CROATIA: OLYMPICS - A group of cycling enthusiasts sets off on a 2,900km journey from Zagreb to London as a way of promoting the 2012 Olympics

Record ID: 331015

  • Title: CROATIA: OLYMPICS - A group of cycling enthusiasts sets off on a 2,900km journey from Zagreb to London as a way of promoting the 2012 Olympics
  • Date: 26th June 2012
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF CYCLISTS MOUNTING THEIR BICYCLES AND BEGINNING THEIR JOURNEY CYCLISTS LEAVING CYCLISTS CROSSING ROAD IN ZAGREB CITY CENTRE CYCLISTS IN TRAFFIC
  • Embargoed: 11th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Croatia
  • Country: Croatia
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVACPNG1YQ000GIKBFYZM2MRA2J3
  • Story Text: A group of cycling enthusiasts, determined to reach London by bike in time for the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, set off on a month-long journey on Monday (June 25) in Zagreb.
    The idea to travel to the Olympics by bicycle was initiated by Mladen Gacesa, a member of the local cycling club "Pedalinac", who had already completed a similar feat four years earlier when he and a fellow enthusiast travelled from Zagreb to Beijing.
    This time the travelling group will consist of about twenty enthusiasts who plan to cover the total distance of around 2,900 kilometres between London and Zagreb in about a month, riding their bicycles 5-6 hours every day. Their route will take them from Croatia to Hungary, and - following the river Danube - they will pass through Slovakia, Austria and Germany. From there they intend to pass through Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Belgium, where they will board a ferry at Ostend and land in Dover before reaching London by July 27.
    During their journey, cyclists will wear shirts with the names of all the cities which have hosted earlier editions of the Olympic Games, and they will also pass through Strasbourg and Brussels, seats of the European Union, as a way of honouring Croatia's accession to the bloc, scheduled for July 2013.
    "After the 2008 journey undertaken by two members of the Pedalinac cycling club all the way to Beijing, this came as a kind of a follow-up. We got the idea when we returned, that a larger group of cyclists should go to the Olympics in London. At this moment, on the eve of Croatia's accession to European Union, it is a nice story. 20 cyclists, 10 countries, 3,000 kilometers, 30 days. We will pass through Strasbourg and Brussels... It should turn out to be a nice Croatian story," Mladen Gacesa said.
    British ambassador to Croatia David Slinn also appeared at the journey's launch to lend support to the project, saying that this kind of journey is a perfect way to combine sport and promote the 2012 London Olympics.
    "It's an excellent initiative, to go all the way from Zagreb to London by bicycle as a way of helping to promote the Olympics, but also to enjoy sport. These are people who enjoy cycling and this is a way of enjoying the sport they love so much, and promote the Olympics. That's an excellent combination and that's exactly the spirit of the Olympic Games," British ambassador to Croatia David Slinn said.
    Among the cyclists who set off on the journey to London was also a Danish cycling enthusiast Jesper Hedegaard from Copenhagen. Hedegaard, an experienced cyclist who often visits Croatia and has made the trip between Copenhagen and Croatia several times, says that mental preparation will be the key to success.
    "I feel that the most important thing when you're going so far is that you are mentally prepared, that you know what's going on, and that you know what's happening to your body because it will always going to hurt sooner or later," Hedegaard said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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