Sicily Divide

2 – Club Membership

Anyone who is not a member of the organiser’s sports club will become one when registering for the event. The organisation may at any time and at its sole discretion decide whether or not to accept the registration or to exclude a member from the event in case their participation could cause damage to the reputation of the organiser or its partners.

3 – Mandatory Medical Certificate
All participants are REQUIRED to submit a valid “Health Certificate for cardiovascular intensive sport activity (cycling races/events)”. The medical certificate must be issued by your doctor and must be valid until 10 May 2023. Please email your medical certificate to: info@bikesoul.it before 1 April 2023. You can access a template at the following link.

The medical certificate will be checked and validated within 15 days from the date of receipt. We strongly recommend you forward the medical certificate as soon as possible to allow enough time for the validation of your certificate. 

The Medical Certificate must be specific for CYCLING. We cannot accept medical certificates issued for other sports such as triathlon, athletics, etc.

Anyone who does not comply with this requirement won’t be admitted to the event and will not be entitled to a refund of the registration fee.

4 – Route and GPS Tracks

The ride starts in Erice in the Province of Trapani and ends in Catania. The route of about 450 km is a mix of public paved roads, paths and dirt roads. The route is self-navigated and unmarked. All riders are asked to bring a GPS unit or whatever tools necessary to navigate the course.  All participants must have proper skills to navigate and ride self-supported, especially in secluded areas where cell phone signal may not be available. The organisation will provide all participants with accurate GPX files for the entire route via email. All participants are required to follow the route with their safety in mind. It is each participant’s responsibility to evaluate the road, traffic and weather conditions and adapt the route in case of detours or any unforeseen circumstances. All participants shall respect other road users and not take any risks with their own safety or the safety of others. Therefore, participants can divert from the track provided at any time and resume it later, using alternative routes at their own discretion, if the conditions so require. The organisation reserves the right to change the route until a few days before departure.

5 – Event Date & Details

When: Friday 28 April 2023

Where: Start in Erice, Province of Trapani (Sicily), Italy | End in Catania (Sicily), Italy

Format: non-timed, self-supported multiday bikepacking event

Navigation: The route will be supplied as a GPS track via email before the event. The course is not marked, all participants are responsible for their own navigation.

Bikes: gravel bikes & mountain bikes, no road bikes (e-bikes are welcome, but the organisation cannot guarantee charging points) 
Terrain: Public paved and unpaved roads, gravel paths, forestry roads.

The detailed event programme and venue address will be provided via email nearer the time. 

6 – Observation of the Italian Highway Code and Traffic Laws

The bikepacking event Sicily Divide 2023 is a non competitive cycling event on public roads, gravel roads and paths – there are no road closures. This means all participants will obey all Italian Traffic Laws. All participants must be equipped with an emergency repair kit.

7 – Ride Format & Participant’s Conduct

All participants accept that the ride is not a race in any circumstances. 

It is each rider’s responsibility to understand the nature of the ride they enter including the terrain and difficulty, and ensure they are physically fit and capable of taking part in the event as well as . It is also each participant’s responsibility to ensure their equipment is in a suitable condition to complete the ride. E-bikes are permitted provided they comply with the Italian law.

All participants must be completely self-sufficient and not receive any third-party assistance unless they have subscribed to the supported version of the event by purchasing a package holiday (Silver – self-guided or Gold – guided).

8 –  Participant’s Safety at the Event

For their own safety and in case of emergencies, each participant must ensure their bike is in a roadworthy condition with fully functioning brakes. Participants must carry the following minimum required equipment for the full duration of the event:

• reflecting cycling vest
• emergency whistle or bell
• mobile phone (with enough credit and battery life for the duration of the event)
• bicycle helmet (all participants must wear a helmet when on the bike)
• front (white) and rear (red) lights

9  – Payment and Registration Details

Registrations open on 18 December 2022 at 12:00 (local time)
Registrations close on 28 February 2023 at 23:59.

Registration fee: euro 100 

The registration fee includes:

• Club membership and insurance coverage with MSP 2023
• GPS track of the route in gpx format
• Meeting with the participants on the day before the event start
• Sicily Divide 2023 goodies
• Event pack Sicily Divide 2023

• Finisher certificate to be collected upon arrival in Catania (until 4 May 2023)
• Listing as a Finisher on the event page 2023

10 – GPS Tracker

A GPS tracker or similar device or application, at the discretion of the organisation, will be provided to each participant. In case of GPS devices, the organisation will provide them to each participant during the meeting on 27 April 2023 after receiving a security deposit of euro 100 in cash which will be refunded in full upon return of the device by 4 May 2023. Participants must return the GPS trackers in working order and complete with all accessories to receive a full refund.

11 – Admission

The admission to the event is granted once the participant submits the registration form along with the registration fee and the medical certificate to the organisation by 01 April 2023 and subsequently receives confirmation of their registration from the organisation. 
The organisers of the Sicily Divide 2023 event can accept or decline a registration at any time at their sole discretion without any 
The Sicily Divide 2023 organisation may decide, at any time and at its sole discretion, whether or not to accept anyone’s registration  without the obligation to provide further reasons.

