People Cycling Rides

Balkan Express (Albania + North Macedonia + Montenegro).

This is a Approved Ride
Difficult
Ride Info
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Ride Leader
Thomas Ryan
Tour Dates
6/14/2024–6/28/2024
Start Location
Tirana, Albania (TIA)
End Location
Tirana, Albania (TIA)
Cost (est.)
$2650 (USD + $150.00 ride fee)
Deposit
$650 (USD
Payment Due
4/15/2024
Tour Company
Cycle Albania
Avg. Distance
37 mi / 60 km
Avg. Elevation
3182 ft / 970 m
Ride Description

General Information

The Balkan Peninsula, for many, is one of the last undiscovered corners of Europe. Cultural and natural variety abound here, forged over the centuries by numerous political changes and imperial influences from the Byzantine to the Ottoman. Our ride contrasts Tirana, Skopje, Prishtina and Podgorica with traditional towns, villages, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and places of untouched natural beauty. Each country offers a different and unique culture, cuisine and tradition to discover, each growing as an independent nation in its own right and taking its place in the modern world. This is a rare chance to see the re-emergence of places kept off limits until relatively recently.

East meets West and new merges almost seamlessly with old. Over the centuries people have travelled to the Balkans for many reasons, its fertile soil, natural resources and healing waters. The enchanting Balkans which have remained virtually untouched by tourism, boast rich tradition, vibrant culture and mouth-watering cuisine. Offering vast historical attractions, nightlife, coastal towns, countless national parks and 11 UNESCO sites, this adventure cycle tour is delightfully varied. Our Balkan Adventure begins at a welcome dinner on Friday the 14th June in Tirana, Capital of Albania (TIA), then continues for 15 days/ 14 nights.  Having ridden through 3 countries and covered 450 miles, our journey ends back in Tirana after breakfast o… (Join People Cycling to read more)

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People Cycling's Ride Rating

People Cycling has four categories for our rides – Easy, Moderate, Difficult, and Challenging. It should be somewhat obvious what these categories mean, but please become familiar with the elevations and distances that define them:

Easy
Easy rides are under 30mi/48km in average distance and 1600ft/500m in average elevation
Moderate
Moderate rides are over the Easy rating but under 50mi/80km and 2460ft/750m
Difficult
Difficult rides are as over the Moderate rating but under 75mi/120km and 3280/1000m
Challenging
Anything over the Difficult rating

NOTE: This is not a strict guideline. There could be rides that have a day or two where the average elevation or distance exceeds the values given above. These anomalies should be outlined in the ride description. It is recommended that you read it carefully.

About People Cycling

People Cycling is a bicycle touring club, which you can join for free. We offer Domestic and International Cycling Tours which are led by volunteer Ride Leaders. Our tours are made up of a small group of participants (typically 15-20 or so) who want to ride an average of 30 to 55 miles a day over a one or two week period in interesting regions of the world. Our tours range in price from frugal getaways to luxurious adventures. We travel road, gravel, or mountain bike styles, and all bicycle types – including e-bikes, recumbents, and tandems are typically allowed.

Our ride leaders are volunteers and do not financially profit on tours they lead. They are also given broad discretion on how to lead their tours, and we consider them our greatest asset.

People Cycling tours are operated at cost or at lower cost (as negotiated by our ride leaders) than individuals can obtain on commercial tours. Within the cost of a tour, there is a nominal fee to support club operations and provide tools to ride leaders to manage their rides.

What are you waiting for? Join today to see what bicycle adventure awaits you in our club.

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