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BaltiCCycle Newsletter I/2002 (2002)
Frank Wurft

Dear friends and participants of the "BaltiCCycle 2002"

Eastern is not far, but closer is still the meeting for all interested in Hannover (Germany) on March 24. So if you are close and have time, look in. And here the latest news from the "BaltiCCycle":

NEW ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER:
Due to changes in the telephone system in Lithuania our info-telephone has now one digit more:
+370-699-56009

The postal address and fax number of the project are:

BaltiCCycle
A/d 190, LT-5800 Klaipėda, Lithunia
Fax: +370-6-412483


SUBJECTS:
- Info-meeting in Hannover, March 24
- Homepage: register online now!
- By bus & bike to the Baltics
- Bicycle rent in Lithuania
- Still bicycle maps left …
- Planning of details of the Cycle tour began
- News from the cycle paths' planning in the Baltic States
- Info on bike travel agencies & new info-folder planned

I. WILL WE MEET IN HANNOVER?
I invite everybody once more for a small "BaltiCCycle" Information-Meeting. Who wants shall come from 3 pm or 5 pm to the "Bayrische Botschaft/Paulaner am Thielenplatz" not far from the train station.
I'll be there (with a lot of paper) till 7 pm for questions and stories …
I'll be glad about everybody who will come.
Then: more details on bike bus and accommodation. All others will have to wait for the next newsletter…

II. NEW ON OUR HOMEPAGE - REGISTER ONLINE
Finally our homepage www.bicycle.lt was renewed and the online-registration works!
Next it will be checked: There will be more text(s), more pictures and info by and on bike travel agencies …
As well you can subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter.
It's worth to look in from time to time

III. THE BUS WILL GO! JULY 24 - HANNOVER-BERLIN-VILNIUS
As promised: First time a travel bus with bike trailer will go on a regular bus line!

We agreed with KAUTRA, a bus company from Kaunas: On a bus line, on which usually runs a "normal", regular Eurolines-Bus, for the first time will be a bus with trailer for bicycles!
From all over Western Europe you can come be train to Hannover or Berlin and then - hoops - in the Bus to Vilnius.
ALL INTERESTED PERSONS PLEASE REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Within the Baltic States will be another transport to the different points of start.

More in the next newsletter …

BY BUS TO THE BALTIC STATES
KAUTRA as well promised to transport up to 3 packed bicycles in ALL of its BUSES, if you announce it one week in advance. These are the EUROLINES-connections:
Bremerhaven-Bremen-Hannover-Berlin-Kaunas-Vilnius; Stuttgart-Heilbronn-Nuernberg-Dresden-Kaunas-Vilnius
Wien-Brno-Krakow-Kaunas-Vilnius
Zagreb-Wien-Kaunas-Vilnius
Paris-Brussels-Vilnius; Budapest-Wien-Vilnius; Lisabon-Paris-Vilnius; London-Brussels-Vilnius; Madrid-Paris-Vilnius; Murcia-Paris-Vilnius; Porto-Paris-Vilnius

For more details (stops) mail me or look on the Homepage www.kautra.lt


IV. BICYCLE RENT FOR THE "BALTICCYCLE"
Who nevertheless is afraid to take its own bicycle, can rent a new one for 9 Euro/day. These are high quality bikes of the Lithuanian-German joint venture Panther (see. http://panther.baltikvairas.lt/)
I know it's not cheap, but neither very expensive and I'm afraid the prices can be even higher in summertime, when suddenly everybody wants to go by bike…

V. CYCLE MAPS STILL AVAILABLE!
Wow, the Cycle maps of Lithuania (& Kaliningrad) and Latvia, as well as the Estonian maps are REALLY popular … If you still doesn't have one, order them right now. Price: 4 Euro each + postage.
The German cycling association offers them for 7,90 Euro …

