This last section of the Drauradweg is also the most difficult; although the first 8 km [5 miles] from Lavamünd to Dravograd are easy, the rest of the route is rather challenging due to steep ascents and descents and unpaved roadbeds that are very irregular and rocky, certainly better suited to a mountain bike than a city bike or touring bike.
It starts from Lavamünd along a bike path that runs along the right side of the federal highway to Slovenia. One passes through customs at km 4 (*). After another 4 km [2.5 miles] you reach the first Slovenian village of Dravograd (Unterdrauburg in German).
Here you descend to the river, where you then cross over a large bridge and after a few meters turn left onto the street leading up to the train station; there, go across the train tracks, and immediately afterwards a sign warns of an uphill gradient as steep as 18%. When I traveled this route on August 21, 2007, I saw coming down from the top of the hill a huge truck, and given how narrow the street was, I decided to take no chances, and I resigned myself to do the climb on foot. An encounter with a truck on such a steep hill and on a street so narrow is something decidedly dangerous.
Having stopped halfway up the climb to take some photos of the countryside, I saw approaching the hill an enormous TIR [large, international transports RB] which succeeded in covering the entire road; I have no idea what would have happened if I had been standing in the way of the huge truck just a few minutes before.
I remember this episode to underline the difficulties of this route; one must always keep one’s eyes wide open even on local roads where traffic is minimal (but not zero!!).
Once you have arrived in Trbonje, following the bike map, turn left to cross a bridge over the Drava and connect with a bike path which follows the right side of the state highway for a few hundred meters; you then cross the state highway and take the local road for Muta, which is well paved and without difficult altimetry. Once you are in Muta you turn to the left and you descend again towards a bridge over the Drava, which once you have crossed puts you in Vuzenica. You take the street to the left, cross the railroad tracks and take the street along the train tracks; follow 16 km [10 miles] of narrow road with climbs and descents and unpaved sections to reach Podvelka; here to the right one takes a paved road with a constant climb and which takes one far from the Drava over a pass of 600 m [1,970 ft]. Then follows a long descent which is not all that pleasant, because in spite of low traffic, it is perilous because of the narrow road. After Puskava you descend rejoining the Drava at Ruse.
After Ruse the road becomes flat and a little wider, but, contrary to what is indicated in the Esterbauer guide, it gets increasingly busy with cars and trucks. Eventually one arrives in Slovenia’s second largest city, Maribor (Marburg in German). The historic center of this city is very beautiful and well worth a visit for a few hours.