Perfect tarmac and very few cars (even fewer cyclists!) The gradient is never too steep, whilst still being an epic mountain route. There are towns on both sides of the route for refuelling. In other words, this is a cyclists paradise! If you are cycling across the Balkans, this should be your route. We cycled through in Autumn and it was spectacularly beautiful!
I can only agree with that. Perfect pass on very good asphalt, in sycamore and beech forests. There are a few drinking water points on both sides, all of which provided water in mid-May. It tastes good and I feel good afterwards. So you don't have to carry the water up the mountain.