We have decided to introduce a number of motorsport elements in the bike race and so on the 11th January, a brand new event will be launched with its own rules, which are supposed to make the race funnier as well as more challenging.
We have managed to solve the problem with the capacity and accommodation. The start and the finish line have been moved to one point and then… then we looked at how it works in the world of tough guys, in which the tracks are built with the sole aim – not letting anyone cross the finish line. Do not worry – it will not be so terrible, though it will definitely be different.
NIGHT PROLOGUE à la RED BULL ROMANIACS
One of the most challenging but also appealing enduro races of the world is undoubtedly the Romaniacs with its prologue in the Romanian city of Sibiu. We have kind of decided to include this idea in the Bike Slog and the result is the Friday night prologue. We are not any bunch of losers after all, are we?
Our prologue will, of course, not include so many artificial obstacles but we will certainly get some ready for you, plus you will have to cover about 8 km of the forest roads. The night prologue competitors will start in pairs according to their race numbers, not distinguishing categories and routes so that the order cannot be changed. Basically, on Friday night you will have to fight for your life (if you aim to place well).
SATURDAY RACE
Saturday race will reflect the Friday effort or bad luck. At the start, there will be a start ramp for three racers in a row and in several lines. The three riders with the best times from Friday will be placed in the front row, all other trios behind them, keeping a distance among one another.
All the racers will start simultaneously. A shoddy Friday race or a technical problem will result in a starting position from the back lines on Saturday. That is why the racers from the back will have to work harder to fight their way to the front through the field in order to catch up with the racers in the front.
NEW JUICY ROUTES
With the change of the start line, we will move higher in the valley to the former children’s sanatorium of Železnô. There will be almost no tarmac on the route, the easier variant included. The more challenging route will be 40 km long with about 1,800 metres of the vertical distance, the easier one approximately half of the route. Long uphill and several downhill paths will be waiting there for you. The routes will, of course, be shortened in adverse conditions.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?
The Friday night race with its own lighting and the main Saturday race. In addition to the competition, a doctor from the Air Emergency Service will give a talk after the race on Friday and possibly a couple of pieces of good advice on how to handle serious injuries occurring when cycling in the hills also in the summer.
On Saturday, after reaching the finish line, you will have lunch and the race results will be announced with fantastic prizes from our partners. Later on films by Rasťo Hatiar, recently awarded by the jury in the International Mountain Film Festival in Poprad, will be screened. A dinner will follow and at the after-party the Hudba z Marsu band will play for us to dance. On Sunday there will be just breakfast and we will leave for lowlands.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
The starting fee is €18 – the price includes a small gift, a chip for the Friday prologue, Saturday lunch (soup plus main course) and the free entry to all side events (talk, film screening, concert at the after party). If interested, for non-locals it is possible to pay board and lodging extra at reasonable prices.
Let’s take a look:
€15.60 – half board for two days (Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast);
€20.00 – tourist accommodation for two nights (with four beds per room; toilets, showers and the kitchen are shared with other rooms in the hall);
€68.00 – small suite for the weekend Friday – Sunday (double bed plus normal extra bed);
€136.00 – big suite (double bed and an adjacent room with four beds).
Every suite includes private sanitary facilities, a bathroom and a kitchen.
REGISTRATION
The racers may sign up until the 24th December. The starting fee and the fee for lodging and board (if applicable) shall be paid by the end of 2018. Registration on the spot will not be possible.