WOW cyclothon 2019

GUIDEBOOK #wowcyclothon

PLEDGES SUPPORT A GOOD CAUSE!

We are starting an amazing journey together around the country!

While we are at it we are going to raise funds for the summer camp of Reykjadalur, which is run by the Benefit Society for Children with Disabilities. The camp is for children and young people who might need extra services because of their mental or physical disabilities. Approximately 250 individuals from all over come and stay at the camp every year. The aim is to provide to them adventurous experiences on their own terms, filled with outdoor activities, friendly atmosphere and the vision that there are no limitations. Generous gifts, support, benefactors and fundraising have been fundamental to building up the camp for its continuous development. Our goal now is to expand the camp further for even better accessibility.

WE ARE PROUD TO BE A PART OF THEIR FUTURE!

PARTY AND AWARD CEREMONY!

Most definitely we will need a celebration for WOW Cyclothon finishers. We are all looking forward to hearing your stories and sharing our own. Just know that when you say “this was incredible” you will be understood by each participant. Riders’ party, staff, supporters and organizers will be held Saturday June 29th in Listasafn Reykjavíkur from 20:00 - 24:00. Winners of each category will also be awarded their prizes.

Please demonstrate sportsmanship at all times and respect your fellow riders and participants. Let’s have fun having fun!

Intinerary

25. June 18:00

Team meeting (in English) and race expo in Ölgerðin, Grjóthálsi 7-11, 110 Reykjavik. All riders are welcome but presence of team managers is mandatory. Race document will be presented after the meeting.

25. June 19:00

Individual and Hjólakraftur start from Ölgerðin, Grjóthálsi 7-11, 110 Reykjavik. Race finish 84 hours later.

25. June 19:15

Team meeting (in Icelandic) and race expo in Ölgerðin, Grjóthálsi 7-11, 110 Reykjavik. All riders are welcome but presence of team managers is mandatory. Race document will be presented after the meeting.

26. June 18:00

A-category start from Egilshöll, race finish 72 hours later.

26. June 19:00

B-category start from Egilshöll, race finish 72 hours later.

28. June 06:00

First teams should be approaching the finish line (based on historical timing).

29. June 20:00 - 00:00

Celebration and award ceremony in Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavik.

THE ROUTE

WOW Cyclothon is a relay race around Iceland, 1,358 km on Iceland’s Ring Road. There are five exceptions on the route:

The race starts at Egilshöll where the route goes onto Vesturlandsvegur (Road nr. 1), continues on Þingvallavegur (#36) and passes Kjósaskarðsvegur (#48) before entering Hvalfjörðu. Please note Kjósarskarðsvegur includes 5 km gravel section.

Shortly before reaching Lake Myvatn in North Iceland cyclists cross the bridge over Laxá River and ride north of the lake (Route 1). Soon after they make a right turn to Reykjahlid municipality and then they turn left towards Egilsstaðir. Cyclists can not ride the more popular rout 848 by Lake Myvatn.

All cyclists must go through Öxi mountain road (Route 939) and not Breiðdalsheiði (Route 1). This means all teams must have a mountain bike or a cyclocross bike to pass the 29 km gravel section.

After passing through the town of cyclists turn south onto route 34 and pass by Eyrarbakki and onto Suðurstrandavegur Road (Route 427) and then onto Krýsuvíkurvegur Road (Route 42) through Krýsuvík and to the finish line which will be located on Hvaleyrarvatnsvegur Road.

Please note that during the last 20 km of the race no rider exchanges are permitted, both dropping riders from the car and picking up riders.

Part of Routes 48, 42 and 939 are unpaved and teams must decide whether to put out a mountain bike / Cyclocross or if their racer can handle the gravel.

START

The start will be from Egilshöll Stadium. There are plenty of parking spaces and room by the stadium as well as a good route to get onto the main road out of Reykjavik. We recommend that teams show up with time to spare. First riders will be called onto the starting blocks 15 minutes before the race starts. Also for the first time, teams will be offered to position themselves according to their estimated final time. Please note that regardless of this, all teams in the same category will start at the same time.

From Egilsholl Stadium riders will take the Þingvallavegur and Kjósarskarðsvegur into Hvalfjörður Fjord. Special race rules apply on the 38 km route from Egilshöll Stadium to the end of the gravel road on Kjósarskarðsvegur.

On this part of the race route no rider exchanges are allowed apart from at a one pre-defined exchange zone. It is also forbidden to stop to pick up a rider which means that those riders which enter a section on the first kilometers must finish it.

Until the exchange zone on Kjósarskarðsvegur no follow vehicles are allowed. Direct follow vehicles for Category A and B teams must leave Egilshöll not later than 17:45 on June 26th and wait for their riders next to the allowed rider’s exchange zone on Kjósarskarðsvegur road #48. Race officials will assist with parking on the section, please respect their authority.

