1. Bojan Krljić, cyclist,
2. Damir Josipović, cyclist,
3. Saša Đukić - Đuka, accountant, cook and publican,
4. Nedeljko Marić-Cana, organisation and logistics
5. Miki Kerić, special consultant, Professor at the "Deltion" college in the town of Zwolle (Netherlands), PE teacher and
6. R. Bloksma, Grad. Eng. in Electronics, ICT support.

The last two members will remain in the Netherlands to ensure the best possible online support for those team members cycling to Vareš.

The event will start early in the morning of 15 May 2009. The aim is to cycle the 1700 km from Tilburg in the Netherlands to Vareš in Bosnia and Herzegovina in as short a time as possible. This is very likely a unique undertaking and no child's play. There is no entry in the historical records of Vareš to show that anyone has ever cycled such a distance at any time in the past...

What is even more outstanding, however, is the fact that the Vareš boys - by now grown up men - are not just cycling for fun or because they are bored and don't know what else to do with their time. No, the complete opposite is true: the men are using their annual holiday entitlement and devoting their own free time to their home town.

The plan is to cover a daily distance of 100-120 km in five or six stages - depending on the weather and the terrain. If everything goes according to plan, the team could be in Vareš by the end of May. According to the advice of Prof. Kerić, every fourth day has been planned as a break for recovery. Some Alpine cols cannot be traversed by bike under any circumstances, so the cyclists will use the so called "White Ship", the support car, to cover those few short distances - all in all about 180 km.

The "White Ship" is Cana's trailer. It has four comfortable cots, a kitchen with all the necessary equipment, a small bathroom with hot and cold water, water storage tanks for drinking water and water for other purposes. In a nutshell:  It may not be a five-star star hotel or a home from home, but it can at least be regarded as small, solid cottage on wheels.

There are audio and video systems and a satellite TV available for relaxing moments. What is way more important, however, is the fact that the trailer has three parallel power supply systems. So if one fails, the other two will hopefully not decide to do the same...

In order to have all those functions checked, the team recently went "to the channel", to Pejo Božić from Vareš. He is employed at one of the largest Dutch maintenance centres in the field of trailer maintenance. He checked everything and gave the cyclists the go-ahead. Pejo assured them that they would not have to worry about the cabin and its systems during the trip. Although the "White Ship" has always passed its regular MOT, it went to our Bojan Babić from Vareš - just in case. Bojan has recently passed the exam to become a mechanic and is as such authorized to issue certificates regarding the technically flawless functioning of cars. After scrutinizing the car, he gave the men the all-clear as well. The team would like to take this opportunity to thank both of them. A short time ago, the cyclists were given a thorough medical examination. All the results showed that they are physically and psychologically prepared for the efforts they are facing. Their good mood and their desire to reach the goal are at a peak.

"From now on, only a case of force majeure could keep us from the task we have chosen for ourselves," is the unanimous sentiment.

Apart from all the necessary technical means such as a complete first aid kit, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, CO2 alarms, an electronic meteorological station etc., the team has also been provided with the latest generation of navigation systems and GPS appliances as well as a wireless LAN connection. This will be used to send webmaster Mladen Divković diaries and photographs and perhaps video sequences as well on a daily basis. Everybody who is interested in following the expedition can do so via the Vareš home page.

The authorities in all seven countries the team will be passing through (the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina) have been informed about the dates and estimated times the cyclists will be on their territory. So far, Germany and Austria have acknowledged receipt of the message. The authorities in Vareš have also been officially informed. There was a meeting with the mayor, Rusmir Berberović. He promised to organize a Vareš flag and a flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, both of which can then fly on the support car.

On the weekend from 24 to 26 April, the team performed a "final rehearsal".  On three days in a row, they tested the situation awaiting them during the trip and cycled the planned number of kilometres. Not only was their mental and physical condition tested, but also their ability to function as a team.

We sincerely hope for your support of this unusual campaign.

Yours,

The team of