Practical information for foreigners

The Czech Republic in general
The Czech Republic has been a standard democratic country at the European level for several years, all services are comparable to other democratic countries. Not everyone speaks English, this problem can occur in pubs or shops. But with the help of gestures, everything can be solved easily. Learn 10 basic words (for example, greetings, etc.). And then you enter cities where you can buy everything and soon you go out into nature again, where you will be with yourself. If the locals speak English, don’t be afraid to ask them for water or a biscuit!

Those we have to respect – if we don’t ride them
We have a duty to prove our identities to all types of police and military forces. Obligations to prove themselves also arise in the case of valid travel documents, unauthorized bivouacs in the national park, inspections in restaurants in the context of a pandemic and a valid test. However, these controllers do not have repressive powers, so they must not restrict your personal movement and speech (unless the police or the army are present with them).

Geography
In contrast to the western countries in the EU, we have many places that belong to the state – you usually don’t have to worry about being on private property. Czech Republic is an ingenious oasis for travelers and bikepackers, because you can sleep in or out anywhere in nature. All sites are close to civilization. The brilliant thing, however, is that our cities are not stretched. This means: nature, meadows, fields, mountains, forests and in the meantime many paths from natural singletracks, through gravel, asphalt, to large roads. You will often find places where you can make a bivouac and a fire – but be careful in national parks there is forbidden. The territory, including national parks, can be traversed in the Czech Republic at night. There is no limit. Unfortunately, we have very few sections where only a pedestrian and not a cyclist can. If such a section occurs, it will be clearly marked in the GPX (maybe 2Km).

How to get to the start of the race?
From Prague by train to the town of Nácho or to the town of Nové město nad Metují. From there, continue your bike to the start. It is possible to agree with the organizers on transport by delivery to the start (from the city of Náchod, or from the city of Nové Město nad Metují). An interesting alternative is to take a train to the city of Hradec Králové and from there by bike n start (it is 60-70km) and climb only to the end of the route. It’s a good tip on how to test your bike and equipment for the last time before the start. During competition is possible parking in the basecamp. Friends and family are welcome on start.

Limitations in the context of a pandemic and a corona virus
The rules are defined by our ministry, here is the link. Unfortunately, we did not find these rules in the EN language on their website, so please use the automatic translator. Generally speaking, the state apparatus is rather haunted and there are no controls in the Czech Republic. In any case, you can find out more information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your country. In case of sitting inside a restaurant, using a hotel, etc., you should be vaccinated or have a valid negative test. Really, no one watches the moron rules.

Payment
You can pay by credit, without extra fees, there are many ATMs to withdraw money. However, it is appropriate to have Czech krone (CZK) – this is our currency and we are proud of it. For 1 Euro you get about 26 Czech krones. Be careful not to exchange money from street vendors, nor will you get a good price at the airport and train station. ATMs don’t have big fees – but you have to find out from your bank. Prices: Lunch 70-200 CZK. Beer 25-50 CZK. Sleeping in the hotel 400-2000 CZK. The water is drinkable from smaller streams in the hills and mountains, there are wells on the route.

DANGEROUS
There is not much dangerous animals (a few wolves and bears) from snakes is dangerous Viper – sunny meadows. Hornet is dangerous for allergy sufferers. Wild tall animal can be an unpleasant surprise at night during fast descents. We have a few socially poorer parts here (the east of our country) but it’s not dramatic, we tried to avoid these parts. Anyway, if you are not in a small town, lock your bike. You don’t have to lock your bike when sleeping in nature 🙂

GSM
There doesn’t have to be a signal everywhere near the border, it has to be in the mountains. Alternatively, you can be redirected to a neighboring state operator.

backup GPS
You can install a perfectly developed application with clear maps of the Czech Republic on your mobile phone. The application is called mapy.cz (it is symbolized by a white letter “M” on a green background). The application is free and allows you to download maps offline. It has perfectly crafted cities, shops, hotels, gas stations, tourist and singletracks routes, business opening hours. It is possible to upload a GPX route to it (but definitely do not replace outdoor navigation with this application on your phone). It is a very suitable addition to an outdoor GPS – on which these logistical and tactical steps cannot be performed. This application has very well developed maps of other countries. And it’s ad-free – how is that possible? It is owned by a company that operates the largest web search engine in the Czech Republic (something like google in the world).

Map for your outdoor GPS
This link – openmtbmap of Czech Rep.

Weather
At the time of the event, WOLFman is around 20-35 degrees Celsius during the day. At night 5-20 degrees Celsius. It depends on the weather and the place. Rains tend to be thunderstorms, but nothing dramatic. An exception can confirm the rule 🙂

Prestart meeting
The obligatory prestart meeting will be one day before the start of the race 12/08/2021 20:00 on the place of start. All important information include GPX will be send to competitors a few days before the start.

Start
13/08/2021 05:00 in the morning.

Adress
The start and meeting address is Borová 50 (near Náchod), zip code 54701. Link

WOLFman proposition
All information about the WOLFman race is on the main page of the website, see the link.

Other info
Other topics are described in Štěpán Stránský’s bikepacking methodology. However, these pages are only in Czech – you can use the automatic translation into your language. Štěpán Stránský’s bikepacking methodology draws on his lifelong experience in bikepacking and ten years of experience in bikepacking at the top racing level. The methodology gives tips on diet, training, regeneration, equipment, respect for mother earth, etc.

Basecamp
Basecamp (start and finish) It is a place where the organizers live. You can come earlier even a few days before the race and make trips (it is advisable to go through the beginning of the race, or other routes provided by the organizers). Count on the fact that the organizers will not have time for you – there is a farm, fluctuations of other people who come to ceremonies and other natural connections, there is a saw for cutting trees, there is a photo studio, there is organic herb production, there is cattle and watch dogs . This means that it is necessary to respect the regime we have here. You can sleep here in a tent (we rent for free) and come to take a shower in their house. The place is secluded (near a small town 4km, a big town 15km).

Questions?
Write them down below this post, the answer will be here for other interested parties (optoti reply to e-mail or on the social network). If we notice that a paragraph is missing in this post, we will add.