2. Time format:

In the following text, the 24 hour time format will be used. Below you can see how it corresponds to am/pm if you are not used to the 24 hour system.

3. 'Scratching' from the race:

Don't even think of it. But sometimes people have to 'scratch' from the race for some unforseen reason. Be it injury, too exhausted or major mechanical failure.

If you decide to drop out, you have to send a 'scratch' message as soon as possible, to RD via Messenger - stating you official reason to scratch.

Or call RD on 49 49 00 49, stating your reason to drop out and your racenumber. 'Scratch' calling, on the phone, is not allowed between 22:00 - 8:00.

Remember that you have the sole responsibility for contacting loved ones in this regard.

A good advice: Do not give up at night – hence why we do not accept nightly ”scratch” calling. Wait until the morning. Sometimes things have changed, for the better, after a good night's sleep and some food.

4. Race-Briefing and ”check in”:

Race-briefing is mandatory. Race-briefing will take place on Sunday the 6th. of July, 2025 - starts at 07:00 hours during breakfast.

During race-briefing, you will have to sign the mandatory Personal Conduct Declaration and the mandatory Waiver of Liability. Without your signature, you will not be permitted to participate. You do not have to bring any copies. They will be provided to you.

Race-briefing is also where you will hand in your bike box or suitcase, which will be taken to Farum, for you to pick up after you cross the finishline.

PLEASE OBSERVE: Bring your bike boxes or bike suitcases to the race briefing venue between 06:30 and 07:00.

Registration fee covers jersey, if you have chosen jersey, and Sunday breakfast at racestart.

How to get to race start from Danhostel Helsingør (if you use the hostel):

Map of Danhostel Helsingør

5. Contact to race directors and emergency services:

Your first choice of contact, to officials during the race, should always be by using Facebook Messenger. Use the app, since you can make calls and share current position using the app. We will talk more about this during the race briefing.

Your second choice of contact, to officials, is by phone: 49 49 00 49.

Please do not contact us, by phone or Messenger, between 22:00 – 08:00, unless it is due to a serious accident or illness.

Next of kin can not pass ordinary messages, to any riders, through officials. Only death or serious illness/injury informations will be passed from family members to riders. Riders are encouraged to keep in contact with friends and family online.

6. Contact to emergency services:

If you have any kind of accident, that needs immediate medical attention, you should call emergency services on:

Then call your next of kin, so they do not get worried because your SPOT tracker has stopped or is moving in the wrong direction.

Riders, their friends and family must understand passing of information, to your next of kin, in case of serious injury or even death, will be passed by hospital staff or police. Race officials can not handle such communications - no matter how much compassion they might feel for the victims, friends and relatives. Such informations should come from official governmental channels due to any practical/medical informations next of kin might need.

7. None-Emergency healthcare services:

If you contract a simple illness, loose your medication, sprain something, or any other condition arises that is not life-threatening or otherwise serious, ask someone how to get in contact with a local doctor from 08:00 – 16:00. These are normal opening hours at local clinics. Most Danes speak very good English. So it will not be a problem to communicate with people.

From 16:00 – 8:00, you can call the number of the area of your whereabouts as written below:

8. Race Start:

Start: The main parking lot at Kronborg Castle, in Helsingør (Elsinore in English), at 8:00 CET on the 6th of July, 2025.

Bike check-in starts at 7:00. All riders have to be at the start, for briefing and breakfast, at 7:00.

Lattitude/longitude (degree, minutes, seconds): 56°02'23 N – 12°36'50 E

Lattitude/longitude (decimal degree): 56.03995 – 12.61408

9. Road surfaces and hazards:

You, and only you, have the responsibility for your own safety on route. You have to ride according to your abilities to stay the safest possible. The Round Denmark Bike Race and Gravel, and it's racedirectors and crew, are not responsible for how you conduct yourself on the bike. Or how other drivers behave on the streets.

