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

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

n 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 and

Neretva The Neretva ( sr-cyrl, Неретва, ), also known as Narenta, is one of the largest rivers of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin. Four HE power-plants with large dams (higher than 150,5 metres) provide flood protection, power and water s ...

. 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. Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The com ...

It shows a typical

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

landscape. Atop the peak there is a powerful FM and

DVB-T DVB-T, short for Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in Singapore in Febr ...

transmitter. The 196 km² of its area is protected as a

nature park A nature park, or sometimes natural park, is a designation for a protected natural area by means of long-term land planning, sustainable resource management and limitation of agricultural and real estate developments. These valuable landscape ...

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 elsew ...

. Biokovo also includes the separate ridge and peak Sveti Ilija at . Biokovo is one in a line of Dinaric Alps stretching along the Dalmatian coast - northwest of it is

Mosor Mosor ( la, Massarus), or Mount Mosor (''Massarus Mons''; it, Monte Massaro), is a mountain range in Croatia located near the city of Split on the Adriatic coast. It belongs to Dinaric Alps, and it stretches from the pass of Klis in the northwe ...

and southeast are Sutvid and Rilić. To the east, the Šibenik runs in parallel. When the weather is very clear, from the top of Biokovo it is possible to see

Monte Gargano Gargano (, Gargano Apulian Italo-Romance arˈgæːnə is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming ...

in Italy, which is away. Zabiokovlje, a mountainous area in Biokovo, includes such townlets and villages as Gornja Brela, Zadvarje,

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 st ...

, Grabovac, Rastovac, Zagvozd, Župa, 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 nearby ...

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 racing, 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 2 ...

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 from ...

, outsprinting

Jaime Rosón Jaime Rosón García (born 13 January 1993 in Madrid) is a Spanish road cyclist, suspended from the sport following an adverse analytical finding in his biological passport. He was named in the startlist for the 2016 Vuelta a España. Career ac ...

(

Caja Rural–Seguros RGA Caja Rural–Seguros RGA () is a UCI ProTeam cycling team sponsored principally by Grupo Caja Rural, a Spanish banking group. The team participates in UCI Europe Tour races and UCI World Tour events when given a wildcard invitation. The team's ...

) with eventual general classification winner Vincenzo Nibali ( 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 This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport. For ''parts of a bicycle'', see List of bicycle parts. 0–9 ; 27.5 Mountain bike: A mountain bike with wheels that are approximately in diameter and ...

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 R ...

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