Rules & Provisions
General Provisions
🫶 SPORTS RULES OF PARTICIPATION
The sports rules for participating in any cycling event within the Merkur zavarovalnica L'Etape Slovenia by Tour de France apply to all active participants in the 2-day cycling festival, as well as other accompanying events. All participants are encouraged to strengthen relationships with fellow participants, take care of their own safety and not endanger others, and above all, to practice fair play and sportsmanship.
✍️ CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION
Accepting the terms and conditions
By submitting an application form (registration) for any cycling event as part of Merkur zavarovalnica L'Etape Slovenia by Tour de France, you confirm that you agree to the Rules and Cycling Etiquette, that you are familiar with and agree to the General Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, and to the terms of the application portal prijavim.se, where the application process takes place. All cycling events follow UCI rules.
Sunday's cycling event: Ride and Race
To participate at the Sunday's Ride or Race of Merkur zavarovalnica L'Etape Slovenia by Tour de Frnace you must be at least eighteen (18) years old on the day of the event, have successfully registered for the event (you received a confirmation e-mail from the registration portal when you registered), have collected your starting number and are in a suitable psychophysical condition. Read more information.at Legal notes - General provisions.
Participation on an e-bike is not allowed. The event is primarily intended for road cyclists, but other bikes are also allowed: gravel, mountain bikes etc.
Saturday's cycling events
Participation is permitted with any type of bicycle that is technically correct and the individual is accustomed to it. The toddlers are allowed to participate on balance bikes. Pre-registration is mandatory even though the registration fee for some events is for free. A helmet is mandatory for all cyclists.
Family ride is:
- limited to the childrens with passed cycling licencee, and ability to follow the traffic rules in case if they are left behind the organisers's acommpained motorised vehicle;
- accompained by at least one adult person or parent.
Cronometer challenge K0.0lesari na polno
Participation in Jelenov hill challenge K0.0lesari na polno is limited to limited available starting bibs. The number of available places is communicated once the registration process for the challenge opens.
Merkur zavarovalnica Business Ride
Participants are allowed to use any kind of a bike, including e-bikes. The challenge has two variations:
- as a team ride in pairs: a team of two persons who have to cycle together all the way to the finish line. A sole person is not allowed.
- as a group ride: without time measurment, just leasure ride on a closed roads. Pure joy, pure fellowship.
🌍 THE EVENT ROUTES
Route maps and details about individual cycling events are published on the Merkur zavarovalnica L'Etape Slovenia by Tour de France website, usually with the opening of registrations and the call for applications for individual cycling events and/or changes in several places, including in News, Routes, and General Terms and Conditions. The event organizer reserves the right to change the route at any time if there are compelling reasons for doing so. Any change to the route will be communicated through the official L'Etape Slovenia channels.
The Sunday event routes
The competition routes with time measurement are two:
- 80 km (shorter, called Decathlon the Ride) and
- 130 km long (longer, called Tosidos the Race).
There are refreshment stations along the route. Each participant is responsible for sufficient nutritional intake and hydration before, during and after the event, so we advise you to provide your own supplies.
The Saturday's cycling event routes
Non-competitive cycling events presenting by Gorenjska banka
- Childrens ride Future heroes in a circle of 800m (1-3 laps, depending on the age category);
- Family Ride: a group ride along the route of 12,5 km.
Cronometer challenge presented by Union Radler 0.0 Isotonic
- Challenge Jelenov klanec (hill): the shortest world's chornometer in length of 500 m. To beat the time of Matej Mohorič.
Business ride presented by Merkur zavarovalnica
Premier edition in 2025! 34 km moderate route with 333 m elevation gain, organised in two variations with separate group start at the same route:
- As a Team Race in pairs with time measurment, competitive in nature, fostering the team bonds by cycling in pairs all along the route to the finish line.
- As an ISO group ride with no time measurement to foster team spirit and promote cycling as a lifestyle for building friendly relationships.
👮 ABOUT THE EVENT and TRAFFIC REGIME
Merkur zavarovalnica L'Etape Slovenia by Tour de France is a 2-day cycling festival event that takes place in Kranj, Slovenia, usually at the first weekend in September.
Saturday's events are mostly concentrated in the city center of Kranj with various cycling trials. During the cycling events, the roads are only intended for cyclists and are partially or completely closed to traffic.
Sunday cycling event on a longer route (Race) or shorter route (Ride) are timed and take place on roads that are partially or completely closed to traffic in Kranj and its surranding municipalities: Komenda, Kamnik, Vodice, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Šenčur, Škofja Loka, Železniki etc.