Gravel Roads: You will ride on almost 122 km of gravel road in the road race - and more than 600 km in the gravel race. Some sections consist of several km and some sections are shorter distances. They can be of compacted quality or loose with sand and bigger stones. These gravel roads will bring the route away from more busy and more dangerous roads, where getting hit by a car is more imminent. You have the responsibility to ride these gravel roads as safely as possible - according to your abilities to avoid injuries. Remember, the hotter the weather, the more likely the gravel roads will be of a more loose sandy quality - therefore choose bike and tires wisely. The below images show the kind of gravel roads on route. Photos by Danny Lockhart (USA), Erin Pederick (AUS) during the 2018 race and Ilse Van der Schans during the 2019 race.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

Mixed gravel road.

Mixed gravel road - more compact.

Small pebble and sand gravel road.

Larger compacted pebble road

Bigger stones on gravel road

Gravel road with potholes.

Loose and sandy due to hot weather.

Loose and sandy due to hot weather.

Loose and sandy due to hot weather.

The gravel riders will ride some of the beaches - Here Søndervig beach.

Cobblestone Roads: You will ride on almost 1 km of cobblestone road. The first section is in Sønderborg. This section has a fairly flat surface structure. But you still have to be extra careful if it has been raining. The next long section is in Møgeltønder. This section consists of more rounded stones, which makes it harder to ride on. Again be extra careful if it has been raining. If you are not comfortable, at riding on cobblestone, get off your bike and walk. The sections are not longer than 640 m. So they will not take long to walk. There are some other very small sections of cobblestone. But they are not very long - about 20-50 m. Again, you have the responsibility to ride these cobblestone roads as safely as possible - according to your abilities to avoid injuries. These are the two longer stretches on route. Images from Google Streetview.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

Sønderborg harbour.

Møgeltønder.

Other hazards: In 2018 and 19 the riders came across some hazards that could not have been predicted. In one place a cow had ventured out onto a paved cycle path. In another place a swanpair had made a nest right next to the gravel road. They were somewhat annoyed by cyclists passing by. In northern Jylland the National Forest and Land agency had put up some chains across the start of some of the gravel roads to prevent cars from entering. At the dyke of southern Jylland, you will meet sheep on the gravel road - as well as gates that have to be passed. Some of these gates are locked, so you have to get over them. We have to assume these kind of hazards will turn up on the route in 2022 as well as other unforeseeable hazards like smaller roadworks etc., which are not mentioned on the national roadworks homepage. So you have to be alert while riding and take the necessary steps to avoid getting injured.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

Gate that can be opened

Locked gate

Car preventing chain

Displeased swans

Misplaced cow

Sheep on the dyke path

10. Race tracking:

Race tracking is done by our own tracking script. We do not rely on an outside service, which cost extra for you. It is a prerequisite to have a SPOT tracker to participate in the race. (Find out more - it is sometimes possible to get hold of a used one). Make sure you have a current tracking subscription to the satellite service on Findmespot.com. You have to set it to 5 min tracking interval for the race (see below). You also have to supply your feed ID and your Share page link before racestart. Your feed ID is used for the tracking script. And the share page link is used by race officials, if something goes wrong with our homepage service provider's server during the race. Both have to be send to race officials, upon request, when you have registered for the race.

Make sure your SPOT tracker is set to 5 min tracking intervals in your account on the Findmespot.com website. Click on "My Devises" at the top of the page. Then click on "Edit Settings" to the right of of your device. Below your device, a number of settings will appear, which you can change. Click on the down arrow at the end of the line for "Tracking" and choose 5 min tracking. (Under S.O.S settings you can enter an In Case Of Emergancy contact - fx Next of kin.)

This page shows you how to get your Feed ID (Step 1 to 6 are applicable): Feed ID

This page shows you how to get your Share page link: Share link

You have to bring and turn on your SPOT tracker during race briefing. This is so we can test your tracker's feed ID works on our tracking page.

Race director's location, on the map, can be seen as ID: LH.

You have to make sure your SPOT or Trace, is up to date and recharged during the race. This will help ensure that, whether day or night, we will be ready for your finish.

Remember to check your tracker’s operation at regular intervals. Especially after getting off the last ferry in Hundested.

