Bosnia Bikepacking
Length
Trip Style
Gravel/MTB
End Point
Distance
Sarajevo
Challenge
COMING SOON
Price
WILDER Bikepacking Trip
7 nights, 8 days
Accomodation
Sarajevo
Guesthouses, hotels, mountain huts
Start Point
Terrain
Dates
500km
£1195
The second in our WILDER series, our 7 day Bosnia & Herzegovina trip will take us in a loop from the vibrant capital city of Sarajevo. We’ll ride through remote mountain villages, through modern ski-towns, and little visited corners of the country. Carrying all the basics we need on our bikes, we’ll take on stunning gravel climbs, ride through high mountain plains, along remote mountain trails, and even take a spin on a Bobsleigh track from the Winter Olympics. We’ll experience two contrasting sides of Bosnia - it’s bustling and cosmopolitan cities, packed with atmosphere and history, and rural Bosnian life that can feel frozen in time.
Bosnia has a troubled past, and reminders of the war of the 90’s are never far away. We’ll have a local as part of our team who can share their experiences and history of the country as we move through it’s different regions.
It’s a wild ride, suitable for experienced off-road riders who crave long days in the saddle and are comfortable in wild landscapes. Expect daily averages of 70km+, 1500m+ climbing days being the norm, and some chunky trails and descents.
Ready to come over to the WILDER side?
Highlights
✔ Experience incredible Sarajevo
✔ Enjoy some of our wildest riding
✔ Ride on the 1984 Olympic Bobsleigh track
✔ Visit places most tourists don’t see
✔ Stay in remote mountain huts
✔ Meet & stay with locals
✔ Learn about the history and culture in a unique way
View Dates & Book
2025 Dates
Interested in future dates?
Pricing Info (beds)
£1195 for a spot. Book now with a £300 deposit. Full balance due 60 days before the trip.
Click on your preferred trip date to be directed to our secure booking partner WeTravel who will process and manage your booking. We recommend paying with bank details to avoid card processing fees.
Optional Add Ons
Single supplement - £300
Bike Hire - £180
Bikepacking bags (£20) and Hammerhead Karoo navigation devices (£10) can be hired from us, and added at booking.
Luggage transfer - If you prefer to not ride bikepacking style, add luggage transfer for £100.
Minimum trip number
Please note, this trip have a minimum number of 8 to run. Your deposit is fully refundable until we confirm this number has been met. Please do not book your travel until then.
Cancellation policy
You can secure your spot by paying a £300 deposit which is refundable up to the point that we confirm the trip minimum numbers have been met. Once the trip is confirmed, the deposit is not refundable. The remaining balance is due 60 days before the trip by bank transfer. Cancellation between 60 days and 28 days, you’ll get 50% back. Cancellation within 28 days is non-refundable, but you can transfer your booking to another person should you find one. View the full booking terms and conditions here.
Itinerary
Meeting Point: Sarajevo
End Point: Sarajevo
We have an incredible week of riding planned as we loop from our starting point in Sarajevo, hopping between the two federations that make up Bosnia & Herzegovina and the distinct cultures and histories.
We’ll start each day with breakfast together, before rolling out around 9am, after a detailed route briefing from our guides. In advance of the trip, we'll share the route files and route descriptions via our Komoot and you’ll find descriptions of the terrain, the sights, safety and resupply info so you can plan your days. Whether you choose to ride with our guides and the group, or independently, we’ll share some great regroup points each day. Once at our destination for the evening, we’ll share dinner together, or share our favourite local recommendations, and talk about the next days ride before settling down for a good nights sleep, ready to do it all again!
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Sleep - 4* hotel Sarajevo
Breakfast/Dinner - Not included (we’ll book a table for dinner)
Today we’ll meet at our hotel in Sarejevo for the start of our trip, perched on the edge of the city. There’ll be time to build bikes and take them for a quick test spin around the car park before we head out for dinner.
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Sleep: 3* guesthouse
Breakfast/Dinner: Included/Not Included
Today we head into the mountains!
Our hotel is well located on the edge of the city to deliver us straight onto a road climb that weaves past the iconic Olympic Bobsleigh Track from the 1984 Olympics. We’ll take a detour and a chance to ride the track.
Continuing our climb, we’ll make most of the elevation gain on tarmac, before cutting into forest tracks to continue or climb towards the ski-town of Jahornia - a popular place for wealthy Sarejevo folks to ski in winter, and hike in summer. It’s a different side to Bosnia, with modern cosmopolitan hotels and fancy restaurants, with a ghost town feeling in the shoulder season.
