Shared Knowledge/Projects/Veloexpeditions

Велоекспедиции

Veloexpeditions (Macedonian: Велоекспедиции) is a project by Shared Knowledge of very similar nature to the Wikiexpeditions, except that it is aimed to engage mountain biking enthusiasts in exploring and documenting various parts of the country on their bicycles.

2016

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During 2016 had no group organized Veloexpeditions, and project was organized by two included individuals, users Ehrlich and Македонец in various parts of Macedonia.

Results of these activities were uploaded 111 photographs on Wikimedia Commons, and 88 of them were used on Macedonian Wikipedia, which is very high percentage (aroun 75%), which is similar to our Wikiexpeditions.

2017

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During 2017 was organized first group organized Veloexpedition in one area, Ǵavat-Kol. After this successful Veloexpedition, we plan to organize similar group visit in a different area of Macedonia.

First Veloexpedition

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Ǵavat-Kol

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Group photo of the participants in first organized Veloexpedition in Macedonia

Second weekend in August 2017, user Ehrlich91 along with four other cyclists headed to the area Ǵavat-Kol, small remote area with villages around Bitola, second most populous town in Macedonia. Area contained various villages that has no single photograph on Wikimedia Commons, and that was main purpose of the first organized group Veloexpedition to take images from small villages, old churches and nature beauties.

In the morning on August 12th, we headed with our car to Bitola. After three hours and the breakfast in the hotel, we started our Veloexpedition. After one hour we arrive in first village, Srpci. Our main aim was to make panoramic photos of the villages, important social and religious buildings, architecture in the villages, and all other natural rarities.

Our highest point of our Veloexpedition was village Gopeš, where we found St. Transfiguration Church, which is protected cultural monument. Unfortunately, we hadn`t chance to take a photographs of the interior of this church, as was closed. Near this village, we explore two churches, that were not mentioned in data collected from various sources.

Then, we headed to the displaced villages Svinjište and Streževo. In the village Svinjište we discovered a preserved St. George Church, a remnant of the former village. This church, along with two churches mentioned before, were not mentioned in the official list of religious buildings of Commission for religions in Macedonia.

Although we have other plans for the route, after we reach out Lake Streževo, we cannot ride back to the village Gopeš, and we have to ride along the coast of the artificial lake Strezevo. In the end, we have to change whole route of our first day of the Veloexpedition.

On August 13th (second day), we wanted to visit Great Pelister Lake, but due cold foggy weather (with only 6 degrees) we were forced to go back to our hotel. But, we still took some images during our ride from specific Molika trees on this mountain and "stone rivers".

Outcome

We visited and photographed sever different villages, alond with many churches and other cultural and natural sights. We uploaded 82 distinct photographs on Wikimedia Commons from two participants on the Veloexpedition.

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