The (changed) traffic regime featuring road closures on the day of the event will be published on time at the L'Etape Slovenia website and other partner channels of public information. We ask the participants to follow the road and traffic regulations, the instructions of the organizer and directors at the event and to respect other cyclists at the event.
🚴♀️ REGISTRATION AND START NUMBERS PICK UP
Mandatory prior registration for the cycling event
Only participants who have registered in advance for their selected event may take part in the cycling rides that are part of the Merkur Insurance L'Etape Slovenia by Tour de France. Participants must complete their registration within the deadline specified in the terms and conditions of the respective event and, where an entry fee applies, settle the payment in accordance with their registration purchase.
Participation by unregistered riders, riding without a race number, incorrectly displaying a race number, competing under another person's name, or using a race number assigned to someone else (identity fraud), as well as joining the course after the event has already started, shall be considered a breach of the rules and sporting misconduct.
Race number collection
Race numbers can be collected according to the schedule published by the organiser a few days before the event. Collection is also possible on the day of the event at the lobby of the Municipality of Kranj, Slovenski trg 1, 4000 Kranj (entrance from the Brioni parking area). However, participants must collect their race number no later than one hour before the start of their registered cycling event, or in accordance with the published collection schedule.
The detailed collection schedule will be published a few days before the event.
⏱️ TIMING
Official timing is ensured through an electronic detection system by Timing Ljubljana.
Sunday's Ride and Race
The entire course will be timed and the official final ranking will be based according to this time. A selected number of flat sections and climbs will also be timed and count for the special green and polka dot jersey competitions.
All participants will receive an electronic timing chip together with the start number, which must be attached/sticked under the seat of the bicycle. The chip will automatically start measuring time when crossing the start line and will continue to measure time along the entire course, all the way to the finish line.
Caution: Be careful not to bend or damage the measuring chip in any other way, as this will prevent its proper operation.
Participants who do not follow the official route set by the organizer, use human assistance, or cross the finish line without a timing chip will be disqualified.
The electronic time detection system was selected according to strict reliability requirements. Despite the tests carried out by the manufacturers, a very low percentage of cases of non-detection remains. The organizer cannot be held responsible for this.
Saturday's cycling events
Time is measured at:
- Merkur zavarovalnica Business Team Ride - in pairs
- Challenge K0.0lesarim na polno! - ascent to Jelenov klanec
To properly install the measuring timing chip, follow the instructions provided when you receive the starter package.
🚰 REFRESHMENT STATIONS
Sunday's event
A total of 3 refreshment stations are set up along the entire route for all participants of Race and 1 on the shorter - Ride route. Refreshement station is also at the finish line.
The participant must cross the finish line before 2:30 p.m. Any participant who exceeds this time limit, even if they cross the finish line, will be disqualified.
Saturday's cycling events
There's no refreshment stations along the routes, but at the venue is available drinking tap water of great quality.
🏆 AWARDS AND CATEGORIES
Sunday: Ride and Race
For successfully crossing the finish line, everyone receives a commemorative finisher medal. Best cyclist will be awarded in accordance with the official results. We will award prizes to the best in the following categories:
- Yellow jersey: classification from the first to the last placed participant based on the official time, which starts when the cyclists cross the measuring point at km 0. The first female cyclist and the first male cyclist to cross the finish line in Kranj will receive the jerseys.
- Polka dot jersey: the classification will be determined based on the best sum of times on the two climbs (Šenturška gora and Jamnik) on the Race route and the best time on the climb to Šenturška Gora on the Ride route in the women's and men's categories.
- Green jersey: classification will be determined based on the fastest measured time on the marked flat section in 73.5-74 km, both routes (Ride and Race).
- White jersey: classification of the fastest male and female cyclist under 25 based on official time.
All participants are classified into age categories based on the official time of the fastest male and female cyclist in the following age groups:
- Women: 18-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+
- Men: 18-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+
We remind the participants that during the event we will carry out controls to ensure that the competition runs in accordance with these rules.
Saturday's cycling events
Children's cycling events Future heroes and Family group ride are without time measurement. All registered participants who successfully cross the finish line, get a commemorative medal.
Children's cycling age categories:
- Children A, > 4 years, 1 lap (1x 800m), balance bike or bicycle.
- Children B, 4.5-8 years: 2 laps (2x800m: 1,6 km), bike.
- Children C, 9-12 years: 3 laps (3x800m: 2,4 km), bike.
Family group ride
- age limitation of a child: at least 10 years and/or cycling license
- the under age child has to be accompanied by a parent or other adult person.
For other cycling events such as Jelenov klanec challange the information will follow.
Challenge K0.0lesari na polno
- men and women category.
Merkur zavarovalnica Business Team ride
- men, women and mix teams category.
- Special Recognition for the Team with the Most Participants