Tonight we sleep in comfortable apartments, and share dinner in a local restaurant or at our hotel.
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Sleep: Jalasca Homestay (shared dorm)
Breakfast/Dinner: Included/Included
Today we begin our journey into a lesser visited corner of the country, with wild riding, remote villages, and simple accommodation the theme of our days.
We begin by climbing above Jahorina, on remote trails before tackling some of our more challenge riding of the week as we descend to the small settlement of Jabulka.
We’ll pickup trails that take us through farm lands to the roadside cafe at Miljevena, where we may have a chance to try local burek.
We’ll pass abandoned soviet style hotel on the road, a humbling reminder of recent troubles, before we head back onto gravel that takes us towards our home for he night, a simple hut on the edge of the village of Jelasca.
Situated on the Via Dinarica hiking trail, Helena offers simple accommodation and food to travellers, and we’ll have a basic dorm room tonight, with home cooked dinner in the cosy communal living room, shared with other hikers and cyclists on their own adventures.
For those with extra energy, an out and back along the gravel road climb towards Orlavacko Lake is recommended.
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Sleep: Nevesinje - simple gueshouse
Breakfast/Dinner: Included/Included
We get two big descents today!
After breakfast at our hut, we’ll head through Jalasca village, and to the rarely visited village of Kalinovik, before beginning a big descent on tarmac to the riverside settlement of Ulog.
From here, we’ll pick up gravel road, climbing up util we emerge above the tree lane, and begin an in incredible descent on gravel into the next valley. We’ll pick up tarmac road for a short hop into Nevesinje, a truly locals town, with time for coffee with the locals in a curb side cafe.
Tonight we’ll be staying in simple accommodation, with the group in two co-owned pansions in the town. We’ll come together for dinner and get ready for our final day of riding.
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Sleep - Guesthouse, Konjic
Breakfast/Dinner - Included/Included
We stay high in the hills above Mostar today, cutting through into the rocky mountains on a mixture of gravel and tarmac.
We’ll emerge on a wild plateau, hitting gravel that takes us above beautiful lake Jezero. We’ll zoom down to join tarmac again, heading into the riverside town of Konjic, on the turquoise River Neretva. There’ll be time for a stroll before dinner in town.
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Sleep: Lukomir Mountain Hut (shared dorm)
Breakfast/Dinner: Included/Included
Today is short in miles but big in elevation, with lots of off-road riding. We’ll hit the gravel straight out of town, climbing up and up towards the protected mountain plateau of Bjelasinca, and the village of Lukomir. There’s some
challenging riding in store, that’ll require a bit of pushing at times, but the rewards are plenty. We’ll pack a picnic for the ride today, and take our time.
Once in Lukomir, we’ll have time to explore the local trails and village, or just relax and enjoy the incredible spot.
Tonight we sleep in dorms in the remote mountain huts, with a home cooked dinner and chance for a sunset stroll. It’s a special place to spend the night.
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Sleeping - 4* Hotel, Sarajevo
Breakfast/Dinner - Included/Not included
After breakfast at our mountain hut, we’ll head out of the village to ride incredible gravel trails through the high wide plateau, before hitting single track tarmac that keeps us high with incredible views to the valleys below. We’ll drop into the off-season ski town around Bjelasnica via fast forest tracks, and weave hrough the high forests above Sarajevo, with relics of the 1984 Winter Olympics scattered around. Reaching the Sarejevo suburbs, we’ll wind through mostly quiet roads that give us a glimpse of local life, and deliver us back to to our starting hotel for the night, perched on the hill to the south of the city.
There’ll be time to pack bikes before hading into the city for our final dinner together.
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We’ll say our farewells over breakfast, with time to finish packing bikes.
Our hotel can help arrange taxis to the airport.
What’s included?
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Our trip will be hosted by our British Cycling and First Aid qualified Sisters in the Wild guides who between them have a tonne of experience of riding in this area.
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Seven nights accommodation included in a mix of hotels, local guesthouses, and mountain huts.
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Bikepacking bags and navigation devices can be added to your booking, and we’ll have them ready for you on day one.
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Each participant will be provided with a specially curated collection of routes and route briefings via Komoot, and a free map bundle to access/navigate them.
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Breakfast: Breakfast included everyday
Dinners: Four dinners are included
Not included
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Lunch and snacks are not included. We’ll make sure you know where you can pick up food on the ride.
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Riders can bring their own bike, or hire locally. See BIKES section for info.