12 – Transfer or Cancellation
Registrations to the event are not transferrable and there are no refunds for cancellations made by the participants for any reason. 

13 – Event Cancellation or Postponement

Event Cancellation– If, due to force majeure, the event does not take place, the registration fee will not be refunded and maintained as a credit for the rescheduled event date. The organisation may apply an extra admin fee of euro 14 for the renewal of the club membership with the relevant insurance coverage and the postponement of the registration to the following year. The application for participation in the following year and the payment of the administrative fee must be made by deadline provided by the organisation after the event cancellation.

Event Postponement – The organisation reserves the right to change the place and/or date of the event within the same calendar year should access to the event or sufficient portions of the route be deemed too dangerous due to severe adverse weather conditions or due to any other scenario that makes the event not viable. In this case, the registration fee will be transferred to the rescheduled date, with no additional costs for registered participants. Accordingly, it won’t be possible to transfer the registration to the following year’s edition.

14 – Changes to the Event Rules
The organisers reserve the right to make reasonalble changes to these event rules at any time in case of altered environmental or legal circumstances and for public health reasons. The official event website where these regulations are published is the only reference for up to date information on the event. Therefore, any other information provided in previous communications via newsletter, in the press or on social media cannot be invoked.

15 – Acceptance of the Rules, Consent & Miscellaneous
Registration for the Sicily Divide 2023 event is subject to the acceptance of the following terms and conditions: 

• The participant accepts the event rules outlined on this page in full ;
• The participant accepts and assumes all risks and is fully responsible for his or her actions whilst attending the event;

• Each participant, upon submitting the registration form and paying the registration fee, agrees that they are physically and mentally capable of riding, are free from any illness or medical condition that would prevent them from riding and are of a level of fitness to ride the route. Each participant agrees to submit a valid medical certificate for cycling via email (cfr. par. 3) and releases the organisation from any and all responsibility for any injuries or damages associated with the participation in the event; 
• The participant accepts that the event they are entering into is not a race in any format. There will be no timed races and time records to complete the ride will not be taken;
• The participant accepts that the Sicily Divide 2023 event is self-supported meaning that there are no SAG wagons, no feed stations, first aid posts or mechanical support on site;

• The participant accepts that there is neither a broom wagon nor any rescue service provided by the organiser and the organiser is not responsible for searching or rescuing participants along the route; 

• The participant accepts that the organiser does not provide any road closures nor course marshals along the route;

• The participant accepts that the registration fee is non refundable; 
• The participant acknowledges that the event may take place at rough terrains and sometimes under demanding weather conditions and accepts that only experienced riders with the necessary ability to cycle in adverse weather conditions are allowed to participate;

• Liability Waiver

The participant acknowledges that the organisation Bike Soul SSDrl is not a professional event organiser and only acts for recreational and non-profit purposes (according to par. 1174 Italian Civil Code). The participant accepts that Sicily Divide 2023 is a recreational ride for amateur cyclists and bicycle tourist. Therefore, participation to the Sicily Divide 2023 is a free choice at the total discretion and responsibility of the participating riders and for recreational, non-profit purposes. The participant releases and discharges his or her right to sue the organisation and/or its administrators, directors, agents, officers, volunteers and employees, other participating event organisers, any sponsors, advertisers and, if applicable, owners and lessors of premises on which the activities take place from all liability, claims, demands, losses or damages on the participant’s account, now or hereafter accrued, which are caused or alleged to be caused in whole or in part by the participant’s involvement in, association with or travel to and from the activity, including the participant’s negligence and the negligence of other participants.

• Data Collection

The participant agrees to the use of his or her personal data in accordance with the Italian Data Protection Law and the EU GDPR as outlined under par. 16;

• Use of Likeness

Each participant hereby grants to the organisation an exclusive, absolute and irrevocable worldwide assignment in perpetuity in the photographs/film/video/electronic representations and/or sound recordings of the participant obtained at the event and grants to the organisation the right to use and publish such content in any and all media. The participant hereby releases the organisation from any and all liability from such use and promotion. The participant hereby authorises the reproduction, sale, copyright, exhibit, broadcast, electronic storage and/or distribution of said photographs/film/video tapes/electronic representations and/or sound recordings without limitation at the discretion of the organisation. The participant specifically waives any right to any compensation they may have for appearing in any of the photographs/film/video/electronic representations and/or sound recordings of the participant at an event of the organisation. The participants acknowledge that the organisers have the full right to sell and/or profit from the commercial use of such photographs, motion pictures, recordings, and/or likenesses of the participants.

16 – Data Protection
The processing and registration of personal data will be carried out by the following company:
Bike Soul SSDrl
59100 Prato (PO), Italia
VAT No. IT02379130970
The personal data of all participants will be processed and recorded according to the provisions of the Italian Privacy Law (2003/196) and by the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (GDPR 2016/679).

Read the Privacy Statement here.