About
We try to make the tour as inclusive as possible for any level of fitness or experience with bike touring. We cycle a maximum of 30–70 km per day (depending on the hills), and on average half of the days we stay in a place without cycling. Our experience is that almost everyone can manage this, but there is the possibility to shorten the distances if we discover that it is too much. People cycle in small groups or alone, at whatever speed suits them, and many people like to take it slow and take lots of breaks. A detailed route plan for the day is shared in the morning, arrows are drawn with chalk on the road at every turn, and if you get lost you can always call the Biketour phone. If you have a shitty bike, you will not be the only one, and we enjoy supporting each other if something breaks. We make sure that the last people to leave carry a toolbox, a phone and a first-aid kit in order to assist if anything goes wrong on the road.
Read more about what the Ecotopia Biketour is. If you would like to get an insight into the organisation or just ask a question, contact us.
Biketour concepts
Participation Guidelines
> participation guidelines
> awareness
Self-Organisation
> how it’s prepared
> consensus
> circles
Online Tools
> online-tools
> photo-sharing
On the road
> on the road
> tasks & rota
> trailers
> wildcamping
Food
Whenever it’s possible we go dumpster-diving and buy food from local farmers and small shops.
> veganism
> rocket stove
> dumpster-diving
Activities
> skill-sharing
Latest blog posts
Biketour supports struggles against Gold Mine in Rosia Montana
In the last few weeks, a huge wave of protests has hit all parts of Romania (and beyond) since September as people fight against a catastrophic gold mining project in Rosia Montana, close to Cluj. This project has been initiated by the Canadian-owned Rosia Montana Gold Corporation and would be the largest gold mine in Europe. The project would use cyanide-mining techniques requiring thousands of tonnes of the dangerous chemical, which would have massive impacts on the environment of the whole region. Or better to say, on that part of the region that would still be left; the project would…
Biketour supports Worker Run Factory Struggle: Jugoremedija
In Zrenjanin we met up with some of the ex workers from a long standing worker owned factory struggle at Jugoremedija, that has been under threat of Privatization since 2000. Serbian politicians and investors fear this kind of organising, despite being sucessful, will “bring us back to the dark days of self-management”. You can read an English write up of the history of the struggle, and similar struggles in Serbia, in the above link. We spent one night hosted in the garden of a library that was donated to the council by the author of serval books about the resistance…
Every Day Action at Inex Film: Beograd
On entering Belgrade (8th September) we met up with some of the local Critical Mass crew along the Danube, led by a Serbian Biketour veteran, who showed us some of the problems for cyclists that are squeezed off the roads by heavy car and summer pedestrian traffic. Our mini Critical Mass ended on the outskirts of Belgrade, at the ex cinematography factory, now a thriving squatted social center where we were to be hosted called Inex Film. The huge building at Inex was once left abandoned, and squatted by various characters, latterly artists and activists who revived it from being…
Beyond Borders: On film in Hungarian
In Novi Sad we met up with a film crew for the local Hungarian language TV, and here are the results! The first 7:30min relate to the Beyond Borders biketour: For those that don’t speak Hungarian, in the clip we talk about the history of Ecotopia Biketour, this year´s beyond borders theme, how we organise and also our route. Novi Sad is in the Vojvodina region, where there are several minority languages including Hungarian. In the clip they also mention the sections of our biketour which pass through other regions with Hungarian speaking minorities, such as the last leg of…