The third European edition of the KTM Adventure Rally brought 150 riders from 24 countries to the slopes of Bjelašnica mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Four days of guided off-road riding through mountains, canyons, plateaus, alpine lakes, and rivers that looked like something rendered in a film. And as if that weren't enough, KTM chose this backdrop to unveil the 790 Adventure R RALLY limited edition to the world.
On-Board Video — Bosnia 2019
Arrival — Bjelašnica
Bjelašnica is a mountain above Sarajevo, best known internationally as the venue for the 1984 Winter Olympics alpine events. Away from that history, it holds high plateaus, technical dirt tracks, and canyon descents that very few Western European riders know about. KTM knew. The route selection was exact.
Base camp at altitude. Registration, bike check, first look at the route cards. Around 150 riders from Colombia, Australia, Spain, Slovenia, Germany, and points far beyond. The mix of accents at the briefing said everything about how far the KTM Adventure community had grown by 2019.
Day One — June 17, 2019
First Loop — Bjelašnica Plateau
The first loop opened across the high plateau — wide gravel tracks with the kind of views that justify the flight, the ferry, and everything it took to get there. Accessible but purposeful. Not a Sunday ride. A proper adventure route with sections that demanded full attention.
Day Two — June 18, 2019
Canyon Descent — Alpine Lakes & The 790 RALLY Reveal
Day two pushed into the canyons — narrower tracks, steeper descents, crystal-clear rivers cutting through the valley floor. The kind of landscape you forget exists in Europe until you are standing in it.
At one of the alpine lake stops, the KTM team rolled out the 790 Adventure R RALLY — the world premiere. Riders had the chance to test the production bikes on the exact terrain they were designed for. A product launch done correctly.
"150 riders, 24 countries, and a mountain that had been waiting to be ridden."
Day Three — June 19, 2019
ULTIMATE RACE Qualifier — Full Off-Road Loop
Day three introduced the competitive dimension. This was the first qualifying round for the ULTIMATE RACE 2020 — a rally in Morocco. Two riders would earn their spots. Iker Iturregi from Spain (No. 41) and Andrej Crnkovic from Slovenia (No. 120) took them. The rest of us kept up with the terrain and our own ambitions.
Day Four — June 20, 2019
Final Loop — Closing Evening
One more loop before the closing ceremony. The kind of evening where you swap route notes, compare crash stories that are already becoming funnier, and make promises to be at the next one. Bosnia had delivered. The 2017 edition in Bardonecchia and 2018 in Sardinia had set the bar. Bosnia cleared it.
The Series Context
By 2019 the KTM Adventure Rally had already run in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, and South Africa before arriving in Europe. Bosnia was the third European chapter, following Bardonecchia in 2017 and Sardinia in 2018. Each location is chosen for terrain quality and remoteness — places where the bikes work hard and the landscape earns the distance to get there.
For many riders in the group, Bosnia was their first time in the Balkans. For most of them, it was not their last.
Gear on This Rally
The Rally Verdict
Terrain
Organisation
Scenery
Overall
Bosnia was the edition that made the European series a fixture. Serious terrain. KTM-level organisation. The 790 RALLY world premiere added something no amount of route-planning could manufacture. One of the best four days on a motorcycle.