CYPRUS SUNSHINE CUP#2

- AFXENTIA 2011

TECHNICAL GUIDE

1. History of the Race

Afxentia Stage race has been organized for the past 15 years as a UCI Race, which makes it one of the oldest, if not the oldest existing stage race in Europe. It is organized in honor of the National hero Grigoris Afxentiou who died in the area of Macheras Forest in 1957, during the fight for freedom in 1955-1959.

The race is a useful test for many Elite riders, where they can find high-level competition and top-level courses that will challenge them to a last check of their performance after their winter preparation. Many riders have said “If you can complete the Afxentia Stage race, then your season starts good”

The number of participants is increasing from the first days that it was organized and in 2010 more than 100 Elite riders from 26 countries all over the world stood on the start line!

Macheras Forest is under the authority of the Cyprus Forestry Department and is one of the most beautiful areas in the island the year round. The entire area has been nominated as a "NATURA 2000" site and as such it is protected so there will be no interference of the races courses with any construction projects. The biggest part of the race (app. 98% ) takes place in forest roads and single trails, something that makes it a pure mountain bike race for the riders. In the entire route there is only a part of 1,5 km on which the riders roll over an asphalt road. This gives the organizers the freedom to plan for many years ahead to improve the standard of the race and open it to many more participants from the Cycling for all categories.

The choice of many riders to participate in the Afxentia stage race comes undoubtedly by the uniqueness of the route and the landscape as well the format of the race. Three days, three stages full of action and a great challenge for performance! Many well known riders have take part in the past in this event like, Bart Brentjens, Maarten Tjallingii, Horgan- Kobelsky Jeremy, Frederik Kessiakof, Oli Beckingsale, Jaroslav Kulhavy, Al Thijs, Marc Hanish, Sabine Spitz, Irina Kalantieva, Irmiger Heather, Petra Henzi, Lene Byberg and many more.

3.Rules

The Cyprus Sunshine Cup #2 - AFXENTIA 2011 stage race is organized under the rules of UCI and the Cyprus Cycling Federation and the specific rules mentioned in this guide.

4.Categories:

For the Afxentia Stage race only the following categories are allowed:

UCI Races: Women and Men Elite: aged 19+ (born before 1993)

Other races: (Non- UCI races)

• Junior Men (All three stages)
• National Cup XCO race: U15 Boys and Girls, U17 Boys and Girls- (Only on the last stage)
• Junior Women, Masters 1 (31+), Masters 2 (41+) (All three stages)
• Machairas Marathon (Cycling for all Event on Saturday 26th February)
• Kids Competition U14 - Sunday 27th Fenruary

5. Inscriptions

The participants can register using the following ways:

-Online, Email, Fax. Online inscription closes 23^rd February 2011

6. Registration

Registration of the riders (with distribution of Race number plates and timing chips) can be done only at the Registration office during the following working hours:

23 & 24 February 2011: 10:00 – 16:00

On the spot Registrations closes 2 hours before the Team Managers meeting.

UCI License is kept and returned with the return of the number + chip.

Please note that training will not be authorized without a number plate

Riders who don’t return the timing chip after the event will be charged 80 Euro for replacement.

Registration fee: 80 Euros per rider

The Registration office will be located in the Center of Kapedes Village 3kms from the Start / Finish Area next to the Old Church.

Registration fee: 80 Euros per rider

For directions on how to get there please visit:

http://www.geomatic.com.cy/geomaps/index.html?key=C41D6C35-2430-0001-82BE-1B0E2130B3B0&p=3819

7. Start List, Start Procedure, Start order

Start List:

Elite Men and Women start list for riders registered is drawn as follows: Winner of Last year’s Cyprus Sunshine Cup #2- AFXENTIA, Reigning World Champion MTB XCO, last published UCI individual MTB XCO classification - ranking. Non ranked riders will be placed after the last ranked rider on a first registered basis. For last minute registered riders rankings are not considered, they are placed after the last normally registered rider.

Start Order:

Stage 1 (XCT): Riders start in one-minute intervals. Starting order will be the reverse order of the riders ranking. Elite Women start first followed by Elite Men.

Stage 2 (XCP): Staging as follows: Race Leader first to be called followed by Reigning World Champion. Rest of riders is staged based on Stage 1 results.

Stage 3 (XCO): Staging as follows: Race Leader first to be called followed by Reigning World Champion. Rest of riders is staged based on so far General Classification.

Starting Procedure:

Stage 1 (XCT): Start order will be announced at the Team Managers meeting. Riders should be present near the start line 15 minutes before their start time. Riders will be called and should be present in the Staging area (or start preparation area) 5 minutes before their start time.

