You look at the map and think to yourself: “Well, this is my home turf, I know these hills, we’ll cruise right through.” What a massive mistake. Connecting the Banská Bystrica giant of Panský Diel and the Mount Sitno into a single cycling day is something only a pure sadist, or someone who has completely lost their survival instinct, could come up with. The elevation profile of this loop looks like the teeth of an old, rusty saw. You are either going straight up or straight down. Flat roads? You might find one at a railway crossing, but that’s about it.
Phase 1: Morning Optimism and the Banská Bystrica Slap
We roll out early in the morning from the village of Budča. The sun is warming up nicely, the sports drink in our bottles smells like fresh citrus, and our legs still feel relatively fresh. We cruise along the Hron river toward Zvolen and Banská Bystrica. It’s a comfortable pace in the paceline, sharing laughs about pro cycling and early retirement.
The laughter stops the exact second the road tilts upward above Bystrica toward Panský Diel (1,026 m).
Anyone who knows this hill knows it’s not a scenic cycling path for a leisurely afternoon. It is a long, nasty climb that tests your core right from the get-go. I am forced into my easiest 34×30 gear ratio on the very first wall. You grind, sweat pours into your eyes, your heart rate enters the red zone, and you suddenly realize you are only at the beginning of a 100 kilometer ordeal. At the summit tower, we snap a quick photo, enjoy a two-minute panoramic view that restores our will to live, and then fly right back down.
Phase 2: The Southern Transit and the Krupina Bonk
The descent from Panský Diel was free energy, but by the time we hit the valley, our legs had turned to solid wood. We head south, facing a tedious, annoying headwind toward the slovak town of Krupina. This is the section that separates those who trained hard all winter from those who just ate winter stews.
In Krupina, the first major mental crisis hits. The dreaded bonk. My stomach feels like it has shrunk to the size of a tire valve. We pull over at a local gas station, I gulp down an espresso that resembles coffee only by its color, stuff three Snickers bars into my jersey pockets, and pray the sugar kicks in soon. My riding partner looks at me with a half-maniacal grin and mutters: “Peťo, this is where the real poetry begins.”
Phase 3: The Torture of Žibritov: Who Put This Mountain Here?
From Krupina, we steer into the Štiavnica Mountains via Žibritov. The Žibritov hill is pure deception. On paper, it looks like a gentle ridge in the woods, but the reality slaps you hard. It’s a relentless incline on a narrow, rough road with the sun beating down on your back, and the gradients refuse to drop below double digits.
The classic internal monologue starts playing in my head again: “Why am I doing this? Why am I trying to prove something in my fifties? People are relaxing at all-inclusive resorts right now, and here I am, leaving my soul on the Slovak asphalt.” My cadence drops so low that I am constantly on the verge of tipping over into the ditch. There is no rhythm—just an agonizing breaking of the cranks. By the time we clear Žibritov and the road levels off for a brief moment, my jersey is completely soaked, and my morale is at absolute rock bottom. And the best part was still ahead.
Phase 4: Mount Sitno—The Gates of Purgatory
We arrive at the base of Mount Sitno (1,009 m) with completely depleted batteries. The highest peak of the range does not welcome you with open arms. The final access road—a rough track made of concrete panels leading up to the summit transmitter—is pure masochism. The gradients regularly spike toward 20%.
In this wall, you have no gears left. If you make the mistake of stopping, you will never manage to click your cycling shoes back into the pedals on that incline. So you just clench your teeth, yank the handlebars toward your chest, feel that gas station snack rising up your throat, and watch casual hikers easily overtake you on foot with a smile.
When you finally cross the summit plateau by the mountain hut, the expected explosion of endorphins hits you. We made it to the top. Higher than this, you simply cannot go in this region.
The Verdict
Up on Sitno, we buy an overpriced beer, down our last magnesium gel, and look out over the three sprawling valleys beneath us. It’s a feeling that is incredibly hard to explain to someone who hasn’t suffered for it. We are squeezed dry like lemons. My hands are shaking so violently on the handlebars that on the high-speed descent down toward Svätý Anton and back to Budča, I don’t dare cross 40 km/h.
This loop gives you absolutely nothing for free. It shows you exactly where your limits are and teaches you absolute humility toward the terrain. The scalps of Panský Diel and Mount Sitno are officially secured in the trophy drawer in a single day. But would I do it again? Never again. Well… at least until next Saturday, once the muscle soreness fades.
