Invitation

Exploring the wide oakforest of northeastern Bulgaria and getting an impression of Bulgarian cuisine and culture: That's what the international orienteering event «Variant 5»-Cup offers in 2010.

Programme

Wednesday, April 28, 2010	Free trainings in typical terrains
Thursday, April 29, 2010	14:00 - Start of the Prologue (Model event): Supersprint in the old town of Veliki Preslav. 15:30 - Announcement of results
Friday, April 30, 2010	«Variant 5» Cup, day 1: Sprint 10:00 - 12:00 - Arrival and processing of payments in the finish area (Ralitsa village) 13:00 - First start of the sprint, map "Ralitsa" 15:30 - Prize giving ceremony 19:00 - Banquet (Orienteers' Evening) at Restaurant "Borovo Oko", Targovishte. With DJ and tombola. The number of seats is limited, please register before 13:00.
Saturday, May 1, 2010	«Variant 5» Cup, day 2: Middle Distance 11:00 - First start of the middle distance race on the map "Prezviter Kozma" 14:00 - Prize giving ceremony
Sunday, May 2, 2010	«Variant 5» Cup, day 3: Long distance; World Ranking Event 10:00 - First start of the Long Distance race on the map "Selena Morava" 14:00 - Prize giving ceremony and closing of the event.

Classes

Women 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21E, 21B, 35, 40, 45, 50 and Open
Men 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21E, 21B, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and Open.

Entries

Deadline for entries is April 8, 2010. Please register online on this page. Travel groups and orienteering clubs can register together, but you may also register a group just for yourself.

Entry Fee

The entry fee including all starts, all training maps, transport to the events and the «Orienteers Evening» (banquet) is as follows:

Class	Fee
M/W 12, M/W 14	40 EUR
M/W 21E	60 EUR
All other classes	55 EUR

Payments have to be made to: Postfinance (Switzerland), IBAN: CH44 0900 0000 3001 9039 5
BIC: POFICHBEXXX, Foerderverein Variant Pet, 3000 Bern, Switzerland.
If you have no opportunity to transfer your fees to our account please inform the organizers.

Results and Prizes

The three days of «Variant 5 Orienteering Cup» are separate competitions. There are no overall results. For each race, the first three runners in each class will be awarded a prize.

Sportident

At «Variant 5 Orienteering Cup» the SPORTident timetaking system is used. It is possible to rent SI cards for a fee of 0.50 EUR per day.

Maps and terrains

All competitions take place on new maps, mapped in late 2009 and early 2010 by Bulgaria's well-known mapper Dian Bonev. The forests in Targoviste region are mainly mixed forests with big parts of oak and beech - good runnability! Lots of little creeks, gullies, ditches, trenches, foxhowls and rocks add some thrill to the interesting and hilly terrain.
Map details:

Day	Map surveyed	Map scale
Prologue	Summer 2009	1:4000
Day 1	Autumn 2009	1:5000
Day 2	Spring 2010	1:10000
Day 3	Sprint 2010	1:10000 and 1:15000

More information about the terrain will be available in the Bulletin which is handed out in the event center upon arrival.

Accommodation

The city of Targovishte offers a range of hotels (starting from 10 Euro per bed and night) and a limited number of guesthouses. If you need our assistance in finding suitable accommodation please contact us early, as the availability of affordable accommodation is limited. Hotel Terra Europa in Targoviste is presently the only Hotel in town with information for english speaking guests: http://www.terra-europe.com

Visa requirements

As of January 2007 Bulgaria is member of the European Union. Travellers from EU states need a valid passport but no visa.

Leisure time

«Variant 5 Orienteering Cup» can easily be combined with a longer stay in Bulgaria. The event takes place not far from several places of touristic interest: Veliko Turnovo (1 hours drive), Varna (2 hours drive), Preslav (30 minutes drive).

Journey to Bulgaria

Several airlines offer affordable flights to Sofia Airport or Varna Airport. Both cities are connected with Targoviste by buses and trains. The journey from Sofia to Targoviste takes approx. 5 hours, the trip from Varna to Targoviste approx. 2 hours.
Travellers preferring trains: Choose (Vienna)-Belgrad-Sofia-Targoviste and enjoy slow travelling...
Timetable for buses departing in Sofia (in Bulgarian and English): http://www.centralnaavtogara.bg
Train timetable (in Bulgarian and English): http://www.bdz.bg

Organizing Commitee

«Variant 5 Orienteering Cup» is organized by Orienteering Club «Variant 5» Targoviste, Bulgaria, and by the Swiss supporting club of «Variant 5». Event directors are Dian Bonev (Bulgaria) and Marc Lettau (Switzerland).

For further information contact