Ride with Epica to save stray dogs

Love music? Love cycling? How about dogs? You can combine all three in an epic cycling tour to help save the stray dogs of Sicily on Sunday, August 13th.

This is your opportunity to ride alongside Epica founder Mark Jansen and raise money for Oasi Dei Pelosy, a Sicialian shelter dedicated to housing and caring for dogs in need.

There are stray dogs living in hunger and pain all around the world. These animals scratch out a difficult life on the streets - fighting for food and often dying young. A lack of critical funding and infrastructure means that local shelters and organizations often struggle to help. Combine these conditions with the current wildfires and heat waves, and it’s a recipe for disaster. We’re incredibly lucky in the Netherlands to have successful programs that keep dogs off the streets. Now is your chance to give back and make a difference where it really counts.

But giving back can also be an incredible experience.

You’ll embark on a 3-day bike ride from Reuver to Remagen, GroB-Umstadt, and Dinkelsbuhl. You can expect to ride between 140km and 190km per day through beautiful Dutch and German landscapes with ride leaders Mark Jansen, Gerry Kimps, and Harm Oosterbaan. The tour will finish at the world-famous Summer Breeze festival in Dinkelsbuhl, where Mark and Epica will take the stage as a main act.

If you love bikes and heavy metal, or if you simply love dogs, this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Want to ride with us?

Send an email to: epicaride2023 from our gmail account. (this site does not allow an email to be displayed. Please add the "@" yourself). We’re happy to answer any questions and provide more information about this experience.

Cycling Program:

Day 1: Departure from Reuver to Remagen - 140km

Day 2: Remagen to GroB-Umstadt - 190km

Day 3: GroB-Umstadt to Dinkelsbuhl - 174 km

This will be a challenging bike ride for cyclists in great fitness. Please bring a high-functioning road bike in good mechanical condition, as well as a helmet and any other cycling gear that you will need along the way.

You’re also welcome to join for just a single day of riding or a part of the tour! Send us an email at the above address and we’ll help you coordinate a meetup.

Lodging and food:

Accommodation and lodging must be arranged by yourself.

Donations:

Donations to support the stray dogs of Sicily can be made on GoFundMe. 100% of the donations from this ride will go to Sicilian foundation and shelter Oasi Dei Pelosy to support their efforts caring for and re-homing stray dogs from their community. You can read more about their mission here: https://www.facebook.com/oasideipelosycaltanissetta/

With your tremendous support we have already reached our initial goal... we have raised our target to help more stray dogs. Can you support us to the new targetted amount?

Summer Breeze Festival:

This ride will end at the Summer Breeze open air metal festival in Dinkelsbuhl, featuring over 130 bands, camping, and an incredible atmosphere. If you’d like to join us for the festival, you can find tickets and more information here: https://www.summer-breeze.de/en/news/summer-breeze-2023-221048/

About the band:

Dutch symphonic metal band Epica took the world by storm in 2002 with their debut album The Phantom Agony. Their huge sound, incredible live performances, and relentless innovation quickly launched them to international success. Twenty years later, Epica headlines festivals around the world and regularly opens for heavy metal giants like Metallica and Iron Maiden. You can find more information about the band here: https://www.epica.nl/home