KTM LC8 Rally Central Greece 2015

Commissioned in 2015 by the KTM Owners Club of Greece and Most Wanted Warehouse—the official KLIM distributor for Greece—, our team was tasked with delivering an LC8-focused adventure worthy of the Hellenic Orange community. The mission: create a Greek counterpart to the renowned LC8 Rally of the Western Alps — a ride where terrain, camaraderie, and mechanical grit set the tone.

The event carried the official support of KTM Greece and became known as the KTM LC8 Rally Central Greece.

We rolled out in mid-October, leaving the Defner refuge and diving straight into the harsh beauty of Parnassos’ northern massif. The terrain shifted quickly — coniferous forests, open ridges, loose gravel and long, empty tracks that begged for pace. The first 150 kilometers alone delivered everything a proper LC8 weekend should: unpredictability, dust, altitude, and a constant pull to push harder.

Parnassos and the Mountain Frontier

Mount Parnassos has always marked a frontier. In antiquity it formed the highlands that protected Delphi and the sacred routes that threaded toward central Greece. For centuries, traders, shepherds, and fighters crossed these ridges following the same natural corridors we now ride.

The landscape remains unchanged: austere and imposing — the type of terrain that naturally suits true long-range adventure moptorcycles.

Parnassos → Giona → Makrakomi

Drosochori gave us fuel, Gravia gave us a short pause, and the northern flanks of Mount Giona gave us attitude— riding just below the 2.000-metre line as the mountain opened up beneath our wheels. The gravel was fast but never predictable, a mix of broken stone and shallow ruts that kept everyone alert. By Argiria the terrain finally calmed and the hunger took over, pushing us toward Makrakomi for dinner.

The evening surprise came later: a five-star hotel, a spa, and ten riders coated in orange dust queuing at the reception. The contrast was priceless. The night that followed — fireplace, stories, arguments over lines taken and lines missed — was exactly the kind of bonding that defines these rides.

The Giona–Agrafa Corridor

This corridor has historically connected the mountain communities of Central Greece. During the Ottoman period it became a refuge for rebels and smugglers; during the 20th century it formed part of the remote network used by resistance groups.

Today the same ridgelines create one of the most characterful riding environments in the country: steep, isolated, and carved by old military and shepherd tracks.

Morning Push — Karpenissi → Agrafa Ridge

The next morning started smooth. Fuel and coffee in Karpenissi, as dictated by Greek road culture, then the climb toward Steni and Kerasohori: a rhythm of alternating gravel and tight asphalt with the kind of mountain views that make you ease off the throttle just to take it in.

Krenti marked the start of the more serious terrain. The dirt trail into Agrafa is rough, narrow, and deeply cut by winter runoff — the kind of surface LC8 riders enjoy without hesitation. We met friends in the highlands for a short break, then continued toward Kamaria and the ridge-line that leads to the small Church of St. Nicholas of Agrafa.

Light faded, the descent began, and Belokomiti delivered the final energy boost: a fish dinner before the long push home. The ride ended the way all proper rides should — with exhaustion, satisfaction, and over 400 kilometers of tarmac left to think about everything the mountains had given us.

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