After the first exchange each team is only allowed one vehicle at a time until the team has left Hvalfjarðarvegur road #47. Therefore it is advised that the second follow vehicle (if registered) travels directly through the Hvalförður tunnel and meet their teams on road #1 after the intersection of road #47 and road #1.

Once Category A has started the race at 18:00 vehicles will not be able to pass the riders until after Category B has passed an hour later. Please respect the time limit to ensure rider’s safety and to keep traffic delays at a minimum.

If an unforeseen incident like a failure of a bike or similar that demands that a rider of the team needs support, spare parts or a new bike the team needs to contact the race director to make it possible to give such support. For given reasons we want to reaffirm that setting up team tactic based around changing riders bike to a more suitable bike just before entering the gravel section is strictly forbidden, this is a misinterpretation of the rules. If a team is believed to have broken this rule it may be stopped and given time penalties.

There is a 5 km gravel segment on Kjósarskarðsvegur Road. The segment’s condition will be discussed at the team meeting on Tuesday, June 25th, as the road is under construction and conditions can change before the race.

Riders who ride the first section of the race (from Egilshöll to end of gravel section on Kjósarskarðsvegur) is obliged to carry a mobile cell phone in case an incident causes the cyclist to be unable to proceed with the race. We would like to use the opportunity to note that teams are free to have more then one team member riding at any given time, including

this first section. It is not allowed to use other vehicles then the registered team car to support riders in this first section of the race.

All teams must familiarize themselves with the first 38 km of the race. Read below for a more detailed description of the new route out of Reykjavik.

Part 1 (6 km)

NO EXCHANGES ALLOWED – CONTROLLED RACE

Riders start from Egilsholl Stadium with a police escort controlling the speed. All teams must respect the speed limit given by the police safety car and give it plenty of space.

Part 2 (18 km)

NO EXCHANGES ALLOWED – FREE RACE

At the roundabout by Álafoss the escort vehicle will release the race and riders are free to race at their preferred speed

Riders make a right turn from Vesturlandsvegur Road (No. 1) onto Þingvallavegur Road (No. 36).

Þingvallavegur Road will be closed to general traffic from the east by Grafningur, so riders should not expect cars coming from the opposite direction. Riders must still adhere to general traffic rules and stay on the right side of the road.

Police escort vehicles will stay with riders making sure that no vehicles will try to pass the group on its way to Kjósarskarðsvegur Road.

Part 3 (14 km)

ONE EXCHANGE ALLOWED IN A DESIGNATED CHANGE ZONE

Riders make a left turn off Þingvallavegur Road onto Kjósarskarðsvegur (No. 48).

0 km – 1 km Kjósarskarðsvegur Road: Exchange Zone All exchanges before the gravel part of Kjósarskarðsvegur Road must be done here. Team vehicles must stop and wait outside this zone.

Teams that attack, put pressure on other teams or in any way try to use the change zone to gain advantage on other teams might have to face time penalties.

1 km - 9 km Kjósarskarðsvegur: Parking for team cars. NO EXCHANGES ALLOWED!

WOW cyclothon staff will guide team cars to appropriate parking. We kindly ask participants to follow directions from our staff.

9 km - 14 km Kjósarskarðsvegur: Gravel section NO EXCHANGES ALLOWED!

FINISH

The finish line is located on Hvaleyrarvatnsvegur. The team’s participation will finish once the front wheel of the first rider passes the finish line. Please make sure that the time chip is attached to the bike most likely to pass the finish line first to make sure the timing is accurate.

For A and B category the timing chip should be on the bike that is aimed to be the first bike of the team to cross the finish line. If the results are unclear from the timing chips the results will be determined with a finish line camera, the front tip of the front wheel of the first bike of the team determines when the team has finished.

Special rules are for the last 20 km of WOW cyclothon and are they as follows:

Riders turn from Suðurstrandavegur Road (No. 427) onto Krýsuvíkurvegur Road (No. 42).

From Fúlipollur Volcanic Spring and the parking lot by Seltún there are 20 km are left until the finish line. This is the final segment of the race.

No exchanges are allowed on this segment; no new riders can be put out or riders picked up. Riders who begin this segment must finish it. Riders wishing to cross the finish line for their team must ride this whole segment.

If a rider suffers a malfunction on this segment, they are allowed to receive assistance from their team in the form of spare parts, spare bikes or repairs to their gear to help them finish the segment.

Riders make a right turn off Krýsuvíkurvegur Road onto Hvaleyrarvatnsvegur Road before reaching the road to Álfhella.

From this intersection there is approximately 1 km to the finish line on Hvaleryarvatnsvegur road.

Team cars have to turn off Hvaleryarvatnsvegur road to a special parking lot to make room for cyclists before the finish line.

The route is chosen with safety as main concern where other roads to the capital area are not ideal due to high traffic loads and high traffic speeds.

RULES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Please read the rules of the race carefully. Following is a list we would like to emphasise.