Riders should carry simple tools/spare for their bike in case of bike issues. Our guide team can help you use them!
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Flights, transfers and all travel to our start point at our Granda Hotel is not included. Our trip finishes at our hotel in Almeria, and we’ll arrange for bike bags to be transferred to meet us in Almeria.
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Travel Insurance that allows multi day cycling as an activty, and covers medical emergenc, repatriation, cancellation and public liability is mandatory for all SITW trips and is not included.
Most travellers do not require a visa to travel. If you require a visa to travel, this will not be included.
Accomodation & Food
Accommodation
Seven nights accommodation is included, with no camping on this trip. We’ll stay in a real mix of places, sometimes in the only option for miles! Expect a mix of modern 3* hotels, with a rustic mountain hut, a stay on a village farm, and a Soviet style guesthouse. Most nights (5/7) will be on a twin room basis, two will be a simple dorm room. Single supplement is available.
This is a bikepacking trip, with riders carrying their own stuff between hotels. If you prefer, luggage transfer can be added to your booking for £100.
Food
Breakfast is included everyday. On most days this will be a hotel buffet, and on some days where we stay in smaller towns, this may be more of a typical local breakfast of eggs , bread and cereals.
Dinner is included on 4 of the 7 nights. On the three nights that dinner is not included, we will either book a table for a group dinner (night 1 and night 7) where people are free to order and pay for what they’d like, or give you some local recommendations (night 5).
We will pass on dietary requirements given at booking. Bread and meat play a heavy part in Bosnian food, and Gluten Free/ Vegans may find choices in some parts of the route can be limited. With the help of our local support team, we will try to find the best options for you.
Lunches are not included, but we will recommend places en route to pick up supplies.
About the riding
Challenge Level
We’ve rated this trip as a 4/5 on challenge level. This trip is apart of our WILDER series - bikepacking trips in wild landscapes that go that little bit further. Longer days, bigger climbs, more thrilling descents, wilder terrain, more solitutde, and even more memories to be made. With multiple days of 70+km, 60% off-road terrain, and a mix off all types of trails, this a trip well suited to experienced gravel riders who love long days in the saddle and some embrace some chunkier gravel terrain.
Terrain
The riding on this trip is around 60% off-road, predominantly on double track trails, of mixed quality, with some single-track trails in sections. We’ll have plenty of stretches of well maintained forest gravel roads, but also some trails that can be steep and looser/rougher in places. There are some long and occasionally steep downhill stretches, that may vary in quality in places (e.g. washed out, rockier) and require confidence in descending on off-road terrain.
On some days, the tracks will be more technical, with features such as washed out channels, larger rubble and rocks , or clay. Whilst the area is relatively rocky, periods of rain can cause some parts of the tracks to become , and some bits of walking your bike may be needed. Overall, the route is 98% rideable by confident gravel riders.
Amongst the off-road sections, we’ll also have some smooth tarmac riding, where we’ll enjoy a chance to make some quick miles or elevation!
Climbing
Climbing is a significant contributor to this trip’s challenge level, with most days featuring an elevation gain of around 1500m . Our days of significant climbing tend to be one or two big climbs, with some undulating around it. Around half of our big climbs are on tarmac, and half are off-road terrain. They tend to have decent gradients, though there are some steeper sections.
Most of our big descents are off-road, and require confidence and skill in off-road descending.
Daily Distances
Most of our daily distances are between 60 and 70km, with shorter milages on our first and last day of riding. Komoot suggests an average moving time per day of around 7 hours in the saddle.
Remoteness & Weather
This is one of our more remote and wild trips, with lots of riding in areas that do not have many shelter options. Riders should be comfortable with long days outside, whatever the weather! Our guide team will monitor the weather and make route adjustments as needed.
Most of the route is accessible by our support vehicle, though we have one day where the first half of the route is on single trails in the mountains, which is not accessible by vehicles. We plan to ride as amore cohesive group on this day. Most days have at least one place to stop for a cafe or shop, but shelter outside of these regroup stops can be limited.
Support style
Our SITW Bikepacking trips aim to strike the perfect balance of freedom and support. Riders are free to ride the routes at their own pace or with the guide and group. Regardless, our team will be out on the routes to support and cheerlead.
Guiding
There will be two SITW guides out on the bike, moving back and forth amongst the group, generally with one towards the front and one towards the back of the group. Our guides are qualified first aiders and experienced mechanics and can help troubleshoot issues on the trail. Riders should equipped with their own navigation and not rely on following a guide for directions. Each participant will be provided with a specially curated collection of routes and route briefings via Komoot, to enable self supported navigation.
