2021 GUIDEBOOK Let everybody at home know we are having fun #siminncyclothon 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 Landvernd nature conservation society. Landvernd, the Icelandic Environmental Association, is the oldest and largest environmental association in Iceland with 6000 members. The main aim of the association is the conservation of Icelandic nature, protection of the environment in Iceland, ecological restoration, sustainable development and active participation in international collaborations. The issues Landvernd focuses on 2019-2021 are the climate crisis, conservation of Icelandic nature and sustainable societies. Environmental education is the main activity of Landvernd. The association emphasizes public participation in decision making regarding the environment. Generous gifts, support, benefactors and fundraising have been fundamental to supporting their tireless efforts in protecting the amazing nature of Iceland. WE ARE PROUD TO BE A PART OF THEIR FUTURE! SCHEDULE 21. June 18:00 Team meeting (in English) at Síminn HQ, Ármúli 25, 108 Reykjavik. All riders are welcome but team managers are mandatory. Race documents will be presented at the meeting. 22. June 19:00 Solo category and Hjólakraftur start from Egilshöll, Reykjavik. Race finishes 84 hours later. 23. June 19:00 Teams-category start from Egilshöll, cut-off 72 hours later. 25. June 06:00 First teams should be approaching the finish line (based on historical timing). 26. June 20:00 - 23:00 Celebration and award ceremony at Síminn HQ, Ármúli 25. START The start will be from Egilshöll Stadium in Reykjavík. 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 the city. 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 Egilshöll Stadium riders will take the Þingvallavegur and Kjósarskarðsvegur into Hvalfjörður fjord. Special race rules apply on the 24 km route from Egilshöll Stadium to the left turn onto Kjósarskarðsvegur. On this part of the race route no rider exchanges are allowed.. 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 all teams must leave Egilshöll not later than 18:45 on June 23rd 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. Riders who ride the first section of the race are 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 than one team member riding at any given time, including this first section. Most teams choose to have two riders on this section and if one of them needs to drop out due to bike failure or other mishaps then he/she will be picked up by the GÁP service car and returned to the team car somewhere in Hvalfjörður. All teams must familiarize themselves with the first 24 km of the race. A detailed description of the new route out of Reykjavik can be found on the next page. FIRST 24 KM - SPECIAL RULES APPLY Part 1 (11 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. Riders make a right turn from Vesturlandsvegur road (Route 1) onto Þingvallavegur road (Route 36). 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. At Gljúfrasteinn the escort vehicle will release the race and riders are free to race at their preferred speed Part 2 (13 km) NO EXCHANGES ALLOWED – FREE RACE Riders make a left turn off Þingvallavegur road onto Kjósarskarðsvegur (Route 48) where they meet with their follow vehicles and are allowed the first change. Special rule zone ends Síminn Cyclothon staff will guide team cars to appropriate parking. We kindly ask participants to follow directions from our staff. THE ROUTE Síminn Cyclothon is a relay race around Iceland, 1,358 km mostly on Iceland’s Ring Road. There are four exceptions on the route: The start The race starts at Egilshöll in Reykjavik where the route goes onto Vesturlandsvegur (Route 1), continues on Þingvallavegur (#36) and through Kjósaskarðsvegur (#48) before turning right into Hvalfjörður fjord. Riders get back on Route #1 after Hvalfjörður. Lake Mývatn (ca 515 km into the race) Shortly before reaching Lake Mývatn 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 Reykjahlíð municipality and then they turn left towards Egilsstaðir. Cyclists can not ride the more popular route 848 by Lake Myvatn. In short - stay on route #1 around Lake Mývatn. Egilsstaðir (ca 690 km into the race) After Egilsstaðir all cyclists must go through Öxi mountain pass(Route 939) and not Breiðdalsheiði (Route 1). This means you must choose Route 95 out of Egilsstaðir. Öxi is a a rather treacherous and unpaved mountain pass so all teams must have a mountain bike or a cyclocross bike to pass the 29 km gravel section. Riders get back on Route #1 at the bottom of fjord Berufjörður. Selfoss (ca 1.270 km into the race) After passing through the town of Selfoss 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. We will do our very best to inform teams about any road construction that may be taking place on the route. 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 apply for the last 20 km of Síminn Cyclothon as follows: Riders turn from Suðurstrandavegur road (Route 427) onto Krýsuvíkurvegur road (Route 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 Hvaleyrarvatnsvegur road. Team cars have to turn off Hvaleyrarvatnsvegur 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 are highlights we would like to emphasise. ● Each Team-Category Team must have only 1 Support Vehicle which also serves as a follow vehicle. Additional Support Vehicles are not allowed. USe of hidden vehicles or campers along the route is cause for disqualification. ● The first rider has to finish the whole first bit of the race to Kjósarskarðsvegur (Route 48). At Kjósarskarðsvegur we have a designated first exchange zone. ● 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.