Stage 2 (XCP) & 3 (XCO):

Riders will be called in the Staging Area 20 minutes before the scheduled start time of the race. Staging will begin 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the race. Riders will be lined up as described in the Start Order above. Eight riders will be placed on each line (might change by decision of the President of the Commissaires' Panel). The rider him/herself can decide his/her position on the line. Once the riders are lined up, warm-up (by rollers, turbo trainer etc.) is excluded inside or outside the start area.

The start will be given by the Start Commissaire using the following procedure: Announcments at 3, 2, 1 minutes and 30 seconds before the start, then a final announcement that the start will be given within the next 15 seconds. The President of The republic of Cyprus or the President of the Republic of Cyprus Parliament will give the Start. A starting pistol, whistle or horn will be used to give the start.

The Start Commissaire will be in sole control of the public address system from three minutes before the start until the start has been given.

8. Press office

The press office will be located in Kapedes Community 3km away from the Start / Finish Area. The press office will be fully equipped for online communication.

At the Start/Finish area a Press tent will also provide limited office facilities.

Press coverage

The race is covered by the Organizers’ Permanent Press office for all international media in 3 different languages (Greek, English & German). Many other journalists are been invited every year to cover the event for the media in several countries.

9. Technical Assistance

Technical assistance during the race is permitted subject to the conditions below:

Authorized technical assistance during a race consists of repairs to or the replacement of any part of the bicycle other than the frame. Bike changes are not permitted and the rider must cross the finishing line with the same handlebar number plate that he had at the start.

Technical assistance shall only be given in the feed/technical assistance zones. Spare equipment and tools for repairs must be kept in these zones. Repairs and equipment changes can be carried out by the rider himself or with the help of a teammate, team mechanic or neutral technical assistance. Small items such as an inner tube or a small tool may be handed up from the feed/technical assistance zones.

All people inside the Feed/Technical assistance zone must have on them in a visible place a Feed/Technical Assistance zone pass. People without a pass will be removed from the Feed/Technical Assistance zone. Passes will be handed during the Team Managers’ meeting under the supervision of the President of the Commissaires panel

The Organizer will provide Neutral Technical assistance.

In addition to technical assistance in feed zones, technical assistance is permitted outside these zones only between riders who are members of the same UCI MTB team or of the same national team (if riders are registered in the race as part of the National team).

Riders may carry tools and spare parts provided that these do not involve any danger to the rider himself or the other competitors.

Transportation to feed / tech zones

For the second stage (XCP) there will be a leading car for the 1^st and 2^nd zones

Feed/Tech zone 1: Departure of the cars, 30 mins before first start (4X4 car required). No car is allowed to leave the zone before last rider’s passes.

Feed/Tech zone 2: Departure of the cars, 5 mins after the first start.

10. Team Managers Meeting

Each team shall designate a Team Manager who shall represent the team during the Cyprus Sunshine Cup #2 - Afxentia 2011 and at the team managers’ meeting. Any contact with the teams will be made through the team manager. Riders racing without a team can represent themselves or can assign a person to represent them. This must be specified during their registration.

The Team Managers Meeting will take place in Kapedes Village in the school, 3kms from the Start/Finish Area.

Aim

At the team managers’ meeting the President of the Commissaires panel and the Organizer will inform the participants on all the latest race information and last minute changes. Start Lists and Stage 1 Start Order lists will be handed out. Feed/Technical assistance zone passes will be handed out.

In order to be informed about the latest information it is essential for team managers to attend the team managers’ meeting.

11. Program

23/2/2011

10:00 - 13:00 Inscriptions / Registrations In Kapedes Village center (next to the old church)

13:30 - 16:00 Inscriptions / Registrations In Kapedes village center ( next to the Old chrurch)

24/2/2011

10:00 - 13:00 Inscriptions / Registrations In Kapedes village center ( next to the Old chrurch)

13:30 - 16:00 Inscriptions / Registrations In Kapedes village center ( next to the Old chrurch)

10:00 - 16:00 Unofficial Training in all three courses of the stage race.

18:00 - 18:15 Technical Meeting

25/2/2011 Time Trial. The race course is 5,5km long (full lap of the XCO)

12:30 Start of Juniors and Masters

13:00 Start of Women Elite and Men Elite categories

15:30 Award Ceremonies for all races

26/2/2011 XC Point to Point

11:00 Start for Women Elite, Juniors, Masters and "Cycling for All" Category

11:20 Start of Men Elite

14:00 Award Ceremonies for all races

27/2/2011 XCO

10:00 Start of Juniors and Masters Categories

10:15 Start of the “Kids” Competition

12:00 Start of Men Elite and Women Elite categories

12:30 Award Ceremonies for Juniors, Masters and Kids races

15:00 Award Ceremonies for Elite men and women categories

12. Race Clothing

Race Leader, Cyprus Sunshine Cup 2011 series leader, World Champion, National Champions must participate wearing the jersey identifying their title. National team members must participate wearing their National team jersey.