Support
In addition to the bike based guides, this trip has a local driver (male) in a 4 x 4 support vehicle to assist the group in case of issues (mechanicals, injury etc). This should not not be viewed as a daily shuttle option, but will meet us at key points along the route to check in and make sure we have what we need, and provide assistance and rider shuttles where needed.
Bikes & bike hire
Bike hire is not included as standard in this trip, and riders are welcome to bring their own bike or hire locally. There’'ll be space to rebuild the bikes at our starting hostel, and we arrange storage of bike boxes whilst on the trip, and delivery to the end of our trip.
Recommended bike
We would recommend a hardtail MTB as the ideal bike for this trip, or a thick tyre gravel bike ONLY if you are very experienced riding chunkier off-road terrain with it, including steep and loose descents. This should have a good gearing range, and minimum of 45mm tyres. Road bikes and gravel bikes with skinnier tyres not suitable for this trip.
Bike hire
Bike hire is available through our local partners Green Visions, who have simple hardtail MTB’s available to rent for £180 for the trip You can add this to your trip at booking, and we’ll arrange for the bikes to be delivered and collected from our start point.
Travelling with your bike
Check your airlines bike carriage policy for weight and size restrictions. Some airlines will allow them as part of their checked in baggage allowance (e.g. British Airways), but most require a bike to be added as a specific piece of Sports Luggage (easyjet, ryanair, wizzair, Jet2 etc) , but often you get a higher weight allowance. Usually costs in the region of £40 -£60.
Your bike box/bag can be stored whilst on the trip.
What spares and tools to bring
2 x spare tubes and patches
Small pump
Tubeless plugs/spare sealant if running tubeless tyres
Multitool with what you need for your bike e.g. allen keys
Spare set of brake pads (specific for your bike)
We also recommend bringing a few spares that are specific to your bike. We don’t expect you to know how to fit these! But having them to hand can mean our team or local bike shop is better able to get you back on the road.
Chain quick link
Spare derailleur hanger
Extra brake pads just in case!
FAQs
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Please do not book your travel until we have confirmed the minimum trip number has been met.
Our cycling trip starts and ends in Sarajevo, which has the country’s main airport.
Sarajevo is served by direct flights from London (British Airways, Wizzair) and most other European capital cities.
Lufthansa fly from Manchester and Edinburgh, with a transfer in Frankfurt, who allow bikes to be carried as part of the standard luggage allowance.
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Sarajevo isn’t currently served by international train lines, but is served by Flixbus buses.
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You can secure your spot by paying a £300 deposit, which is refundable up to the point that we confirm the trip minimum numbers have been met. Once the trip is confirmed, the deposit is not refundable. The remaining balance is due 60 days before the trip by bank transfer. Cancellation between 60 days and 28 days, you’ll get 50% back. Cancellation within 28 days is non-refundable, but you can transfer your booking to another person should you find one. View the full booking terms and conditions here.
We highly recommend taking out travel insurance at the point of booking to cover in case of cancellation or curtailment.
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We’ll have a max group size of 16, minimum group size of 8 to run.
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We will help to pass any dietary requirements to places that we eat, Unfortunately it may not always be possible for them to accommodate serious allergies due to their limited kitchen space and menus We’ll try to work with you to find solutions. You can let us know any dietary requirements at time of booking. If you have serious allergies, please email us before booking on hello@sistersinthewild.com.
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INSURANCE Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our trips Your insurance must include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation or repatriation, your baggage and equipment, and the specific activities (for example, multi day off-road cycling) involved on your SITW trip. We highly recommend that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your trip. We also highly recommend taking out a policy which also includes personal liability, cancellation and cover in the event you are unable to join your trip due to illness or injury, curtailment, loss of luggage or personal effects, or for any other reason.
E.g. with Yellow Jersey, Bikmo, Laka
E.g. with Yellow Jersey, Bikmo, Laka
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In order to make the most of the riding on offer, we’d suggest that you are comfortable riding 45+ miles in a day in hilly off-road terrain, for a few days on the run. Riding a loaded bike takes a little more effort, so we’d recommend trying some practice rides of 50 miles + with some weight/luggage on your bike. You should be comfortable with off-road climbing and descending.
Feel free to drop us an email hello@sistersinthewild.com if you have any questions on this.
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Yes, you can book directly with our starting/ending hotel if you wish to stay earlier/late. We’ll share our hotel info once the trip is confirmed.
