MOUNT A BIKE - development of mountain bycicle routes in Western Balkans

The project strategy has three main pillars that will go together: development of mountain biking routes; promotion; development of mountain biking tourism The mountain biking routes development will prepared by the project team. That would mean that a group of experts from all partners will first discover the project targtr region in order to set up precisely the tracks to be cleaned, the gps coordinates of the signs to be posted, the coordinates of the picnic areas, the information needed to be placed on the signs, regarding difficulty of the route, nearest town or the whole map of the routes and some species that is worth looking at, etc. These experts will then be responsible for the monitoring of activities of the subcontractors that will take place in the mountain. The field study for database collection will provide the needed information and data for the promotion of the route that will take place after the development of the cycling routes. Promotion of the mountain biking routes is essential to the success of the project. We'll tell people from the region, from the capitals, from the whole world that they can come to our cross-border region and ride a bike on accessible and siginposted paths, equipped with picnic areas and powered with gps maps, helpful website, usefull brochure, etc. A mountain biking tour for international journalists and enthousiasts will be organised in order to officially "open" the routes and provide valuable pictures and video materials for the filming of a promotion movie for the mountain biking in Western Balkans. In the website will be provided all useful information also about existing hiking routes upgrading on the work done so far by the local people in their efforts to encourage tourism development in the region. The final pilar will bring sustainability. Three seminars in Belogradchik, Chiprovtsi and Zajecar will be held where local stakeholders will meet and synchronise efforts for cycling tourism development. Organisations and persons with great contribution for tourism development and mountain biking knowledge will be selected in order to start the rent-a-bike cross-border service, where a tourist can rent a bike in Chiprotsi and leave it in Zajecar, discovering the whole region. A 5 day training for mountain biking and repairing of bycicles will be organised and care will be taken for long-term maintenance.