Founders Leg 6 · Friday 17 September 2027

Sarandë to Metsovo

The Queen stage: into the mountains of southern Albania, across the border into Greece and the long climb to Metsovo.

Distance
155km
96.6 mi
Climbing
2,916m
9,566 ft
Descent
1,798m
5,900 ft
High point
1,259m
4,131 ft

The day's digital “cloth” map

  1. Start
    0.0 km / 0.0 mi
    Bougainville Bay Resort & Spa, Sarandë
    The biggest climbing day of the leg. Eat a big breakfast.
    Open in Maps
    42.7 km · 26.5 mi to water stop
  2. Water stop
    42.7 km / 26.5 mi
    Water stop at the Greek border
    Have your passport ready for the border crossing.
    Open in Maps
    25.0 km · 15.5 mi to coffee
  3. Coffee
    67.7 km / 42.1 mi
    Coffee in the Epirus hills
    Morning coffee stop.
    Open in Maps
    34.4 km · 21.4 mi to lunch
  4. Lunch
    102.1 km / 63.4 mi
    Lunch at Ntrampatoba, by the lake near Ioannina
    Lunch by Lake Pamvotida, the only town of the day.
    Open in Maps
    35.3 km · 21.9 mi to water stop
  5. Water stop
    137.4 km / 85.4 mi
    Water stop before the Metsovo climb
    Fill your bottles for the long final climb.
    Open in Maps
    18.0 km · 11.2 mi to finish
  6. Finish
    155.4 km / 96.6 mi
    Aroma Dryos and Hotel Apollon, Metsovo
    A mountain town at over 1,100 m. It can be cool in the evening.
    Open in Maps

Ride25 crew

Call the crew for a lift, a mechanical or if you are lost. Everyone is also in the ride WhatsApp group.

112
EmergencyFree from any phone in Albania and Greece. In Greece, ambulance 166.

Tonight's hotel

Aroma Dryos Spa & Eco Hotel and Hotel Apollon, Metsovo

Open in Maps

Route map

Open in Strava Download GPX
  • Route
  • Stops
  • Wind, km/h

Elevation

Tap or slide to see where you are

Tap the profile or drag the slider to follow the route on the map. You can also tap the route on the map.

Wind and weather

Too far ahead for a forecast yet, so these are the conditions on the same day in 2025. Winds were light, around 5 to 9 km/h, mostly westerly. Dry, about 16°C early and up to 28°C. The live forecast appears here automatically in the two weeks before the ride.

Typical conditions from Open-Meteo records for the same day in 2025. Check the live forecast on the morning.

Riding notes

  • Have your passport handy for the border crossing into Greece.
  • Half way through the day we join the Pioneers' original 2017 route.
  • Wild dogs are common. Stay calm, keep riding and stay together. Bears live in these mountains too.
  • The final climb to Metsovo is long. Keep something in the tank.

The country you ride through

History on the road

0 to 60 km

Southern Albania

The route passes near Butrint, an ancient city inhabited since Greek and Roman times, and climbs through the Drino valley towards the border.

60 to 110 km

Epirus

Epirus is one of the wildest regions of Greece, with stone villages and arched Ottoman bridges. Lake Pamvotida at Ioannina was the stronghold of Ali Pasha, the Ottoman ruler killed there in 1822.

110 to 155 km

Metsovo

Metsovo is a centre of the Vlach people, famous for its smoked cheese, wine and woodcarving. It is a winter ski resort today.

Look out for

  • Stone arched bridges
  • The island in the lake at Ioannina
  • Shepherds and their dogs
  • Metsovo's smoked cheese

Local heroes

Famous faces from along the route

Ali Pasha of Ioannina was visited by the poet Lord Byron in 1809. The Averoff family of Metsovo became great benefactors of Greece, funding the warship Averof and the Averoff Museum in the town.

Call crew leader, Mel+44 7947 765600 Emergency112