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This is the glory run and what a glorious run it will be!
Mount Olympus and the mythical island of Evia; beach campsites and mountain climbs. Plus that first glimpse of Athens after 6,000km of Steely adventure. Chapeau! Expect the landscape to be arid and your body to be soaked in sweat. Expect dips in the sea, and to perfect your ability to spot a public tap from a kilometre away. |
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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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We’ll start with a couple days getting some hot and sweaty miles in before hitting the coast. Keep your eyes peeled for Mount Olympus on the sky line, and pray to Zeus for a tail-wind.
A short ferry ride (where DOLPHINS swam alongside us last time!) will take us on to the beautiful island of Evia, where we’ll make a beeline for the natural hot springs on the beach. Sounds pretty chill, but with over 4,000m of climbing over the next two days, you’ll earn it! Each day, the core team in the van goes ahead and knocks on doors and try our very, very hardest with charades and charm to get permission for us all to camp somewhere nearby. Mostly this week we’ll be camping on beaches, so expect the sea swim most days. You may even get an extra treat this week as we have found that Greece often has freshwater showers on the beach - luxury! … Sometimes. Our last day goes from sea to summit, where we’ll pause for our first sighting of Athens. From there it’s almost all downhill, which is great because we’ll be tired, hot and all of our emotions will be rolled into one big, confusing and wonderful mess! |
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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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- 600km 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!
SATURDAY 5 SEPTEMBER // 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.
SUNDAY 6 // Cycle really far down the coast and camp with the gods watching over us from their perch on Mount Olympus.
MONDAY 7 // Cycle really far again, but this time with a big climb at the end of the day. We’ll finish somewhere near lake Limni Karla. Swim, anyone?
TUESDAY 8 // Cycle around 120km, ending with a ferry across to Evia island and a well-deserved dip in the natural hot springs.
WEDNESDAY 9 // We’ll ride about 85km through the heart of the island, wild camping atop the penultimate climb of Thighs of Steel 2020.
THURSDAY 10 // A relatively short day of riding today, hopefully leaving us some time to swim, eat and relax at our wild camping spot on a beach. Prepare your thighs for tomorrow’s big day!
FRIDAY 11 // The final day’s riding of the whole trip! We’ll start with a big climb before riding down into Athens to Khora. We’ll get the chance to see the project we are all supporting, eat great food, hug, cry and rest our thighs.
SATURDAY 12 //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.
SUNDAY 6 // Cycle really far down the coast and camp with the gods watching over us from their perch on Mount Olympus.
MONDAY 7 // Cycle really far again, but this time with a big climb at the end of the day. We’ll finish somewhere near lake Limni Karla. Swim, anyone?
TUESDAY 8 // Cycle around 120km, ending with a ferry across to Evia island and a well-deserved dip in the natural hot springs.
WEDNESDAY 9 // We’ll ride about 85km through the heart of the island, wild camping atop the penultimate climb of Thighs of Steel 2020.
THURSDAY 10 // A relatively short day of riding today, hopefully leaving us some time to swim, eat and relax at our wild camping spot on a beach. Prepare your thighs for tomorrow’s big day!
FRIDAY 11 // The final day’s riding of the whole trip! We’ll start with a big climb before riding down into Athens to Khora. We’ll get the chance to see the project we are all supporting, eat great food, hug, cry and rest our thighs.
SATURDAY 12 //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! |