You have the sole responsibility with regards to your trackers working condition. So know what there is to know about your tracker. Including changing and charging batteries etc.

Share live position, with racedirector, at the end of the race:

All riders are required to share their live location with racedirector, through Messenger, when they reach around 30 km from the finish line. This is to ensure riders will be welcomed at the finish line - and to be able to send live, over Facebook, for Dot-watchers to follow your finish. This is due to the limitations of the SPOT tracking system, which sometimes take more than 30 min to update due to riding under a canopy of trees etc.

11. Danish Rules of the Road::

In order to quickly get accustomed to cycling in Denmark, you should know the basic rules of the road. The following are the most important biking rules from The Danish Road Traffic Act. These rules have to be followed through the entire race.

1. Hand signals are mandatory while cycling around Denmark. Please remember to look back, before changing direction or lane. When ever you are changing direction or stopping, you should use the following handsignals.

2. Keep on the right side of the road in the direction of travel - including while riding on a bicycle path/lane, to let other traffic pass.

3. Others have ”the right of way” when you reach road "shark teeth", a crossing pedestrian sidewalk or bicycle path/lane. If there is no crossing traffic, you are allowed to continue without stopping.

4. You have to stop at any full stop signs before you continue.

5. Keep behind vehicles indicating wanting to turn to the right, in intersections, unless you are on a bike path/lane. Beware of right turning trucks. Most accidents happens with right turning trucks. They have a very hard time seeing you. Make sure you can see the driver and that the driver sees you in the side mirror.

6. Always use bicycle path/lane when available.

7. Riding side by side is allowed when the road condition allows for it. Make sure to let cars and other vehicles pass. And keep a straight line.

8. No right-turns on red unless a sign allows you to.

9. Keep to the right in all intersections.

10. No parking, of your bike, on a bicycle path/lane. Move away from the path/lane as soon as you have stopped.

11. Left turns in intersections: (1) When light turns green, ride to the opposite corner (2) and wait for the light to turn green before continuing. Do not follow the cars in a left turn. It can land you in trouble and cause an accident. In many intersections, you will find large blue paths through the intersections. These are bicycle paths and have to be followed by cyclists.

12. Both feet on pedals and at least one hand on the handlebars at all times while riding.

13. It is forbidden to ride on the pedestrian sidewalk or pedestrian streets, while walking the bike, is allowed.

14. A bicycle that is parked must be locked.

15. Always walk your bicycle across pedestrian crossings/crosswalks.

16. While riding, a cyclist is not allowed to hold onto another vehicle or to the driver or passenger of another vehicle.

17. Being drunk or otherwise intoxicated and riding i prohibited.

18. Front and rear light should be on from sundown till sunrise.

You can watch a short video of the most common rules:

Stay safe out there! Use your common sense and get enough rest.

12. Official route:

The route has not been finalized.

The route consists of 1938 km (gravel race) or 1964 (road race) km on mostly asphalt/tarmac and some on gravel road and cobblestones of different qualities.

It passes through some of the most scenic landscapes of Denmark – and pass several interesting sites for those interested in doing a bit of sightseeing – after all, not everybody participates to win.

To see the routes, and download the routes segments, click on the top menu.

13. Ferries on route:

You will need to take five ferries. Only one needs to be booked in advance - the Aarhus to Odden. The ferries add an extra competitive element, to plan around, and adds to the experience of Denmark.

So we decided to retain these five ferries and see no problems, since all riders have the same conditions.

The ferries are mentioned in order of how they appear on route.

Please observe the following: night routes are not shown, as overlays, on the online SpotWalla dowatchers page. This is due to technical limitations of Google Maps.

Tårs - Spådsbjerg

Thyborøn - Agger

Hals - Egense

Aarhus - Odden

Hundested - Rørvig

Gravel riders only: Sølager - Kulhus

14. Accommodation and camping gas:

Pre race accommodation:

There are several different options for pre race accommodation in or around Helsingør. One of the cheapest places is Danhostel Helingør, which is situated not far from race start. Another option is Helsingør Camping, which is also close to race start. If you choose one of these place, you have to book your bed or campsite well in advance. They are both very popular.

