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 BaltiCCycle 2011 is scheduled for advanced participants having experience in long distances. Gorgeous landscapes will surround you every day. The ride is open for everybody but before signing you should think about your potential to complete it not bringing troubles to yourself and others.

Organizational principles:

• Daily cycling distances are mainly about 100 km. The rest days are planned once a week.
• We will sleep in tents in official camping sites, sometimes in wild nature.
• 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 symbolic.
• The car of organizers will follow during the whole ride. In case of serious emergency you can call the driver asking to transport to the nearest first aid or service centre. In case of injury, sickness or other reason when participant is not able to continue cycling for more than 1-2 days the organizers can offer to transport his bike but can’t undertake any obligations to provide a passenger seat in the car.
• When planning the route we try to avoid the roads with high level of traffic but not everywhere it is possible. The main part of the route will go on paved asphalt roads. You should be careful – cars go fast, roads are narrow and with left-hand traffic.

Arrival/Departure. The cost of arrival/departure is not included in the membership fee; you have to arrange transport by yourself. If you are going to join or finish the ride in another place, you have to plan it by yourself too. Click here to find the rough recommendations about arrival/departure options. It will be possible during the whole period to contact the ride organizers by mobile phone or email.

Visa. You will not require a visa to enter New Zealand if you plan to stay for less than 3 months and you are a citizen of a country which has a visa waiver agreement with New Zealand. The citizens of most European countries don’t require visa to enter New Zealand. If you need you should obtain visa by yourself.

Vaccination. No special vaccinations are required, though tuberculosis and hepatitis B sometimes are recommended.

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. Drinkable water will be always available in the campsite.

Necessary equipment and documents:

• bicycle prepared for long travel (carriers with panniers or saddlebags, safe brakes, reflectors and light); click here for the recommendations how to prepare the bike;
• helmet (it is compulsory by law to wear a bicycle helmet while riding in New Zealand; read here what can happen not wearing helmet);
• 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 (at least 1 year ahead) with visa (if necessary);
• 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, transportation and other expenses);
• mobile phone.

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 luggage transportation is limited to 20 kg should be packed to a standard bag (you will receive the bag after arrival), and it is included in the registration fee. In case of emergency (car accident or some other unexpected circumstances) you should be ready to carry all your stuff 1-2 days on the bike. If you plan to transport any additional bag in the support car you have to indicate when registering and pay in advance (2 EUR per day).

Membership fee. The membership fee is 14 EUR/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. You have to register at least for 21 days period because of organizational reasons.

The membership fee includes:

• sleeping place for a tent mainly in official campsites (usually cold showers for free, for hot showers and additional services you have to pay yourselves) or in wild nature; sometimes (when camping in tent is not possible) under a roof in sport hall of gymnasium, stadium, hostel or other suitable 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);
• black copy of maps with the marked route; list of recommended sights as well as a short description;
• a package with ride symbols: T-shirts, flag and sticker;
• daily consultation regarding the route, cultural program, cattery;
• cozy surprises prepared by organizers or local authorities.

Note. We have evaluated organizational expenses taking into account the exchange 1 EUR = 2 NZD which is not stable. If until the ride start the exchange rate drops down by more than 20% the organizers have a right to deduct compensation for underpaid campgrounds from participant’s membership deposit.

Discounts:

• 10% – is available for pupils and students (not more than 26 years old), and families (3 and more people);
• 15% – for BC participants who cycled 100 days and more with us in BC history (2003-2010); if  a cyclist reaches 100 days during the ride, the discount is counted from that day;
• the discounts are applicable for these participants whose full membership payment for the ride is received by the close of the business day on January 21, 2011;
• participants who obtain potential sponsors will receive a Privilege Discount;
• participants who help organizers before or during the ride (being a doctor, a serviceman etc.) will receive a Privilege Discount.

Additional paid service (optional):

booked by registration

• transportation of additional personal luggage (one standard bag up to 20 kg – 2 EUR per day);
• additional T-shirt with the logo of the ride – 10 EUR;
• safety jacket with BC logo – 3 EUR;
• transfer by bus from Auckland to Cape Reinga 450 km with Maori welcome and group meal – 50 EUR;
• Milford Sound Trip (special BC event including evening barbeque on March 24 +/- 1 day) – 50 EUR;
• rental a bike – approximately 150/200 EUR for 6 weeks (more read here)

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 (3 EUR per 10 km).

Additional estimated transport expenses:

• Waiheke Ferry in Auckland (our hosts Alison & Brian invite to Waiheke Island to stay in their place a night before the ride start) – 15 EUR one way;
• Rawene Ferry – 8 EUR;
• Dargaville/Helensville by boat – 20 EUR;
• Cook Strait Ferry – 40 EUR;
• Queenstown Ferry – 17 EUR;
• Lake Wakatipu Ferry – 15 EUR.

Note. Prices can change for the year 2011; also another transportation options can be chosen during final planning of the route.

Registration procedure. The number of participants for New Zealand ride is limited to 40 (including only 10 places for the participants from Australian continent). Only the first 40 who will register and pay membership deposit (100 EUR) starting from April 1, 2010 will be confirmed for the New Zealand ride. After sending the Registration Form you will receive the Registration Confirmation Letter. Then in 15 days you have to pay your membership deposit. If membership deposit received in time you will be finally confirmed for the ride.

The membership deposit will be returned in one month after the ride finish. If due to some reasons you resign from the ride you lose your deposit.

Deadlines. The registration will start on April 1, 2010 and finish on September 15, 2010. If on September 15 the number of confirmed participants will be less than 15, the organizers have a right to cancel the ride or change the conditions. If  40 participants will be confirmed before September 15, the registration for the ride will be stopped.

To September 15 there are 31 confirmed participants. But there are still 9 vacant places on the list for the citizens of New Zealand and Australia. From September 16 they are open to register for everybody until October 15, 2010.

Resignation rules. If due to some reasons the confirmed participant resigns from the ride he loses the membership deposit. The membership fee is returned depending on the date of resignation which is fixed on when the resignation letter is received by organizers (before the ride by email nz@bicycle.lt or nz@bicycle.pl, 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 %;
• 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 organization;
• after 21 and more days of cycling – 80% of unused money (for the first 21 days no refund);
• money are paid back under mentioned above circumstances within 30 days after the end of the tour;
• money are 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 GMPR Lithuanian Fund,
• The Polish Travellers’ Association CROTOS.

Additional information. The updated info will be sent to the registered participants. You can contact ride organizers by email nz@bicycle.lt +37253386905 or nz@bicycle.pl +48 663 266 553