Race Leader Jerseys will be presented to the Race Leaders (Women and Men Elite) during the awards ceremony after each stage. National and UCI MTB teams are encouraged to provide the organizer in advance with the desired Team and Sponsors logos to ensure that the Race Leader jerseys will be prepared for race day with the correct logos.

13. Ceremonies

The following points apply to the award ceremonies:

Within 15 minutes following the Finish of the top three riders (unless otherwise mentioned in the race program), the Stage winner, the second and the third placed riders shall be ready for the award ceremony that will be conducted under the supervision of the President of the Commissaires’ Panel.

Within 25 minutes following the Finish of the top three riders of stages 2 and 3 (unless otherwise mentioned in the race program), the General Classification leaders shall be ready for the award ceremony that will be conducted under the supervision of the President of the Commissaires’ Panel.

Within 25 minutes following the end of Stage 3 (unless otherwise mentioned in the race program), the General Classification leaders together with riders placed 2-5 in the final General Classification shall be ready for the award ceremony that will be conducted under the supervision of the President of the Commissaires’ Panel.

Riders shall appear in racing attire, wearing their Team jerseys, without glasses, until they leave the official ceremony enclosure.

World Champion and National Champions must wear their jersey identifying their title.

14. Timing

For the timing of the races and the results for every stage as well as the final results, the MYLAPS (AMB) electronic timing system is used. Specially trained personnel are responsible for the time keeping and for the preparation of the results.

The system is used already for 2 years.

15. Police and other security arrangements

As the routes of all three stages are in forest roads, the need for police presence is limited to the minimum. Despite this fact we always have a police security plan with the following arrangements.

Police presence in the Start and Finish Area, every day especially during the last stage, when more spectators visit the venue. Also there is increased traffic from the governmental officials that are present in the memorial of Gregoris Afxentiou, approximately 10km from the venue.

We also have police presence in the entrance and exit of the riders in the only tarmac section of the race, on stage 2.

Other security arrangements

For further security in rough sections of the course we have cooperation with the Cyprus Search and Rescue team. The team is extremely experienced in Mountain Rescue and they are also well equipped for evacuation of an injured person in extreme conditions.

Also we have presence of first aid personnel in the course in points that are possible for rider’s injuries.

16. First Aid and medical emergencies

A first aid plan is always on place and is communicated to the doctor of the race by the race director and the Technical director of the race.

First aid personnel is present in the course in points where possible injuries may occur during the race

An ambulance with the necessary personnel is always present at the Start / Finish Area. The Ambulance vehicle is capable for off road traveling. Additional to the ambulance there are 2 more vehicles that can carry a non- seriously injured rider from any point in the courses (except single trails).

As the area has a very well developed and maintained forest road network, evacuation from the course with a vehicle is possible at almost all points of the course except the single trails. In single trails longer that few hundred meters evacuation of an injured rider or person is done by the Cyprus Search and Rescue team.

There are 3 hospitals in proximity with the racecourses. The General Hospital in the Capital city Nicosia which is appr 30 minutes away, the Klirou and Lefkara hospitals which are also 25 to 30 minutes away from the courses.

17. Prize Money

According to the UCI Financial Obligations (Europe 2):

MTB Stage race HC Europe 2 Prize Money (Europe 2)

General Classification:

Class HC prize money one-day race + 50%

Total Prize Money for General Classification: €7,488

Per Stage:

As per Class 2 one-day races

Total Prize Money for each stage: €1,407

Total Prize money for all Stages: €4,221

Total Cyprus Sunshine Cup #2 – Afxentia 2011 Prize Money: €11,709.00

All participants may also benefit of the Overall Classification of Cyprus Sunshine Cup series that takes part the week before and the week after the Afxentia Stage race.

18. Description of the courses

The event takes place in two different courses. One course of 5,5km is used for the 1^st and 3^rd stages and a separate course of 45km for the Men Elite and 36km for the Women Elite is used for the 2^nd stage.

Course for the Time Trial and XCO races (stages 1 & 3):

The course consists of forest roads and single trails. Each lap is 5,5 km long. The total ascend per lap is 217m and the total descend is 216m. For the last stage, the XCO race, the riders will complete a start loop of 4km on forest road before they enter again in the normal lap. The course is consisted of two loops, the one inside the other. Immediately after the start area the course starts ascending for approximately 4 minutes, where it enters the 1^st technical downhill section. Then the course slightly ascends to enter the 2^nd technical downhill section, followed by a short uphil and another technical downhil trail. From here, the lowest point of the course the riders head to the start and finish arena to pass under the bridge to enter the second loop which consists of a singletrail uphill, and a spectacular downhill section 300m before the finish line. Before the finish the riders do a spectacular passing over the bridge that is specially built for the race. The finish straight is about 80m long. Feed & Tech Zone 1 is located at 1.5km and the 2^nd is at the 3,9km of the course.

