The 37th Marathon Franja BTC City with new route Barjanka in June

16. May 2018 Press Releases

Today, the organisers of the 37^th Marathon Franja BTC City presented the programme and novelties that the cyclists and the visitors of the three-day Slovenian cycling festival will be able to enjoy from 8^th to 10^th June 2018. Cycling Association KD Rog, the BTC Company, and the City Municipality of Ljubljana are expecting over 7,000 registered cyclists, who will be able to tackle six routes in the total length of over 380 kilometres. This year’s novelty is a tourist-sports route Barjanka, a new 83-kilometre trial.

Just as people respond to the call of nature, each year the organisers and the participants of the marathon respond to the calling of the Marathon Franja BTC City. During a weekend in June, the organisers are expecting between 7,000 and 8,000 participants who will attempt to conquer six routes:

Marathon Franja BTC City (156 km),
Triglav Little Marathon Franja (97 km),
Ljubljana–Domžale–Ljubljana Time Trial (22/44 km),
Hofer Family-School Marathon (22 km),
Vzajemna Trial for Kids (1.2 km), and
the new Barjanka Trial (83 km).

“The Barjanka Route was planned in cooperation with the Landscape Park Ljubljana Marshes and encompasses all municipalities in the area: the City Municipality of Ljubljana and Municipalities Log – Dragomer, Borovnica, Brezovica, Škofljica, Vrhnika, and Ig. The goal of Barjanka, however, is not to encourage racing, but rather to offer the participants of Marathon Franja a tourist-sports adventure and the opportunity to discover the Ljubljana Marshes and enjoy cultural and natural heritage,” explained Gorazd Penko, Director of Marathon Franja BTC City.

“Since 2003, the BTC Company has been a great supporter of cycling. In cooperation with the Cycling Association KD Rog and the City Municipality of Ljubljana, our endeavours are to improve Marathon Franja BTC City every year. We are motivated by the dedication to this sports discipline, by respect and by the preservation of the cycling tradition, as well as numerous opportunities for socialising and business cooperation. In this manner, we will continue to strengthen the marathon’s reputation, as well as the Slovenian cycling culture,” pointed out Jože Mermal, President of the BTC Company Management Board and President of the 37^th Marathon Franja BTC City Organising Committee.

Marko Kolenc, Head of Sports Department at the City Municipality of Ljubljana: “Ljubljana is a cycling city where Marathon Franja holds a very unique place. The City Municipality of Ljubljana is happy to be supporting it for a number of years; it is nice to see cyclists of all generations gather at this superb cycling event in the beginning of June. Everyone can find their own trial, but the most fascinating fact is the crowd of 4,000 participants in the Family-School Marathon. This year, Ljubljana will be proud to join the new route across the Ljubljana Marshes, which will become a new sustainable tourist route, full of natural and cultural sights, both for the people of Ljubljana, as well as the visitors of the capital.”

Despite preserving the cycling tradition, every year the marathon opens new dimensions with a rich accompanying programme, the support of the partners, a global dimension, the turnout, and the wide variety of cycling trials, as well as the energy of everyone involved. An undisturbed and safe event will be guaranteed by 60 fire brigades, 2,300 volunteers, 140 motorcyclists, 200 police officers, and several rescue teams with over 40 members of medical staff. The marathon not only presents a challenge in the sense of personnel, but also organisation-wise – a fact supported by the following data and details:

The organisers are preparing 4 thousand sets with sponsors’ products for the participants of Big and Little Marathon Franja; for three days, the children section of Cycling Association KD Rog are in charge of packing.
Also this year, every registered cyclist will receive a medal. Absolute winners will be awarded Astoria champagne and trophies by the company MDM. Cyclists attending the Barjanka route will be awarded medals with the symbol of a butterfly, designed by Mojca Mravlja, a student of the Secondary School for Design and Photography Ljubljana.
Refreshment stations along the routes will be equipped with 300 kg of wafers (Knoppers), 1.5 tons of oranges (Hofer), and several thousand energy bars.
The refreshments in BTC City Ljubljana will come in the form of 10 thousand meals of pasta with sauce or in other words 1.2 tons of pasta and tens of litres of sauce. Additionally, 5 thousand ice creams (Leone), 12 thousand yoghurts (Zott), several thousand litres of soup and energy drinks, as well as a couple of thousand Pro Action bars and 180 kilograms of cookies (bakery Adamič) will be served.

Marathon Franja BTC City represents the largest cycling event in Slovenia and is part of the world marathon series UWCT Gran Fondo. A total of more than 150,000 participants from over 70 countries of the world took part in the past 36 events, while in 2016 and 2017, the Marathon saw its European upgrade in the form of the project My Sport is Franja. With its long-lasting tradition, it contributes to the promotion of cycling and thereby a healthy way of living.

More on Marathon Franja BTC City at: www.franja.org.