Cyclists from all over Europe (EU member states, Western Balkan countries and Turkey), regardless of experience, are being invited to join the first European Bike Tour along the Danube. Participation in the Tour and accommodation during the Tour is free, but travel costs are not covered.

The Tour will follow the European Danube Cycling track leading participants through five countries including Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. For logistical reasons, the Tour is limited to some 400 participants. In order to allow you to make your planning in good time (and therefore be able to reserve good prices for travel to and back from the event) registration will be on a first come first served basis, ensuring homogeneous participation of different countries. One of the aims of the project being to have balanced groups of people from different countries, the organisers reserve the right to make final selection of participants.

The Danube by Bike Tour 2009 is an opportunity to bring people from all over Europe (EU member states, Western Balkan countries and Turkey) together to encourage integration and dialogue between people, whilst raising awareness of the rich cultural heritage of Southeast Europe. The River Danube is often referred to as the "Queen of European Rivers" and is a strong symbol for Europe in its diversity of cultures and nations. The Tour reinforces the importance of taking joined action to protect the unique Danube eco-system. The Danube by Bike Tour is open to everyone who likes cycling, cares about the environment and wants to make new friends throughout Europe.

Participants of the Tour will be able to choose between two different routes.

Route 1 will start in Budapest, Hungary following the famous Danube-Drava National Park. After crossing the border to Croatia, riders will make their way to Osijek and then join an entertaining event in Vukovar. The Tour will pass Novi Sad before making its final journey to Belgrade, Serbia.

Route 2 will travel from Bucharest via Bechet to Orjahovo, crossing the Romanian-Bulgarian border. In Bulgaria, they will cycle to the beautiful city Vidin, where they will celebrate with the local population in a special event. The group will pass the impressive Iron Gate which connects Romania and Serbia, before finally heading to Belgrade.

On 27 June the two groups will come together to celebrate the end of the Tour in a public event in the heart of Serbia’s capital at the famous Kalemegdan Park.

Bike Route 1

Bike Route 2

INFO:
MEDIA CONSULTA International AG
Wassergasse 3 - Berlin
Email: info@danubebybike.eu
Web: www.media-consulta.com