Predmeja: 700 metres under Čaven, through hand-cut tunnels

Predmeja is a scattering of hamlets on the edge of the Trnovo forest plateau, 700 m straight above Ajdovščina, and the road that climbs to it is the most dramatic in the Vipava valley. It winds up under the rocky slopes of Čaven, narrows near the top and goes through tunnels cut into the rock by hand. The Vipava Valley tourist board sums it up: from Lokavec, 700 m of climbing in just over 8 km. Our track gives 8.8 km and 721 m at 7.9%. Here is how the climb breaks down, how to ride it, and how to deal with the wind this valley is famous for.

The climb: two steep halves and a flat kilometre

The tourist board's road ride starts in Ajdovščina at the car park by the Hubelj river, next to the ruins of the Roman fort of Castra, and heads up to the village of Lokavec, where the climb proper begins. Our track starts there, at 179 m.

• Lokavec to the first bends: the steep start. The road leaves the village at 8.8%, then hits the steepest kilometre on the climb, 11.6%, followed by 9.6%. The tourist board warns that the road gets much narrower from here.
• The middle: a breather. The fourth kilometre eases to 6.4% and the fifth is flat, 0.1% on our track. Take the rest. The tourist board points out a water trough where the road starts climbing steeply again, and it is the place to fill your bottles.
• Under Čaven: the finish. The last four kilometres are steady and hard: 7.7%, 9.3%, 9.5% and 9.1%. You ride under Čaven's steep, rocky slopes and, just below the top, through the hand-carved tunnels, with the whole Vipava valley opening up below. Our track finishes in Predmeja at 884 m.

How to ride it

Most riders take 40 minutes to an hour from Lokavec. It is a short climb with a long climb's gradient, so treat it as one sustained effort with a pause in the middle, not two sprints.

• Hold back on the first three kilometres. Start at 85–90% of FTP and let the 11.6% kilometre push you a little above it, no more. If you are well over threshold at the second kilometre, you will pay for it under Čaven. Pacing a climb with power explains why.
• Recover on the flat, then build. Use the flat kilometre to drink and bring your heart rate down, then build into the last four kilometres over a minute or two rather than jumping on the pedals.
• Gear low. At 10–12% on a narrow road you want to stay seated and smooth. A 34×30 or lower is a good idea; see gearing for climbing.
• Lights for the tunnels. The road is narrow there and you go from bright sun to shade. A rear light is worth having on.
• Heat. The tourist board calls the Vipava valley the sunniest part of Slovenia, with about 2,100 hours of sun a year, and the lower slopes of the climb get it all. In summer, go early and drink plenty; hydration in the heat has the details.

The edge of the plateau, and the burja

Predmeja takes its name from where it sits: in front of the forest, at the edge of the woods, according to the Municipality of Ajdovščina. It is not one village but a string of hamlets, including Rupa, Tiha dolina and V Grapi, with most homesteads between 800 and 1,000 m. The steep edge below them, the Rob, is part of a landscape park, and the municipality describes it as the place where the burja is born.

The burja is the cold north-easterly wind of the Vipava valley. The tourist board explains that it builds when high pressure sits over Central Europe and pours cold air down the slopes of Gora, Čaven and Nanos in bursts. Gusts can exceed 200 km/h. It blows mostly in winter but can come at any time of year, and when it is strong there is a ban on caravans in the valley. On a bike it is not something to fight. Riding the exposed edge of the plateau or descending to Ajdovščina in a strong burja is genuinely dangerous.

Practical: the loop, the season, the wind forecast

• Loop it over the Gora plateau. The tourist board's road ride carries on from Predmeja along the Gora plateau through Kovk, Gozd and Col, then descends 8 km back to Ajdovščina. That makes 36.2 km and 1,067 m of climbing, with the highest point at 903 m.
• Or go wider. Slovenia's national tourist board suggests a 45 km circular tour of the Vipava valley from Ajdovščina through Vipava, Vrhpolje and Col, past Otlica and its stone window, and back through Lokavec. Our Vipava valley guide has more.
• Check the wind before you go. A calm, sunny day in Ajdovščina does not guarantee a calm top. If a burja is forecast, choose another day. Reading a wind forecast shows what to look for.
• Season. The national tourist board describes the valley's climate as mild enough for cycling all year. Spring and autumn are best: summer is hot on the lower slopes, and winter brings the burja.
• The descent. Narrow, steep and with tunnels near the top, this is a road to come down slowly, with cars coming up. If you can, descend via Col instead.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page is the real road from Lokavec to Predmeja, with its height at every point. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces that gradient as you ride, and the world around you is built from the map of the actual place: the valley floor, the switchbacks and the edge of the plateau. The climb is ideal indoors because its lesson is pacing around a pause. You learn how to ride the steep start without wrecking the finish, and how quickly you can get going again after the flat kilometre.

Ride it once, note your power on the last four kilometres, and try to raise it next time without going faster on the first three. Prefer your own device? Download the GPX above and load it into any app that rides GPX files.

The short version

8.8 km and 721 m from Lokavec to Predmeja: a steep start with an 11.6% kilometre, a flat kilometre to recover, and four hard kilometres under Čaven through hand-cut tunnels. Hold back early, fill your bottles at the trough and check the burja forecast before you go. Loop back over the Gora plateau and Col.