Portugal – conditions of participation

BaltiCCycle (BC) is not a commercial tour, all organizers are volunteers, and the collected registration fee goes only for covering organizational expenses. Joining BC you become a part of the team, and we expect from you a good will and a right understanding of our principles and rules. Your assistance in organizing daily program and solving all difficulties is highly appreciated.

Note. The ride will happen on the conditions we offer below if enough participants – at least 15 covering all parts of the route – register for the tour. If we not collect enough participants the current conditions can be changed (participation fee increased).

The BC 2022 “Portugal – from Porto to Lisbon” is opened for everybody but before signing you should think about your potential to complete it not bringing troubles to yourself and others. BC participants gather for the ride from different countries and continents. We recommend bringing on your bike a national flag or other symbol that local people could see us as international friendly cycling community. To express solidarity with Ukraine we will bring Ukrainian flags on our bikes, too.

Organizational rules. We try to keep our organizational principles similar to the previous BC tours, but each of our routes is different; therefore, it is impossible to work out all details in advance.

• The average day distance is ~70 km, though there are some days exceeding 80 km.
• The rest days are planned once a week.
• We will sleep in tents in official campsites and in hostels when campsites are not available.
• The BC support car will carry our luggage the whole trip. The service of luggage transportation is limited to 20 kg. You can pack your stuff in 2-3 compact bags desirable with attached labels with your name.
• The maps with a marked day’s route will be available for downloading from internet in pdf format. If you need you can print them in advance. Instead of printing we recommend to download gpx tracks and maps to your GPS devices.
• The day’s route description will be available for download in advance. Every morning during a map-meeting the day’s program will be explained.
• From sleeping to sleeping place you can travel individually or in small groups. When according to the program some common event is planned we will cycle in one group wearing T-shirts and other BC symbols.
• In case of serious emergency, you can call the driver asking to transport to the nearest first aid or service center. In case of injury, sickness or other reason when participant is not able to continue cycling for more than 2-3 days the organizers can offer to transport the cyclist and the bike, but not longer.
• When planning the route, we try to avoid roads with high level of traffic but not everywhere it is possible. You should be very careful cycling on busy roads. The longer part of the route will go on asphalt roads.

Arrival/Departure. Costs of the arrival/departure are not included in the participation fee. You can join and finish the ride at any point of the route, and you have to plan yourself how to do it. We can pick you up for the additional fee (5 € per 10 km) for the total distance 100 km. You should contact the ride organizers at least two days before. Leaving from the intermediate points of the route should be not a problem: the public transport connecting towns is available almost everywhere on the route. Have it in your mind when planning arrival. RYANAIR and WIZZAIR operate cheap flights to Porto from many European cities. Click here how to prepare your bicycle for a plane transport.

Catering. It depends only on you. It is recommended to bring along a gas stove for preparing meals in the campsites. There may be some sections without shops or cafes and participants should carry emergency rations.

Vaccination. You must have EU Digital (or printed) Covid Certificate or a negative Covid test entering Portugal. There is no any obligation but always better to vaccinate before travel against Hepatitis A & B viruses, ticks, rabies, Typhoid fever, Tetanus, Diphtheria.

Necessary equipment and documents:

• bicycle prepared for travel (carriers with panniers or saddlebags, safe brakes, reflectors and lights); click here for the recommendations how to prepare the bike;
• good bike wear for different weather conditions, especially sun protection creams and glasses;
• cyclist first-aid kit (more parts and tools in the support car); first-aid kit (more medicines in the support car);
• valid passport or ID;
• INDIVIDUAL MEDICAL INSURANCE (covering COVID) or EHIC/EU/EFTA card;
• camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, gas stove etc.);
• money for personal expenses i.e. bicycle repair, food, museums, ferries and other expenses);
• mobile phone, it is recommended to have off-line maps in mobile phone or a GPS navigation.

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 strongly recommend carrying all necessary personal stuff in the panniers on your bike. The service of luggage transportation by the support car is limited to 20 kg. If you plan to transport more kilograms in the support car you have to indicate when registering and pay in advance (2 € per diem). Neither organizers nor drivers are responsible for safety of your luggage. You should insure your luggage against theft personally.

Membership fee. It is fixed 30 €/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. To organize the whole event with fewer troubles we ask everybody who has intention to take part in the ride to fill the Registration Form as soon as possible. If the registration and the membership fee is not received until July 10, 2022 discounts are cancelled, and the fee increases by 10 %.
The membership fee will not be required from those local cyclists who help in organizing the ride and will cycle less than 3 days. They have to cover only the sleeping costs. The organizers will appreciate if local participants will purchase a package with ride symbols (T-shirts, flag and sticker).

The membership fee includes:

• sleeping places for a tent in official campsites or hostels;
• car following the group with all luggage, first-aid kit and basic bicycle repair instruments and tools; possibility to call the car in case of emergency;
• transportation of luggage 20 kg;
• downloadable copies of maps with the marked route (‘pdf’ and „gpx” files); list of recommended sights as well as a short description and and daily consultation regarding the route and program;
• T-shirts (for more than 10-days participation), flag and sticker with BC 2022 ride symbols;
• cosy surprises prepared by organizers or local authorities.

Discounts. The discounts are applicable only if the Registration Form and membership fee is received until July 10, 2022. Discounts don’t accumulate.

• 15% – BC veterans who cycled more than 100 days in the previous BC tours; if a cyclist reaches 100 BC days during the ride, the discount is counted from this day;
• 10% – pupils and students (not more than 26 years old), and families (3 and more people);
• 100% – participants who fully prepare some part of the route (maps, descriptions, camps) will NOT have to pay membership fee for that part of the route and for the same number of days in the same ride or the next BC rides or they receive other gratification agreed with organizers;
• participants who obtain potential sponsors or support organizers before or during the expedition in another way will receive a privilege discount negotiated personally.

Additional paid service (optional):

booked by registration:

• transportation of additional personal luggage up to 20 kg (2 € per diem);
• T-shirt with the logo of the ride – an additional one or for participants cycling 10 or less days – 20 €;

booked during the ride:

• possibility to use transport of organizers for arrival/departure to/from the ride for the total distance up to 100 km (5 € per 10 km).

Resignation rules. The date of resignation is fixed up when the resignation letter is received by organizers (before the ride by email bc2022@bicycl.lt or bc2022@bicycle.pl, during the ride it should be delivered to the leaders of expedition and confirmed by them). The date is important, because it determines the amount of refund which is returned in the following manner:

• up to 14 days before the start: – 100 %;
• 5-14 days before the start: – 80 %;
• less than 5 days before the start – no money repaid, however 80 % are deposited in participant’s account for the next years BC tour;
• after 10 and more days of cycling – 80 % of unused money prepaid or 90 % deposited in participant’s account for the next years BC tour;
• money is paid back under mentioned above circumstances within 30 days after the end of the expedition;
• money is not paid back for the excluded from the tour participants;
• 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.

Organizers:

• The route coordinator: Rolandas Liutika, rolandas.klaipeda@gmail.com;
• Ride coordinators: Sigitas Kučas, GMPR Lithuanian Fund, +37068659375, bc2022@bicycle.lt; Maryla Zielińska, CROTOS – Travellers’ Association, +48 604 255 722, bc2022@bicycle.pl.