The idea of the project arose from tourist, recreational, but also practical reasons. Namely, the initiators of the project believe that the new trail, which would connect these two cities, has a better surface and is unobstructed by roads and would be shorter and flatter, unlike the current one that passes through Kladje and Mala Rakovica. They also emphasize the historical legacy and the significance of the name “Samoborček”. The project is divided into two phases for each of these cities. You can check more about the event “HPB XCM Occupy Samobor” HERE The main investment of the first and second phases of the Sunday part of the route includes the construction of a bicycle-pedestrian bridge over the Rakovica canal. Other investments will go to gravel backfilling on part of the trail, clearing of branches and grass, and setting up cycling infrastructure such as rest areas, markings and interpretation boards and signposts. “There is a lot of space for expansion, the infrastructure in terms of marked bicycle paths in the City of Samobor could be significantly improved as well as the connection with the bicycle path of Samobor and Zagreb. Our proposal is to connect the two cities with a bike path along the route of the legendary Samoborček”, Concluded Zvonimir Brleković. The club participated in the internationally recognized competition “4 Islands 2018” with seven teams out of a total of 14 competitors and was also the most numerous cycling club from Croatia in that competition. “Our bicycle races are known as one of the most organized in the territory of the Republic of Croatia, and they promote the city of Samobor beyond the borders of Lijepa naša. This can be witnessed by an increasing number of competitors from other countries, especially Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The idea is to raise the recognizable Occupy cycling race to a higher level in the form of a cross-country competition in which, in addition to always active recreationists, competitors at a higher sports level will also participate,”Added Brleković. Although this is the first “cross-country” marathon in their organization, Brleković points out that the club wants to organize the same in the coming years. “We hope that the event will be recognized and that there will be more and more participants from year to year, and accordingly we expect greater support from sponsors and partners. In the coming years, the marathon could go beyond the scope of a recreational race and become a competition that is scored for the cup or championship of the Republic of Croatia under the auspices of the HBS. With the appropriate support of the local community and sponsors, it could become a multi-day, stage race that will attract tourists from Croatia and abroad.” Cycling clubs “BBK Krpelj” and “BBK Šišmiš” participated in the development of cycling routes, while a tour of the terrain, marker positions and all field work, and proposing and marking positions for all routes, was done by the Tourist Board of Samobor and “BBK Šišmiš”. Samobor cycling club “BBK Krpelj” with its 140 members registered in 2019 ranks among the most numerous “mountain bike” clubs in Croatia. It was founded in 2011 and has been operating unofficially since 2009. Club members often participate in many recreational and competitive “mountain bikes” and road races in Croatia. Brleković believes that the cycling tourism offer and infrastructure in Samobor is at a good level, but that there is still a lot of room for improvement. “The offer is getting bigger and bigger every year, and the interest in such events is growing. At the initiative of the Tourist Board of the City of Samobor at the end of 2016, and in the first half of 2017, bicycle routes of the City of Samobor were made and marked in the field in coordination with BBK Krpelj. These are 7 bike routes made to meet the needs of mountain bikers and road recreationists. Some are more demanding, some are easier, which is all stated in the route description. Our club also participated in the creation of the routes, and several routes were created at our suggestion. We did field trips and suggested field marker positions for all routes. We are extremely glad that this project, which has been discussed for years, has finally come to life in our city and its surroundings.” This year, the club is organizing an event “HPB XCM Occupy Samobor” which, in addition to recreational cyclists, will bring together professional competitors. “Cycling trail along the route ex Samoborček” is a project of cooperation between the City of Samobor and the City of Sveta Nedelja, or Hrvoje Vešligaj from “BBK Krpelj” and Robert Vuga from “BK Sveta Nedelja” and the Samobor Sports Association and the Tourist Board of Sveta Nedelja. The Tourist Board of the town of Samobor has started arranging and setting up cycling infrastructure on all seven routes, and in the first phase it is setting up cycling service stations and tools for repairing bicycles, while we promote the routes themselves through the organization of bicycle races. Zvonimir Brleković, president of the club “BBK Krpelj”, believes that the “BBK Krpelj Occupy” cycling race is a recognizable, recognized and extremely well-attended event for all ages and categories of cyclists from Samobor, Zagreb and the surrounding area. “The last Occupy cycling race, organized last year, 2018 in Koretići, was attended by over 500 participants and it can be objectively said that it was the largest recreational mountain bike cycling event in the territory of the Republic of Croatia. More than 30 members of BBK Krpelj, 6 motorcyclists, 1 medical team, an animator and others actively participated in the organization of the event at last year’s Occupy cycling race. Participants had at their disposal three trails, two feed zones, two photographers and one logistics van.” The club plans to gather up to 300 participants from the region – competitors from Slovenia, Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina have also been announced. The increasingly popular e-bike category will also be available at the competition. Legal regulations that imply the implementation of this project are the possibility of obtaining a land concession from Zagreb Holding and Croatian Railways, maintenance of land plots and construction of bicycle infrastructure, but without performing construction works and changing the functionality of the route due to the construction of the future railway. Occupy Dukat Fit Koretići 2018. Bicycle path along the route ex Samoborček In 2019, the club “BBK Krpelj” has three licensed competitors who regularly participate in cup races and the national championship of the Croatian Cycling Federation. Also, members of the club are three licensed judges who are qualified to judge HBS’s “mountain bikes” and road races. The event will be held in the area of Žumberak and Samobor hills, on June 8, 2019. The marathon consists of three tracks of different lengths – 60 kilometers, 40 kilometers and 20 kilometers – to meet all categories of competitors. “This year we organized the fourth edition of the Samobor Bicycle Race, presenting route number 4, ie Okić and the Okić region, and encouraging healthy living, staying in nature and active tourism.”, Said the Tourist Board of the city of Samobor. “Samobor is really becoming a real cycling mecca, through the development of cycling tourism, but also the organization of important cycling events, from bicycle races, recreational marathons, brevets, all the way to the XCM Marathon and the big international race XCO Samobor, which we proudly host on June 16th.” The first phase of the Samobor part of the route includes cleaning the trail of trees and branches, patching holes in the ground and installing bicycle infrastructure, and the existing roads will be marked with bicycle signs. After the completion of the bicycle route, in the second phase, the plan is to organize regular bicycle races in cooperation with tourist boards, return the “Večernjak bicycle race” to Samobor and support existing bicycle projects and cycling offer in the city.
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