The Slovenian partners of the Inter Bike III project met with the Italian partner Torre Natisone GAL at the beginning of November to define the link between the D7 long-distance cycling route connecting the border crossings Robič and Jelšane and the FVG3 Pedemontana from Gorizia to Pordenone. The project partner Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica has defined the itinerary of the D7 route in cooperation with other Slovenian municipalities and intends to develop a new cycling tourism product in the area, divided into at least five daily stages of 40 kilometres each. The new tourist product aims to link up with neighbouring Italy to the north and Croatia to the south. The aim is to enable cyclists to cycle smoothly from north-eastern Italy via Slovenia to Kvarner, thus linking the area to the popular Austrian-Italian Alpe-Adria cycling route from Salzburg to Grado (FVG1). The problem on the Italian side is some rather busy sections between Robič and Gemona, for which the partners have been looking for suitable alternative side routes. They have also examined the possibilities of transporting the bikes by train and bus, which are available. In the cross-border area, a pilot van line will be tested in summer 2025 to transport cyclists from the Vipava Valley through Goriška Brda to Cividale del Friuli. The service will be implemented by the Regional Development Agency ROD Ajdovščina. The partners also checked the signposting along the routes and the extent of the tourist offer in the cross-border area. The Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica has announced that cyclists will be able to cycle along the D7 using an app. New routes identified within the project will also be uploaded to the www.bike-alpeadria.eu website.
