Slovenia will be far from most people’s riding radar but it turns out there’s a whole raft of great riding on offer. I travelled there with Olly Wilkins to check out what the Slavic state had in store for any adventurous riders.

The first day we rode the Jamnica bike park that specialises in single track trails. After a slow start we dipped into a patch of forest and Anej (our guide) and Olly suffer simultaneous brake failure and they both vanish down the hill out of control, rear wheels spewing twigs and loam in their wake.

>>> Click here to find seven more under-the-radar European bike parks

Actually, there was no brake failure, but instead one of those trails that inspires enthusiasm and confidence; it dares you to let the brakes off and explore the limitations of grip.

We drop into a section of lumpy crests followed immediately by well-supported turns. I see Olly throwing some crazy shapes as he sucks up the crests and lands into the corners with total commitment to get catapulted into the next. Quite how his bike does not implode is beyond me.

On one particular trail we were cheered on by a group of hikers coming the other way. It felt a bit like the Alpe D’Huez’s Dutch corner except in the middle of a forest. Bonkers!

Click here to move onto part two where we ride in an abandoned mine and the world’s longest flow trail.