Conditions of Participation

The BaltiCCycle (BC) is not a commercial tour, all organizers are volunteers, and the membership fee collected goes only for covering organizational expenses. Joining the BC you become a part of the team, and we expect from you the goodwill, the right understanding of our principles and rules, as well as the offering assistance when organizers need it.

The BC 2018 summer ride is a special ride. Baltic States celebrate 100 years of achieved Independence from Russian occupation. We will visit on the road historical sites and meet some events devoted to this important historical date. In addition, on the Hiroshima Memorial date – August 6^th – we will celebrate 20 years anniversary of the Great Millennium Peace Ride (GMPR) which started in Seattle, USA and after one and halve year finished in Hiroshima on the Eve of new millennium. The GMPR initiated foundation of CROTOS – Travellers’ Association and extension of BaltiCCycle routes in different parts of the world. Therefore GMPR participants who started the ride in Seattle as well as those who finished in Hiroshima will receive a special 100% discount for one week of the BC2018 summer route.
The whole route is not difficult, but you should be ready for adventures, adverse weather conditions and other obstacles.
BC participants gather for the ride from different countries and continents. We recommend bringing on your bike national, regional or city flags. May local people see us as international friendly cycling community which celebrate freedom, peace and independence.

Organizational principles. It is a similar trip to the previous BC tours:

• The daily cycling distance is about 70-80 km;
• The rest days are planned once a week.
• We will sleep in tents in official camping sites, wild camps, hostels (when in big towns) or in other suitable places.
• The BC support car will carry our luggage the whole trip.
• The maps with a marked day’s route and description will be distributed during a map-meeting every morning as well as the day’s program explained.
• From sleeping to sleeping place you can travel individually or in small groups. When according the program some common event is planned we will cycle in one group wearing T-shirts and other ride symbols.
• It is possible to call the support car in case of serious emergency and ask the driver to pick you up.
• When planning the route we try to avoid the roads with high level of traffic but not everywhere it is possible.

Arrival / Departure. The cost of arrival/departure is not included in the membership fee; you have to arrange transport by yourself. You can join or finish the ride at any place, but you have to plan how to reach or leave the group yourself. If day program allows we can pick you up for the additional fee (5 € per 10 km) in the radius of 50 km. You have to inform us about it at least 2 days in advance. It will be possible during the whole period to contact the ride organizers by mobile phone or email. Though the ride schedule is already fixed but the real dates can be slightly shifted because of unexpected obstacles. Have it in your mind when planning your travel.

Catering. It depends only on you. It is recommended to bring along a gas stove for preparing meal in the campsites and enough drinkable water during the day. If the tap drinkable water is not available in the campsite, you will find it in our van. You will find also cafes and restaurants on the road.

Vaccination. It is not required, but always better to vaccinate against Hepatitis A, ticks, Hepatitis B virus, Typhoid fever, Tetanus and Diphtheria.

Necessary equipment and documents:

• bicycle prepared for travel (carriers with panniers or saddlebags, safe brakes, reflectors and light), click here for the recommendations how to prepare the bike;
• cyclist first-aid kit (more medicines in the support car);
• bike spare parts and keys to service it (some bike repair equipment will be in the support car);
• valid passport or other ID;
• INDIVIDUAL MEDICAL INSURANCE is obligatory, no group insurance is provided;
• camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, gas stove, light, waterproof and sun protected clothes, etc.);
• money for personal expenses (bicycle repair, food, museums and other expenses);
• mobile phone, good if with GPS.

Children until 18. Children can take part in the ride only together with parents (one or both) or another adult who is authorized by notary to take care and is fully responsible for the juvenile.

Luggage transport. We recommend carrying the necessary personal stuff in the panniers of your bike. The service of personal luggage transportation is limited to 20 kg; you should pack your stuff for transportation to a standard bag (you will receive the bag after arrival), and it is included in the registration fee. If you plan to transport any additional bag in the support bus you have to indicate when registering and pay in advance (2 Euro per day).

