Outreachmail participants 09 eng

*[ 2009 BIKETOUR: Feel the Heat! ]*

tssssss.... sweating away in our attic office in Banja Luka, we are getting ready for it, and now we're inviting you too!

Come join us and cycle the Western Balkans this summer!

We are going from Belgrade (Serbia), via Skopje, Tirana, Podgorica, Sarajevo and Zagreb to the Mnogo u Malom camp in Jagnjedovec (Croatia). Our moon shaped-itinerary is around 1700 km and will take us almost two months: from 7 July untill August 28.

The Biketour is not just any roadtrip of plain old peddle power through pitoresque panoramas, it's full of environmental campaigning and actions too! We will participate in campaigns at places we pass; Reclaiming the streets of cities which are still dominated - clogged - by cars. Getting informed on health issues around polluting industries, and help fighting plans to build new ones. Debunking a nuclear power myth on the Adriatic shore. We'll also stay with local communities who take sustainable development into their own hands: home-made, home grown, permaculture, renewables, recycling, preservation of natural reserves... And theres going to be a whole lot more!!

As 2009 is the year in which governments decide in Copenhagen if they'll stop climate change or not, the Biketour will pay extra attention to it. Just as everywhere else, in the Western Balkans there reaminss a lot to be done to fight global warming. With the people we meet /en route/ we will inform, exchange, improve and fight against the climate chaos - we'll face the heat!

*[ Get hot & join us this summer! ]*

If you want to join (a part) of the biketour, you are welcome!

Join us, if:

• you can cycle aroud 50 km per day through *hot weather* (bring a cap!) • you are interested in environmental issues and want to take part in actions • you want to take part in concensus decision-making (talking!) and • help with the daily tasks such as preparing meals, pullnig trailers, washing up or tidying the sleeping places.

*[ how to participate ]*

First: Read the ins and outs of the Biketour on our website & fill out the application form on http://www.thebiketour.net/join-us/ asap (before 10th of june!)

Then: find out if you need visa for the countries we travel through (Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Hercegovina and Croatia). If so contact us, so we can see how we can help you to arrange your visa.

Each person pays a participation fee of around 5 euros per day (those with a better economic situation maybe a bit more then those with have less). The fee covers everything - organisational effort, various events, actions, workshops, three meals a day and a place to put up your tent.

If join from the start: we meet 5th of July in Belgrade where the 6th of July we'll have an Cyclemania action. After that we take the nightttrain to Macedonia. The actual cycling of the 2009 biketour will start in Skopje in the afternoon of the 7th.

You can also joing us somewhere along our route - but pleaser let us know in advance around where and when we can expect you to show up!!

There are a lot of hints and tips we can give you for getting ready for the biketour, but to keep this invitation of a decent length, you better delve yourself through our website and look at everything already there. But if you have questions, ask!

Hope to see you!

Daniël and Marcha this years international coordinators

http://www.thebiketour.net http://btwiki.ecobytes.net info[at]ecotopiabiketour.net