Another option are hotels. They can be fairly expensive in Denmark. If you zoom in on Google Maps, and search for hotel, you will get the hotels around Helsingør.

Race accommodation:

There are different types of accommodation. Several are for free and some cost money.

You have to be aware that it is illegal to camp whereever you see fit. You can sleep in a bivy bag in all public forests and on public beaches. But beware that not all forests and beaches are public. Some are privately owned. You are not allowed to set up a tent on the beach.

Dangerous animals:

Denmark has NO dangerous animals. No dangerous bears, no dangerous snakes and no dangerous spiders. The only things that might bite you, are mosquitoes and sometimes ladybirds on the beaches. So bring some repellant if you insist on sleeping in a bivy bag.

We only have very few kinds of snakes, but none are dangerous. Unless you might be allergic to their bite - like being allergic to a beesting. You will most likely not see any snakes at all.

Dogs are not a problem. If you see one, it is ususally a very kind farm labrador and likes to chat. One does not hear about cyclists being chased by dogs. Pitbulls and the likes are not very common, since they became illegal a few years back.

Sleeping in a bivy bag, under a tarp, is just fine as long as you follow the law.

Check yourself for ticks regularly, if you sleep in a bivybag. Remove any. Lyme diseace is most common in the southern parts of Jutland. But only 15% of the ticks are carrier of the ”bug” and it is easy to treat, if you do it while having the red ”ring” on your skin – contact a local doctor, if you develop the classic symtoms at a bitesite. The doctor will give you some antibiotics. But it is very rare – only 189 new cases a year in all of Denmark. TBE is not a problem in Denmark. That is about it with regard to ”dangerous” critters.

If you are very lucky, you might see wolves or Golden Jackels (bigger than foxes but smaller than wolves) in parts of Jutland. Remember they are not dangerous and will keep away from humans. Wolves have made their way back into Denmark, within the last 7 years, after having been gone for several decades. There are very few of them. Scientists think it is the order of 4-8 individual adults. So one has to be very lucky to see them in the fields. Golden Jackels are a bit more numerous. But still very rare.

Free sleeping:

Your safest bet, for a free sleepover, is at one of the national shelters - or campsites. Denmark has a lot of those. You can find all the shelters and campsites on the following homepage – when on the homepage, it can take some time to load all the sites:

http://naturstyrelsen.dk/naturoplevelser/overnatning/

Make sure you check the specific site to see if it is free. Some are privatly owned and charge a very small fee like 20 kr ($3) which is usually to maintain the site. So click on the one you want to use. It will give you further informations about how to find it, if it has running water and toilet.

Here is a translation of a few simple concepts from the homepage – so you can navigate the site:

”Fri teltning” - are larger areas where you can set up tent or sleep wherever you like. These are typically in forest areas.

”Små lejrpladser” - are small campsites often marked by just a stake. There is no water or toilet.

”Shelters” - are self-explanatory. There can be one or more shelters at a site. You are allowed to set up tent at the shelters as well. At some shelters you will find water and/or toilet.

”Store lejrpladser” - are large campsites intended for group events. They are not applicable for the race participants.

”Drikkevand” - drinking water.

”Se mere” - Look for more info.

”Ikke tilladt” - not allowed.

If you are using the RideWithGPS route segment links, you will find shelters as POIs.

The Shelter App:

It is possible to download a Shelter app to your smartphone. You can use this while on route to find the nearest shelter.

http://shelterapp.dk

Caravan parks:

All Danish caravan parks accept tenters that drop in. For a fee (80,- to around 130,- kr per night) you can set up your tent and use all facilities. In some places you can rent a small hut with electricity. The race route passes many caravan parks.

You need a camping pass to stay at a caravan park. You can buy this online or at the first caravan park you stay at. If you already have a pass, from home, bring it because some accept international passes.

If you are using the RideWithGPS route segment links, you will find caravan parks as POIs.

