of our fellow cyclists, Christos, when he asked us to examine whether the routes is his "playground" could offer cyclists strong experiences.
The outcome was truly a blast. Gravel roads intermingled with perfect tarmac ones, all in a perfect equilibrium. Here, there are a lot of options in terms of mileage and elevation, making Petra Olympus a suitable cycling destination for every type of cyclist.
What really made our mind dreaming for days, was the true, untouched nature and its strong smells. Think no more and just visit the region; cycling rarely can get better that this.