Course for the Point to Point race (Stage 2)

The course starts ain the center of Kapedes Village. The most of the course is on forest roads and two sections of single trails. The first 24km are on a wavy course until with a total ascent of 1471m. The first single trail is 7km long mainly uphill with several sections for passing. The start of the first trail is 27.7km/ Altitude 795m with a total ascend of +421m. As the riders exit the single trail they are entering a tarmac road for 1,4km to enter then the downhill single trail section of 3,5kms. The second single trail starts at 34.9km at the altitude of +1163m and ends at 38.5km with a total vertical difference of -447m. Exiting the section they have just 6 km remaining for the finish line on a forest road.

Feed & Tech Zone 1 is located at 19.4km and the 2^nd is 33.7km of the course

Highest point of the course is 1230m and the lowest is 504m.

19. Public announcement facilities and announcers

A public announcements system is on place on the Start / Finish area. The System is capable of covering the whole area of Start / Finish as well the podium area. Two microphones can be used simultaneously.

An announcer is always present near the Start / Finish area, who makes the necessary announcements before, during and after the races as well the presentation of the prizes. The announcements are done in two languages, English and Greek.

20. Contact Information

If you need further information about the Cyprus Sunshine Cup 2011 #2 – Afxentia 2011 stage race please contact the Organizers:

MH Bikin’Cyprus

Thermopylon 20, Apt 7,

2007, Nicosia

Cyprus

T: +35799694900

Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist gegen Spambots geschützt! JavaScript muss aktiviert werden, damit sie angezeigt werden kann.

www.cyclingcy.com

21. Accommodation

Every year the Organizer in cooperation with the Accommodation Partner offer very low prices for the participants of Cyprus Sunshine Cup

For More information and bookings please visit www.mychoiceholidays.com

22. How to arrive in Cyprus

Where to land – Airports in Cyprus

The legal ports of entry into the Republic of Cyprus are the airports of Larnaka (Larnaca) and Pafos (Paphos) that are situated in the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Entry into the territory of the Republic of Cyprus via any other port or airport in which the Government of the Republic does not exercise effective control (Turkish occupied areas) is illegal.

All participants of the "Cyprus Sunshine Cup 2010 can benefit from their participation in the events! You can have your bike transportation for free by our Official Carrier Cyprus Airways. For more information please contact us at  Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist gegen Spambots geschützt! JavaScript muss aktiviert werden, damit sie angezeigt werden kann.

Better plan your trip by checking the Flight Schedules & Timetables of Cyprus Airways at www.cyprusairways.com

23. Team Space booking

The Organizer will provide upon request a Tent (3x3m or 3x6m) for a small fee. All requests for tent bookings must be finalized until the 31^st January 2011

24. Accommodation and other services for Training Camps.

“Bikers’ Village” in Limassol

As Cyprus is becoming a gathering place for many bikers at the beginning of the year, we are continuing in 2011 what we launched in 2010, the “Bikers’ Village” concept in the area of Limassol. Limassol is an ideal destination for the participants to stay and combine their racing with a training camp. We have organized it in such a way that all of the riders will have the concentration they need for their training on the one hand, but also fun and joy on the other hand during their stay and train in Cyprus. For sure will be no problem to find a training group or company during your stay here. Most of the riders will be in located in the "village", so will be easy to organize training meetings or even coffee meetings while not on the bike!

Bikers Village will also include:

• Hotels that will “Care for the bikers”
• Organized “Bike service center” in the central hotel
• Free Internet wifi connection to most of the Hotels,
• Bike rooms in the hotels
• "Start of the Season Party"

Discounts in many restaurants cafeterias and pubs in the "Village"

25. Car rental

As in the past three years, in 2011 we are teaming up once again with Astra, the largest car rental company in Cyprus, to offer the participants of the Cyprus Sunshine Cup series the best car rental options.

Together with ASTRA we offer to the participants of the Cyprus Sunshine Cup series the best car rental options in competitive prices. For more info please visit www.cyclingcy.com

26. Maps

Course Map for stage 1 & 3.

Altitude Profile stage 1&3

Stage 1 & 3 View the course online and download a GPS track from: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41281052

Course Map for stage 2.

Altitude Profile stage 2 for Men Elite

Altitude Profile stage 2 for Women Elite & all other categories

-How to get to the Race venue.

LON 34°57'4.89"Β

LAN 33°13'43.92"Α

To find your way to the Start area of Cyprus Sunshine Cup #2 – Afxentia stage race please visit www.geomatic.com.cy

27. Hospitals near the venue

Nicosia General Hospital, Latsia

Tel 22 60 30 00

LA 35° 7'40.67"Β

LO 33°22'38.42"Α

Instructions on how to get to the hospital from the race venue:

http://tinyurl.com/nichospital