Hotels:

Denmark does not have a lot of motels. You will find hotels or bed & breakfast in most larger towns. They can be pretty expensive. If your prefer hotels, you should book them in advance.

http://www.visitdenmark.com/denmark/tourist-frontpage

Camping gas:

you can get camping gas at most hardware stores. There are one in most bigger cities. They are called Silvan, Jem & Fix, Stark, XL Byg, Harald Nyborg, Biltema and Bauhaus. Just look it up on google maps, and it will give you the closest.

15. Gear reccomendation:

It is possible to find a bike-shop in most larger towns/cities. However we reccomend the following due to the experience of the previsous years events:

• Do not ride on a bike with uncommon tire sizes. It will be very difficult, to the impossible, to get a new tire if your tire blows. The most common sizes are 29" (700C or 622 mm) and 28" (650B) - of different widths. If you insist on using another size then bring an extra folding tire as a spare. The bike-shops usually have some road, cross and gravel tires. The bigger outlets have limited tires for road and gravel bikes. If you use 700C or 650B you will be able to find one - though not always the best quality and for the purpose of your ride. But you will be able to find a solution to your problem.
• Get the widest tires your bike will handle and make sure it has some kind of tread - like semi slicks (for the road race, so it can dig in, when you hit the gravel), cross tires or gravel tires (for the gravel race). Semi slicks will not reduce your speed significantly on the tarmac - if the tire pressure is right. This will however help you on the gravel sections. Especially if the gravel road is very sandy due to a long period of dry weather. If you insist on using slick tires, it will affect your performance on the gravel sections. You will have less grip and therefore need to ride more carefully.
• Preferably do not ride tubeless. It is almost impossible to get a tubeless tire or even repairkit for tubeless tires on route. Bring an extra tubeless tire and a tested repair kit, or tubes and patche, if you insist on riding with tubeless tires.
• Bring a gear and brake cable set (last one if your brakes use cables - or a bleed kit if you have hydrolic brakes). Make sure you have new cables installed before you start the race. And make sure you are able to change a wire should it snap during the race.
• Bring a chain repair link, a universal spoke repair kit - or one spoke for your back and one for your front wheel, a fitting spoke key, a good pump, extra tubes and a puncture repair kit, tire levers and a bike multi tool with chain breaker.
• See this video for roadside hacks: GCN Roadside hacks

Make sure you are capable of fixing a flat tire yourself and fixing a broken chain, cable or spoke. Those are the most common repairs riders have to do. Learn how to ajust your gears and brakes. The Global Cycling Network has released many good how-to videos on YouTube: GCN Maintenance videos

16. Transportation:

Denmark has a vast net of public transport. You will find trains all over the country. You can bring your bike, for a small fee, on most trains.

In the Copenhagen area, it is free to bring your bike on the S-train.

You can catch a train, directly from the Airport arrival terminal, to Elsinore (spelled Helsingør in Danish) where the start takes place. When you get out through customs, you just walk to the far end of Terminal 3. Here you will find the DSB ticket office.

You can find more informations about trains here:

https://www.dsb.dk/en/

17. Some useful information:

Drinking water:

Denmark has tap-water that is cleaner than bottle-water. You do not have to buy bottle-water if you can get tap-water. It is safe to drink and there is not added a lot of chemicals to keep it clean. And it tastes good.

If you are running low on water, just look for the nearest state run church. Almost all towns have a state run church – apart from the very small ones. And most churches have toilets and water. You can usually find a watertap somewhere, beside the church, if there is no toilet.

If you are using the RideWithGPS route segment links, you will find churches as POIs.

Food:

Denmark has several discount supermarkets. If you see a Rema1000, NETTO, Lidl, Aldi or Fakta supermarket, you can be sure it is the cheapest prices. There are a few others as well. Though not as cheap as the ones mentioned. Most larger towns have a supermarket. Each brand of supermarket, has the same prices all over Denmark. And most are open from 8:00 – 18:00 and some until 22:00 in the bigger cities. You will not find 24 hour services at supermarkets in Denmark.

Petrol/gas stations, in larger towns, are usually fairly expensive and do not have a lot of healthy food. But you can usually get some bread, cakes, drinks and ”junkfood”. In smaller towns the petrol/gas stations are automated. This means they have no shops. So do not look for petrol/gas stations when you are hungry. You might end up at one without service.

