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Week Eight might be one of the shortest weeks by distance, but it packs a punch! Delivering plenty of hills over its little length, don’t be misled by the lower kms. Everything is jammed into just five days!
Bulgaria will bring us forested mountains from days of yore, the Rila and Rhodope ranges of northern Thrace. Untamed beauty means lots of adventure. Note that ‘adventure’ isn’t a word we’ve thrown into the mix to make Week Eight seem exciting. We really mean it. There might be bears. |
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GREAT! HOW MUCH WILL IT BE?!
Not one or two but FOUR pricing options. For all options, you can pay in one transaction or two equal, monthly instalments. 1. The standard = £385 Straight up! 2. I can and I will! = £385 + whatever you want The gift economy! Most tours like ours are double the price. We choose to keep the price lower than most so that we have a fun mixture of people from different backgrounds and lifestyles. If you can afford anything from one to one million pounds extra, you’ll make our day, and make it much more likely Thighs will continue for another year! 3. Low income place = £250 4. No income place = £0 Previously the low and no income places have been given to people that spend lots of time volunteering and people out of work, particularly if you are a migrant and don’t have the right to work. If this is you, please get in touch with us at [email protected] This money covers the costs of the trip, the £500 fundraising is separate and goes directly to Help Refugees. Scroll down to find out more about the fundraising. |
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This week will be crazy beautiful. This is how we think it will go:
Every day, the core team in the van goes ahead and knocks on doors and will try our very, very hardest with charades and charm to get permission for us all to camp somewhere nearby. As ever, expect cold mountain lakes and streams to be nature’s luxury baths and showers We’ll start the ride by heading south from Sofia. The road goes straight into the Rila mountains where it touches 1000m before moving towards the Rhodope range and up to 1500m. Expect endless miles of ancient forests, with biodiversity that would make a biologist squeal. Expect mountain water from fountains free running by the side of the road. Expect misty cool mornings, and baking afternoons, and anything in between. As the road leaves Bulgaria for Greece, say goodbye to forests and hello to arid, hot land with shadeless, shimmering olive trees. Enough of the flowery language… It’s going to heat up as we freewheel downhill to the northern Greek plains. Bring electrolytes and hope that your great grandfather was a camel. That’s not to say all the climbing is done, as a couple more efforts will be needed to get over the hills surrounding Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki will bring a celebratory dive into the sea. Beach, ice cream and sunburn awaits! |
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By coming on a week of the ride, you’re committing to fundraise a minimum of £500 for awesome grassroots refugee organisations.
Together, we’re hoping to raise £60,000 for Help Refugees. Every penny of this will be given to projects such as Khora, who are supporting refugees to move forward under exceptionally difficult circumstances. We're confident you won't find it too tough to raise £500, to give you a head start, here's a load of ideas and tips from Thighs cyclists who've fundraised gazillions in the past. We're always around to help you come up with new ideas as well - drop us a line if you’re worried. Read more about your incredible impact as a Thighs cyclist on The Reason page |
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- 520km of downhills.
- A bike. ( BUT! We have two bikes available for hire for £70. Let us know in your sign up form if you need one)
- A luxury week away. We'll rotate all the jobs that need to be done to make communal life a dream. Be ready to cook, do the washing up, and put your own tent up and down as required.
- A daily shower. There's no guarantee. More often than not we simply head for the nearest body of water, or tip a water bottle over our heads!
- Most days we’ll have a quick break at a café, bakery or a shop so that you can stock up on caffeine and carbs. Sometimes, depending on the group vibe, we might get lured into a fantastic-smelling restaurant en route. For all of these, you'll pay your own bills.
- Your journeys to the starting point and then homeward after the trip. We strongly recommend that you book travel as early as possible to get a decent price.
- Insurance. Boring but essential!
SUNDAY 30 AUGUST // At 7pm we’ll all come together, have dinner and chat about the week ahead. Then rest our excited nervous heads! We suggest arriving around 5pm so that you have time to put your bike together first. You’re welcome to arrive even earlier than that, to have a bit of time to explore the city and prepare for the week ahead.
See this page for more important arrival info, including airport pickups where necessary.
MONDAY 31 // Get on our bikes, leave Sofia and cycle really far through beautiful green country roads before wild camping near Belvovo.
TUESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER // It’s climbing day! Over 2,000m climbing over the Rila and into the Rhodope mountains, hopefully ending with a well-deserved wild camp on the shores of Lake Dospat.
WEDNESDAY 2 // Rising at dawn, we’ll ride through the Rhodope range all morning, crossing the border after lunch. Welcome to our final country of the trip - Greece! Celebrate with spanakopita and hills. Wild camp somewhere along the way.
THURSDAY 3 // Cycle really far, with an undulating morning and a flattish afternoon, ending up around the river Struma for a refreshing and hard-earned swim.
FRIDAY 4 // The final day of the penultimate week! We’ll push our legs and minds to conquer the hills that guard the final run into Thessaloniki, where we’ll celebrate with all the tasty Greek cuisines we can find.
SATURDAY 5 // Wake up, a mixture of tired and elated, wander around the city in a happy daze. Set off home with Thighs a little steelier.
* NB: All the above details are loosely collated from our route planning, the internet and our imagination. What we do know for sure is that this is a real adventure and that plans and itineraries mock you in retrospect.
See this page for more important arrival info, including airport pickups where necessary.
MONDAY 31 // Get on our bikes, leave Sofia and cycle really far through beautiful green country roads before wild camping near Belvovo.
TUESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER // It’s climbing day! Over 2,000m climbing over the Rila and into the Rhodope mountains, hopefully ending with a well-deserved wild camp on the shores of Lake Dospat.
WEDNESDAY 2 // Rising at dawn, we’ll ride through the Rhodope range all morning, crossing the border after lunch. Welcome to our final country of the trip - Greece! Celebrate with spanakopita and hills. Wild camp somewhere along the way.
THURSDAY 3 // Cycle really far, with an undulating morning and a flattish afternoon, ending up around the river Struma for a refreshing and hard-earned swim.
FRIDAY 4 // The final day of the penultimate week! We’ll push our legs and minds to conquer the hills that guard the final run into Thessaloniki, where we’ll celebrate with all the tasty Greek cuisines we can find.
SATURDAY 5 // Wake up, a mixture of tired and elated, wander around the city in a happy daze. Set off home with Thighs a little steelier.
* NB: All the above details are loosely collated from our route planning, the internet and our imagination. What we do know for sure is that this is a real adventure and that plans and itineraries mock you in retrospect.
A WEEK NOT ENOUGH?
After one week, most people are seeing showers as mirages on the horizon and are shuddering at the sight of a bicycle, but not you! You’re craving adventure and muscle ache, and god damn it, you will not be stopped after a measly week! You may be wild enough to be considering 3 or 4 or ALL of the weeks, but because places on the ride are limited, we only allow people to come for a maximum of 2 weeks so that as many people can come as possible, and therefore fundraise as much as possible. It's possibly obvious, but you’ll pay £385 for each week, and fundraise £500 per week too. To sign up, you have two options: 1. Fill in the sign up form on each of the weeks you want to join for e.g. sign up on weeks 2 and 3. This is the quickest way. 2. If you'd like to pay in 4 monthly instalments to spread the cost, email us at [email protected]. We'll reserve you a spot on both weeks if there space and then set up a payment plan with you. BIKE-LESS BUT WANT TO JOIN US?
This year we have not one but two spare bikes for you to borrow. The aim of the game is to make overland travel easier and encourage people who want to avoid flying - but we understand how hectic life is and welcome all-comers. The cost of hiring a bike is £70. The first bike will fit a human 5’5” - 5’9” (166cm - 175cm) tall. The second bike will fit a human 5’9” - 6’1” (175cm - 185cm). If you would like to reserve one of the bikes, let us know when you sign up. Note: We will provide lights, a day bag for your lunch, a variety of pedals Please bring your own helmet and 2 inner tubes. Bring your own saddle if you have a favourite one, otherwise we have a few to choose from. WHAT WILL I NEED TO BRING?!
What on earth do you bring on this trip!? Don't panic! We have a kit list for everything you need, HERE. We're fans of doing things as cheaply and greenly as possible, so there's not much on our 'essentials' list. We really recommend asking buddies and pals to borrow bits and bobs to save on buying new! TRAVEL & LOGISTICS HELP!
We understand travelling is a bit of a logistical puzzle sometimes! SO...we've researched the routes and the best ways to get there! Head here to see how! |