Neither organizers nor drivers are responsible for safety of your luggage. You should insure or protect your luggage against theft personally.

Membership fee. The membership fee is 12 €/day. You have to indicate the number of days you plan to travel in the table of the Registration Form, and your membership fee for the whole tour will be counted automatically.
Full membership fee must be paid at least 5 days before your start day, otherwise it increases by 10 %.
The membership fee will not be required from the local cyclists who are invited to support the ride suggesting the route details and will cycle only a few days. The organizers will appreciate if local participants will purchase a package with ride symbols (T-shirts, flag and sticker), and pay themselves for the sleeping place.

The membership fee includes:

• sleeping places for a tent under simple camp-conditions (outdoor toilet, drinking water, waste-baskets), in camp-site at the river or lake, sometimes (when camping in tent is not possible) under a roof in sport hall or school, stadium, hostel or other place;
• car following the group with first-aid and basic bicycle repair instruments; possibility to call the car in case of serious emergency;
• transportation of personal stuff (1 standard bag 20 kg);
• copy of maps with the marked route, list of recommended sights as well as a short description;
• a package with BC 2018 ride symbols: T-shirts (for participants who will cycle 15 and more days), flag and sticker;
• daily consultation regarding the route, cultural program, catering;
• cosy surprises prepared by organizers or local authorities.

Discounts. They are applicable only if the registration and at least the half part of membership fee is received before May 15, 2018. They can’t be summed up; 10% – pupils and students (not more than 26 years old), and families (3 and more people);

• 15% – BC participants who cycled 100 days and more with us in BC history (2003-2018); if a participant reaches 100 days during the ride, the discount is calculated since that day;
• 100% – participants who cycled with GMPR from Seattle or to Hiroshima in 1998-2000 (valid only for one week of the ride).
• 100% – participants who fully prepare some part of the route (maps, descriptions, camps) will NOT have to pay membership fee for the part of the route they prepared and for the same length of the route according to the day range in the other place of the route;
• Privilege Discount – for participants who obtain potential sponsors and who help organizers before or during the ride (being a doctor, a serviceman etc.).

Additional paid service (optional):

1. a) booked by registration

• transportation of additional personal luggage (one standard bag up to 20 kg – 2 € per day);
• BC 2018 T-shirt for those who cycle 14 or less days, and each additional unit (10 €);

1. b) booked during the ride:

• bike spare parts (shop prices);
• possibility to use transport of organizers for arrival/departure to/from the ride in the radius of 50 km (5 € per 10 km).

Resignation rules. The date of resignation is fixed on when the resignation letter is received by organizers (before the ride by email, during the ride it should be delivered to the leaders of expedition and confirmed by them). The date is important, because resigning from the tour the participant receives his membership fee back in the following manner:

• up to 30 days before the start – 100 %;
• 10-30 days before the start – 70 %;
• less than 10 days before the start – no money repaid, however 50% are deposited in participant’s account for the next year BC tour; if not used next year – they are lost in behalf of BC organisation;
• after 10 and more days of cycling – 80% of unused money (for the first 10 days no refund);
• money is paid back under mentioned above circumstances within 30 days after the end of the tour;
• if you decide to change the sleeping place provided by organizers to another, you will yourself cover a cost for it, the organizers don’t give money back if you don’t sleep with a group;
• if due to some reasons the participant separates from the group for one or more days (nights) no refund for this lost time is applicable;
• money is not paid back for the excluded from the tour participants.

Organisers:

• The GMPR Lithuanian Fund,
• Velokurjers, Latvia,
• BaltiCycle Estonia,
• CROTOS – Travellers’ Association, Poland.

Route coordinators:

• Sigitas Kučas – Lithuania, sigitas@bicycle.lt;
• Olegs Stolarovs – Latvia, olegs@velokurjers.lv;
• Rein Lepik – Estonia, reinlepik@hot.ee.

Additional information. Please contact organizers: bc2018@bicycle.lt, +370-686-59375 (Sigitas Kučas); bc2018@bicycle.pl, +48-663-266-553 (Maryla Zielińska).