In big towns you will find burgers, pizzas and the likes. In some coastal towns, you will be able to find freshly smoked herrings and mackerels at the habour – a nice lunch treat. And the bakeries are a chapter of it's own. Tourist areas are usually very expensive.

Bike Shops:

You will find bike shops in some towns. Their opening hours are usually from 9:30 - 17:30. In the bigger cities you will find big shops called THansen, Harald-Nyborg and Biltema, which all have some bike parts like cables, chains, rim brakepads, tires and tubes (Biltema has very limited numbers of 700C tires though). They also have some very cheap bikes, if any rider experience a total bike failure - like their bike being bent or broken by a car. Some bigger supermarkets like Kvickly and Bilka sometimes have tires and tubes as well - though not always 700C. If you can not find a bike shop, or they have closed for the summer, look up one of these shops in the bigger cities. At least you will be able to find some patching kits if they do not have the right tires and tubes.

Racedirector will be able to guide you to the nearest shop, where you can get spareparts, if you have problems finding one due to limited internet access, at your present location, or language problems when trying to find a place.

If you are using the RideWithGPS route segment links, you will find some supermarkets etc. as POIs.

Showers:

You can find public pools all over Denmark. If you need a shower, then just visit a public pool - if you are not staying at a hotel or commercial camping site. Public pools charge a small fee. A public pool is called ”svømmehal” in Danish.

On route you will find pools in:

• Vordingborg
• Svendborg
• Kolding
• Haderslev
• Aabenraa
• Tønder
• Esbjerg
• Hvidesande
• Thyborøn
• Skagen
• Frederikshavn
• Sæby
• Hadsund
• Randers
• Viborg
• Silkeborg
• Odder
• Aarhus
• Nykøbing Sjælland

If you are using the RideWithGPS route segment links, you will find some of those pools as POIs.

Mobile services:

If it is not possible to get your mobile service provider to give you a good roaming deal for Denmark, you can buy a cheap local mobile service. Do it well in advance.

Luggage service from Helsingør to Farum:

The race crew will bring one bike box/suitcase and one small suitcase, from Helsingør to Farum, for each rider. The bike box/suitcase has to be handed over at racebriefing. The small suitcase has be be handed over before racestart.

You will be able to pick them up, at Lone's place, after you finish the race. It is only about 1,5 km from the race finish. Contact Lone in advance, if she is not at the bakery to greet you back from the race – she might be at work if you have taken longer than 14 days to finish the race. When picking up your things, you will be able to have a nice shower and get into some clean clothes.

Post race accommodation:

Riders are welcome to sleep over, for one night, at Lone's (racedirector) place, after the finish, if they arrive late and haven't yet found accomodation. Riders are urged though to find accomodation beforehand.

You can stay at a shelter, caravan park or hotel, all within a short ride from the finishline. Several of these can be seen on segment 11 (segment 10 on the gravel race) of the route. You can also travel, by the S-Train to Copenhagen (station is right beside the finish line - bikes are free), where you will find hotels close by Hovedbanegården (Central station) - like Danhostel. From Hovedbanegården you can also get a train to the Airport, where you also will find several hotels close by. You will also find Amager Strandpark close by, which is a beach park just a short 3,5 km ride from the airport. In summer the water is swimmable.

Here is a short list of B&B and hotels in Farum and right outside Farum:

• Local B&B - Phone: 61 55 18 87 - Close to the Furesø lake, where you can go swimming if the weather permits. The hosts, Annie and Steen are very friendly people and have space for up to 9 visitors in nice clean rooms. They own the local sports goods shop, if you need anything. Their house is situated about 500 m from the race finish.
• FC Nordsjælland Hotel - Phone: 44 34 25 00 - (you pass it, on the left handside, on the way to the finishline - about 1,62 km from the finishline): Book online
• Kolle Kolle Hotel and Konference - Phone: 44 98 42 22 - (about 4,3 km from the finishline and not far from Værløse S-Train station): Book online