about 800 kms with a navigator
2 days on a bike
1 night in a hotel
Bulgaria & Greece
a lovely ride down to the Aegean with lots to see on the way
Any bike above 250cc welcome
No prior experience on longer journeys necessary
EUR 150.00 with your bike
from EUR 300 on a rental bike
Why do we like it?
This ride is pure chill. It follows a scenic route down to the coast, free of traffic, and the corners flow one into the next without interruption. Slow with lots of stops along the way to take in the experience. Oh, and fantastic company along with some beautifully chilled beer.
We tailored this ride with WRWR in mind - open roads, mostly void of traffic, with decent tarmac and plenty of pretty and very varied scenery to enjoy. It does have some slightly challenging bits to just push you a bit out of your comfort zone but really it is a fantastic way to spend a weekend on a bike
Is it for you?
This one is tailored to the Women Riders crowd - something you probably know already. Some of you may be experienced riders - you will love the road selection and the likeminded company. Some of you may be new to riding long distance - let us know, we will pay special attention to you. You will be comfortable, we promise!
This route doesn't feature any off-road sections but we could do a short introduction to basic principles at our overnight location for those of you who wish to get into off-tarmac riding
The weather
We selected dates that are warm but not too hot to be comfortable. A dip in the Aegean isn't out of the question either, albeit a rather cold dip
Rain: rather unlikely but if if looks like it might we'll warn a couple of days in advance so you can pack a rainsuit and just enjoy the splash.
Difficulty level - 1/5
Loads and loads of corners to work out proper technic. Longer days do add a bit of a challenge but the ride itself is light, easy and fun. We take brakes, we take pictures, there's never any rush. It's nice. And easy.
The Program
Saturday
We meet up at the Lukoil /McDonalds petrol station on Struma Highway, so everyone can make their own exit out of Sofia. We use noodly looking pieces of tarmac to move to the Aegean coast town of Stavros roads where we will spend our night. We will have some lunch somewhere on the road we really don't wanna disclose too much but also, do you really need to know anything else? You're along for the experience, let us handle the route and planning, relax, don't worry, you'll get there, wherever that "there" may be.
Start:
End:
Lunch is:
Ride time:
Ride distance:
max elevation:
Sofia @ 08:00
Stavros @evening
Tasty :)
8 hrs
370 kms
800 m
Sunday
A lovely ride back home, turning our backs at the sea at the last possible moment. We usually turn the going back home part of the ride into a very nice, chill end of an experience, not a rush to barge through a door as early as humanly possible. Off-road bits also available for those who want them, again.
Start:
End:
Lunch is:
Ride time:
Ride distance:
max elevation:
Stavros @ morning
Sofia @ evening
Maybe too big :)
9 hrs
400 kms
1300 m
Price
EUR 150.00
payable 100 in advance up to 10 days before departure
remaining 50 due up to the day before departure
Extras are... well, extra.
What's in
A capable rider to navigate you through it all, a bed in a double room, traveler's insurance (5k EUR limit) and road assistance in case the bike or you decide to misbehave
What's out
Food, fuel & beer pretty much. We don't know if we can afford your drinking habits, so do please take care of them yourself. We did some light estimations on how much you'd need, they are somewhere below.
Extras
Additional passenger is + EUR 75.00
Single room accommodation is + EUR 75.00
CF Moto 450 MT / Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 / Moto Morini Xcape 700 / CF Moto 700 XT is + EUR 150.00
Yamaha Tenere 700 / Honda Transalp 750 is + EUR 220.00
Trip mileage and luggage system included in the price.
Your motorcycle
This is a great route for all bikes. That said, you might struggle to keep up if your bike is under 250cc, but anything above that, really anything that can sustain 100kph on the straits will be excellent.
The route is 100% asphalt
Coming? Great! Consider:
Gear
Your navigator will carry these, so we think you don't need to double up on them: A basic first aid kit, tire puncture repair kit, inner tube for anything nastier than a nail, zip ties, so, so many zip ties... a rope, some electrical tape and a basic toolkit, a rope. Anything special that makes you or your bike run, you should take yourself. In our dreams we all ride in our pajamas, right? No? Just us? Oh, well either way when awake we take this stuff seriously, so although we're not saying that's how you should ride, we ride with full face helmets, full suit without the thermal liners and some serious boots. Think in terms of comfortable temperatures and whatever slight coldness there might be to be limited to the mornings. During the day - ventilation ports are a good thing. Waterproof gear if it rains: it won't rain. If you're missing bits, ask us, we will try to help out. Remember, always wear all of your gear, even when having taking a shower.
Luggage
A common thing is to overdo this and end up carrying half the stuff you own "just in case". Don't do it - it ruins your bike's handling, it looks ridiculous and it's annoying to carry it. The "just in case" bit is perfectly covered by a EUR 50 note in a pocket somewhere - it can be exchanged for extra clothes, forgotten charger cables, etc. That said, focusing on the fact it will be warm or hot, pack these: - pair of walking shoes; - 3x clean underwear; - 3x non-stinky t-shirts; - something long-sleeved in case you get cold easily - 2x shorts - a toothbrush; All of this will fit in a backpack if you don't have dedicated motorcycle luggage. Whatever you use, tie it down on the bike. Carrying it on your back wears you out for no reason. Also a good rule of thumb is to keep it leisure and compact. We go for sportswear just because it folds super compact and light. Waterproofing luggage if it rains: there's good and super cheap options for waterproof bags in sports shops
Pocket money
Other than the fee, which covers the stuff we said it covers, you need maybe EUR 80-120 in your pocket. We estimate: - about EUR 50 for fuel. We will refuel mostly almost exclusively in Bulgaria except for once in Greece and not a full tank at that. Considering a 5l/100kms consumption this should be plenty; - about EUR 40-60 for food in Greece - about EUR 10 for snacks Which reminds us - keep some cash on you. Bill splitting is annoying otherwise.
