Parenzana Gravel Race

The Parenzana Gravel Race is a one-way race from Croatia into Slovenia along the bed of the Parenzana, the narrow-gauge railway that linked Trieste and Poreč from 1902 to 1935. It is run by the Portorož sports club Športno društvo Sportorož with Fatburn events and the Poreč tourist board, and it is open to gravel bikes, mountain bikes and e-MTBs, each with its own category.

The main start is in the square of Poreč, with a police-escorted rollout to the old rail line before the timing begins. From there the route follows the railway through tunnels and over viaducts, past vineyards, olive groves and the medieval hill towns of inland Istria, and riders on the shorter routes wait in Livade and Grožnjan to be released behind the leaders as they come through. Everyone finishes at Kamp Lucija in Portorož, on the Slovenian coast.

It shares a weekend with the Parenzana Ultra Trail, and local press counted more than 600 runners and riders from about fifteen countries across the two days in 2026. Entries include a hot meal at the finish, and the jersey and t-shirt packages add a pasta party the evening before.