VI. NEWS FROM THE CYCLE PATHS IN THE BALTIC STATES
The Estonians have it, the Lithuanians would like to have it, and for many western countries it's even hard to think about it: A national bicycle network!
Estonia has a cycle map since 2000 and since 2001 the routes are post signed. It doesn't mean that BICYCLE PATHS exist.
In Lithuania there are now several projects for a cycling structure:
a) International EU-Project participating two Austrian experts on the planning of exemplary bike routes and a common tourism sign system. Planned: two "circuits" one in western and one in eastern Lithuania with about 300 km each;
b) Project of the Lithuanian Green Movement and different local municipalities on a bike route along the river Neman / Nemunas from Kaunas to Klaipeda;
c) Construction of the Eurovelo-Routes Nr. 10 and 11 through Lithuania.
Eternal and expensive problem are bicycle paths in the big cities…

VII. DETAILED PLANNING OF THE "BALTICCYCLE 2002" BEGAN …
Meanwhile the Lithuanian Cyclists plan the tour routes and sleeping places
Here the plan for the route Vilnius-Klaipeda. Who wants may travel it with his or her finger on the map.

Planned Bike Route:
Vilnius - Trakai - Kaunas - Jurbarkas - ?ilutė - Klaipėda
2002 07 26 - 08 02
Vilnius - Lentvaris - Trakai (Historical Nationalpark Trakai) - Semeliskes - Kalviai - Kruonis - Rumsiskes -Pazaislis (Regionalpark "Lake Kaunas") - Kaunas - Kacergine - Zapyskis - Mikytai - Ferry over the Nemunas /Neman - Vilkija (Regionalpark Panemuniai) - Seredzius - Veliuona - Raudone - Skirsnemune - Jurbarkas - Smalininkai - Viesvile - Vilkyskiai (Regionalpark Rambynas) - Pagegiai - Silute (Heydekrug) - Rusne - Vente (Regionalpark Nemunasdelta) - Kintai - Dreverna - Wilhelms' channel - Klaipeda (Memel)

Planned sleeping places (for camping):
1. 07.26/27 In Trakai at the lake
2. 07.27/28 at the lake Kalviai or at the river Strėva or in Rum?i?kės (Lithuanian ethnographical Museum)
3. 07.28/29 At "Lake Kaunas" (artificial lake) near monastery of Pažaislis ???
4. 07.29/30 In Zapy?kys
5. 07.30/31 In Skirsnemunė
6. 07.31/08.01 At the Rambynas-hill
7. 08.01/02 In Ventės ragas (Windischburg)
8. 08.02/03 In the regional park "Sea coast " close to Klaipeda

VIII. INFO ON BIKE TRAVEL AGENCIES & NEW FLYER "CYCLING THE BALTICS
I'm just about to collect information on organised bike trips.
If anybody is interested in an organised travel (with guide, hotel and all luxuries), he or she may ask me.
Same is for travel agencies, who offer trips.
I transfer the interested persons to the travel agencies and the information on travel agencies to the interested …

Next the info will be on our homepage (more details in the next newsletter)

Furthermore we check the info-flyer "Baltic States" of the German cycling club ADFC, because I wouldn't call it up to date anymore. Analogue, we translate info into English. If you have remarks on it, please write them to me.

IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER (IN APRIL)
- Details on the transport by bus
- Details on the alternative accommodation on farmsteads, in hotels et al.
- Klaipeda-Kaliningrad, the route full of nature and of history
- Info on your accommodation in Vilnius
- News on the bike transport TO the Baltics and WITHIN the Baltics
- What's new on our Homepage?

… And much more

See you soon

"Frankas"

Frank Wurft, Foreign Relations of the International Bicycle Project "BaltiCCycle 2002". A non-commercial cooperation of the Estonian. Latvian and Lithuanian Cyclists' Organisations
© VI "Du ratai" 2002
E-mail: Frankas@bicycle.lt
Tel. +370-699-56009
www.bicycle.lt






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