The first rider has to finish the whole first bit of the race to Kjósarskarðsvegur (road nr. 48). At Kjósarskarðsvegur we have a designated exchange zone for teams to change rider and/or bike to tackle 5 km long gravel section up ahead.

If a team in B-category has two cars, please note that only one car is allowed to be at Hvalfjörður (road 47) while riders are passing through.

Cell phone is mandatory for the first rider to report any mishaps or mechanical failure leading to the rider not being able to finish the first bit. A team car can assist the rider but has to report the incident to the race management.

Please make sure every rider’s exchange is according to rules. The front bit of the front tire of the retiring rider must at some point pass the front tire of the incoming rider for the rider exchange to be according to the rules of the race. Please make sure to use safe places only to pull over the team vehicle to make an exchange.

If a team is riding with 5 or more teams each rider has to ride a minimum of 25 minutes before making an exchange.

Riders can by no means draft teams from other categories and/or team vehicles.

All towns (such as Reykjavik, Mosfellsbær, , Blönduós, Varmahlíð, , Mývatn, Egilsstaðir, Vík í Mýrdal, Hvolsvöllur, Hella and Selfoss) are neutral zones. Meaning that teams cannot attack when passing those towns and are obligated to follow general traffic rules, including stopping on red lights.

Riders are not allowed to receive any outside assistance apart from fuel, bathroom facilities, drinks, food, clothing, tubes, tires and tools for the bike. It is only allowed to transport riders on registered team vehicles by registered team members. It is allowed for non team members to enter the team vehicle short term for media purposes.

It is forbidden to pull a team car over at the side of the road when there is an unbroken line in the centre of the road. It is only allowed if the team car can park all four wheels of the car outside the road where this applies. If this rule is broken there is a specific time penalty for the fault.

Race management should be notified if any rules are broken.

Race management has permission to make an exception to the rules in case of an unforeseen event. Please contact race management and/or judges directly to report any incidents.

Any serious incidents should be reported directly to the local emergency number 112.

N1 SERVICES N1 has a tight net of service stations around the country. They will extend their opening hours during the race. At N1 you can refill the fuel tank, find bathroom facilities, water refill and some groceries and warm food. If you wish to have some meals or service ready at your arrival to save time please give the service staff a call to the phone numbers in the following list.

Special Offer for participants ● Bacon burger w/ fries and N1 sauce of own choice - kr. 1790,- ● Chicken breast w/garlic, served in a bun with fries, soda and sauce of own choice - kr. 1790,- ● Icelandic meat soup with bread - kr. 1590,-

OPENING HOURS Borgarnes: 19:30 - 01:00 (26.06 - 27.06) +354 440 1333 Staðarskáli: 23:00 - 04:00 (26.06 - 27.06) +354 440 1336 Blönduós: 02:00 - 08:00 (27.06) +354 440 1339 Akureyri v/ Leiruveg: 05:30 - 23:30 (27.06) +354 461 3414 Egilsstaðir: 07:30 - 23:30 (27.06) +354 440 1450 Höfn: 08:00 - 23:30 (28.06) +354 478 1940 Kirkjubæjarklaustur: 24 hour opening fuel (28.06) +354 487 4628 Vík: 09:00 - 20:30 (28.06) +354 487 1230 Hvolsvöllur: 07:00 - 23:00 (28.06) +354 487 8197 Selfoss: 07:00 - 23:30 (28.06) +354 482 1005

WOW CYCLOTHON ON THE ROAD

COMMISSAIRES’ CAR

SÍMI 898 6811

A couple of commissaires are appointed and will monitor the race on the road.

GÁP AND SERVICE CAR

SÍMI: 822-0205

The GÁP "service Team" will be on the road for the duration of the race. They’ll have spare parts, tools and coffee. Please give them a call if you are experiencing mechanical failures or are in need for an assistance.

RACE MANAGEMENT

Sími: 898 9811

The race management operates from WOW air headquarters in Reykjavík. If the matter is urgent please call, otherwise email [email protected].

EMERGENCY

112 is Iceland’s emergency phone number. ​ Please contact them directly if there are any serious accidents or issues.

WOW CYCLOTHON SPONSORS

WOW Cyclothon is owned and operated by WOW Sport ses which sole purpose is to raise funds for charity. The event’s main goal is to raise funds for a good cause, new one each year. Other goals are to present a challenge for riders to push themselves to the limit.

Our sponsors make this achievable for us. Thank you!

AS YOU RIDE THE WOW CYCLOTHON

Please remember to treat other racers as you would wish to be treated. Treat other crews as you would want yours to be treated. Treat other road users as you would wish to be treated. Treat the communities which the race passes through as you would wish your community to be treated.

Enjoy the ride and have a safe journey!

Timetables

Timetables are available on the race website https://www.wowcyclothon.is/documents these ​ ​ show approximate times at notable locations around the Island.