This year - for the first time - Ecotopia Biketour goes beyond Europe, pushing deep into Anatolia. Beginning on 2nd July in Sofia (Bulgaria), the tour will cross the hills of Bulgaria before reaching Istanbul and taking in the Turkish Black sea coast. Reaching the Ecotopia gathering near Sinop on the 14th August. Along the route, the Biketour links with local action groups and communities to support their campaigns. In Sofia and Istanbul local activists have called a day of action on renewable energy sources and alternative forms of transport to coincide with the Biketour's visit. In Krumovgrad (Bulgaria) the tour will meet an activist community which has succesfully resisted gold mining. Preparations are being made for protests against planned nuclear and thermic power plants in Turkey and together with local groups we will raise awarenes on the damaging effects of planned oil pipelines through Bulgaria and Turkey.

Ecotopia Biketour is suitable for a broad range of abilities and is not limited to the super-fit. All participants carry their own luggage and anyone who feels able can take a turn pulling communal equipment in one of the tour's bike-trailers. Decisions are made together on a consensus basis and participants share tasks such as cooking. Accommodation is usually camping. Participants pay a small participation fee based on the Eco-rates system, meaning that costs should reflect the cost of living in your home country.

If you are interested in environmental issues, willing to take an active part in the group, and you have a bicycle, then Ecotopia Biketour is for you.

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General information: http://www.ecotopiabiketour.net
Detailed info on the route, actions and accommodation: http://btwiki.ecobytes.net
Join the biketour mailing list at: https://lists.eyfa.org/mailman/listinfo/biketour
or e-mail your questions: yolanda (at) ecotopiabiketour.net

More info:
Ecotopia: http://eyfa.org/ecotopia or: www.ecotopiagathering.org
European Youth For Action (EYFA): www.eyfa.org
Eco-rates: http://eyfa.org/ecorates