If you need to arrive late, that’s also fine, and the shakedown ride can be skipped. Ideally we’d have you join in time for the rider briefing on the evening of day 1, but we can fill you in.
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Check your airlines or train/bus bike carriage policy.
Some airlines allow bikes to be carried as part of their standard baggage allowance e.g. Lufthansa/BA. Most airlines require a bike to be added as a specific piece of Sports Luggage, but often you get a higher weight allowance. Usually costs in the region of £40 - 50.
Train/bus rules are dependent on carrier with some requiring bikes to be packed or pre-booked. Please check the specific rules for the service.
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Bosnia is a mountainous country, with hot summers, and warm shoulder seasons.
We will cover a range of elevations on the trip, getting close to 200m, with colder temperatures and more chance of rain/thunderstorms at higher elevations. Climbs can be hot and exposed if the days are hot, whilst descents can get cold quickly in rain.
Riders should be prepared for everything! Hot weather, cold, rain.
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We’’ll share a detailed packing list as part of the Trip Joining Info.
This is a bikepacking trip, which means you'll need to carry all your stuff or the week - so packing light is a good shout! Though you'll need to balance this with making sure you're equipped for changeable weather and supporting yourself out on the rides.
No camping gear is required for this trip, and we can lend you bikepacking bags and navigation device if you need them. These can be booked as Add Ons to your trip.
Bike Stuff
The basics
Off-road bike and Helmet
Navigation device (available to loan from us)
Bike lights (just in case!) and headtorch (optional)
A secure bike lock for overnight (can be stored in support van)
Lightweight lock for the rides
Capacity to carry at least 1.5 litres of water.
Bikepacking bags (available to loan from us)
If you plan to borrow bags, please bring a small rucksack (10-1 litres) to supplement if needed.
A small collapsable rucksack/bumbag or tote bag can be useful for carrying stuff off the bike
Basic first aid kit for your rides
Cup/spork/bowl
Bike tools/spares to carry
Spare tube and patches
Small pump
Tubeless plugs/spare sealant if running tubeless tyres
Multitool with what you need for your bike e.g. allen keys, chain breaker
Chain quick link (these are specific for your bike)
Spare derailleur hanger (specific to your bike.) This website can help you
find the one you need for your bike
Brake pads (specific for your bike)
Small amount of chain oil
A few zip ties/bits of duct tape & electrical tape wrapped around your
pump are always useful!
Personal Stuff
Travel insurance that covers off-road cycle touring/theft
Passport
Any personal medication needed
Mini toiletries (travel toothpaste, toothbrush etc)
Battery pack/cables to keep phone and nav device charged
Cash/card
Earplugs....just in case!
Lightweight towel for swims
Sun cream/SPF lipbalm
Electrolytes (optional but recommended)
Clothing
Clothing is a great place to slim down your packing list and get ruthless! However, this should be balanced with keeping safe and warm and dry if we have poor weather. Generally we could expect some very hot and sunny days, with the possibility of rain/thunderstorms.
Consider how you can double up uses of clothes for day/evening/sleeping, and embrace a bit of dirtbag spirit!
There's a chance to do laundry on day 5, and sinks available on every other night. Showers are available everyday.
Cycling clothes
We recommend 2 sets that you can wash/swap through the
week, plus a warm layer set.
Comfy shorts and quick dry t-shirts or cycling top
Shoes. We recommend only using clip in shoes/pedals if
you’re already confident in off-road riding.
Waterproof jacket
Waterproof trousers (optional)
Extra layers in case of poor weather, especially on
downhills e.g. leggings, long gloves, mid layer,
windbreaker
Cycling gloves (optional)
Glasses (optional but recommended - downhill bugs and
gravel dust)
Socks
Cycling cap/hat to keep the sun off your face
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We have a library of navigation devices we can loan you for the weekend. These can be added to your booking through the normal ticket process.
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Bikepacking bags can be loaned from us, and added to your booking for a small fee. Book through the normal ticket process, and we’ll match them to your order. Alternatively, Luggage Transfer can be added to your trip for £100.
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We recommend checking out the country-specific information.
Dogs can be encountered in some parts of the routes, protecting houses or with farmers and herds.
Whilst we’ve only ever had barking, as per the advice on the above page, riders may wish to consider a rabies vaccination.
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Most travellers do not require a visa for travel to Bosnia.
Please check before travel:
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Bike boxes/bags can be left at the start of the trip, and we will meet them again at the end.
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