The start of the 10th jubilee edition of the Dunav Ultra cycling route, a leading sporting and tourist event in Bulgaria, will be given on 5 September from the town of Vidin on the Danube. The initiative will be joined by more than 150 cyclists from all over the world with varying degrees of experience and training, the oldest participants being 80-year old Prof. Antoaneta Momchilova from the university in Ruse. First at the start will be the most experienced. They will cover the entire route, which is 700 kms. long, in under 48 hours. All other cyclists, who are able to reach the end point Durankulak within the space of 10 days, will get a special certificate, says Boris Begamov, the man behind the Dunav Ultra project.
The idea of the cycling route is to popularize the natural, historical and cultural landmarks along the Bulgarian bank of the Danube River – one of the poorest and least developed regions in this part of Europe.
“This year participants from 7 countries are going to join the cycle route, which has evolved into the most popular initiative in Northern Bulgaria, connected with a multi-day sporting event,” Boris Begamov says. “This is so because the route itself cuts across Bulgaria from East to West, i.e. the country’s entire Northern border, traversing 12 municipalities and 110 towns and villages. But it is the cause of popularizing these places that makes it such a major event for the region of the Danube and Dobrudzha, including the Black Sea, where the route ends. And in the different towns and villages, the partner municipalities will put up stops to welcome the cyclists. They, on their part, will share photographs from the town or village on social media,” Boris Begamov says for Radio Bulgaria. 
The initiative now has its own mobile app with information about the landmarks, the logistics and almost 300 recommended partners. This means each participant can organize their own itinerary in this interesting region.
“Our Dunav Ultra mobile application is growing more and more popular,” Boris Begamov says. “The “mechanics” of following the route is actually connected with the application where cyclists can add photographs from the places they have been to. And when they have covered the entire itinerary, they can make a note and get their certificate.”
The organizers expect this year’s Dunav Ultra, along with the accompanying programme for popularizing the region, to bring in revenues of close to EUR 130 million to the local communities. 
“This year we presented the Dunav Ultra cycling adventure to the European Cyclists' Federation and our initiative is now part of the special selection of projects to be presented during the upcoming annual EuroVelo & Cycling Tourism Conference conference in Izmir, Turkey. It is the biggest cycling tourism forum in Europe. Dunav Ultra is among the selected successful practices in cycling tourism for popularizing lesser known destinations,” Boris Begamov explains.
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Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: dunavultra.com
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