BaltiCCycle (BC) is not a commercial tour, all organizers are volunteers, and the registration fee collected goes only for covering organizational expenses. Each route is different, therefore it is impossible to work out all details in advance. Research and checking roads of such long transcontinental BC like 4^th Olympic Expedition “From London to Rio de Janeiro” (2016.02.17-08.05) is hardly possible because of time and economic reasons. 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 here if more than 10 participants register for the whole tour. We must know it in advance (for booking flights, boats, hostels, etc.), therefore the deadline of registration is fixed at the 17 November, 2015. People who want to join us for the shorter part, can register later. If we not collect enough participants the current ride conditions can be changed or ride cancelled. In that case you will receive all paid membership fee back. After registering you will be regularly informed by email about the registration progress.

The 4^th Olympic BC2016 “From London to Rio de Janeiro” is scheduled for participants having experience in long-distance travels and harsh cycling-camping conditions. To cycle the whole route is a big challenge. You should be prepared for adventures, extreme hot and humid weather conditions and unexpected obstacles on the road. The ride is open for everybody but before signing you should think about your mental and physical capability to complete it.

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.

Organizational rules. We try to keep our organizational principles similar to the previous BC tours.

• Usually the daily cycling distance does not exceed 80-90 km, in exceptional cases it will overrun 100 km.
• The rest days are planned once a week or more often (even day by day), if there are famous sights on the route. Once a month it will be 2-3 continuous rest days.
• The route is going through places where wild camping is dangerous and not always possible, official campsites are very rare. Therefore we will often sleep at pousadas (guest houses), fuel stations, and private farms. But also you have to be prepared for sleeping in jungles, where a hammock with mosquito net is advisable, as well as on remote beaches. Many sleeping places are not arranged in advance, and starting in the morning you do not always know where you will sleep at night. The driver of our supported car will look for sleeping places and help us to find them leaving marking signs.
• The maps with a marked day's route 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 BC symbols.
• Though we will have the support car, except Trinidad & Tobago, you should be ready to carry all your necessary stuff on the bike for a few days. The service of luggage transportation is limited to 25 kg in one standard bag (you will receive it; it is included in the membership fee).
• 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 2-3 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 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 paved roads but unpaved dirt roads will be available too.

Arrival/Departure. For the flight from London to Tobago we are trying to get a group ticket discount; if you are interested you should contact us as soon as possible. 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 in the radius of 50 km (100 km both ways). You should contact the ride organizers by mobile phone or email at least two days before. Leaving from the intermediate points of the route should be not a problem: the public transport connecting villages with big cities is available almost everywhere on the route; many domestic airports have flights to big towns. Though the ride schedule is fixed but the real dates can be slightly shifted (plus/minus 2-3 days) because of bad weather conditions or other unexpected obstacles. Have it in your mind when planning arrival. Click here to find the rough recommendations how to reach us on the route.

Visas. You have to check if you need visas at your country's consulates. It is recommended to obtain all necessary visas individually, no group visas available. If you need assistance we can help you after your registration. Your passport should be valid at least 1 year ahead from the start of ride. You can be asked to show your tickets and financial sources crossing the borders. More about visa issues read here.

Ferries. We will use a ferry service going between Tobago and Trinidad, will hire a boat to Venezuela, as well as crossing Amazon Delta, and many other rivers or lagoons on our route. The ticket prices are not included in the membership fee, and you have to pay for the tickets separately during the ride.

Catering. It is highly recommended to bring along a gas stove for preparing meal in the campsites. There will be wild parts of the route without restaurants and supermarkets. Entering unpopulated areas it will be a possibility to carry some reserve of products as well as drinkable water in our van. If no drinkable water at the campsite, the driver is responsible for carrying water.

Vaccination. You have to bring with you the International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow booklet) with certifications of vaccination. The vaccination/medicine to be active must be taken a few weeks before your start. Consult with your local vaccination centre.

Obligatory:

• yellow fever (all countries on the route);
•  hepatitis B (in French Guiana).

Recommended:

• hepatitis A, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, typhoid (all countries on the route);
• hepatitis B (Venezuela, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname);
• Japanese encephalitis (Venezuela).

Preventive healthcare:

• rabies (in all countries);
• malaria and dengue fever (everywhere, especially in south parts of Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, the Amazon basin region, more information – click here);
• leptospirosis (Guyana).

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;
• good bike wear for different weather conditions and sun protection creams;
• cyclist first-aid kit (more parts and tools in the support car);
• first-aid kit (more medicines in the support car);
• mosquito net and insect repellents;
• valid passport with necessary visas (at least 1 year ahead);
• INDIVIDUAL MEDICAL INSURANCE is obligatory, no group insurance is provided;
• camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, gas stove etc);
• money for personal expenses i.e. bicycle repair, food, museums, ferries 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 strongly recommend to carry all necessary personal stuff in the panniers on your bike. The service of luggage transportation by the support car is limited to 25 kg in one standard bag you will receive; it is included in the registration fee. You should be ready to carry all your stuff a few days on the bike if it will be necessary because of delayed car formalities on the borders or in case of emergency (car accident or some other unexpected circumstances). If you plan to transport any additional bag in the support car you have to indicate when registering and pay in advance (2 € per diem). In Trinidad & Tobago we will not have a support car, and we can't offer the luggage transportation.

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

Membership fee. We expect that the organisational costs in this part of the world (in particular buying a car in Venezuela, and its shipping across waters) will be higher by 10% than those of the 3^rd Olympic Expedition in 2012. Therefore we have increased the average participation fee for the whole ride, and fixed it to 17.63 € per diem. The membership fee is progressive, depending on the number of your participation days. To promote long-term travels and support those who are going for long distance the participation fee for the first 30 days of travel is fixed to 25 € per diem, for 31-60 days 20 € per diem, and for the days from 61 to the end of travel 15 € per diem.

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 expedition to fill the registration form as soon as possible.

If the registration and the half of membership fee is not received until 3 months before your start, the whole fee increases by 10 % automatically as well as all discounts cancelled. The second half of participation fee must be paid before your start date; otherwise it increases by 10 % as well.

The membership fee will not be required from those local cyclists who help in organising 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 under simple conditions (drinking water, waste-baskets) in wild campsites or in private land as well as in fully equipped official campsites or hostels (pousadas) when outdoor camping is not available;
• car following the group (except Trinidad & Tobago) with first-aid kit and basic bicycle repair instruments and tools; possibility to call the car in case of emergency;
• transportation of 1 standard 25 kg bag 50 cm x 90 cm;
• copies of maps with the marked route; list of recommended sights as well as a short description;
• T-shirts (for more than 30-days participation), flag and sticker with BC2016 ride symbols;
• daily consultation regarding the route and cultural program;
• cosy surprises prepared by organizers or local authorities.

Discounts. The discounts are applicable only if the Registration Form and at least the half of membership fee is received not later than 3 months in advance before your start date. Discounts don’t accumulate.

• 15 % – for the first 60 days for students (until 26 years old), families (3 and more persons) and BC veterans who cycled more than 100 days in the previous BC tours.
• After 60 days of cycling the membership fee reduces significantly, and after that no discounts are applicable. If a cyclist reaches 100 BC days during the first 60 days of the ride, the discount is counted for the remaining to 60 days.
• Participants who obtain potential sponsors or support organizers before or during expedition in another way will receive a privilege discount negotiated personally.

Emergency Fund. For a long distance route in such remote countries it is impossible to evaluate all expenses. Like in BC2008 2^nd Olympic Expedition we create the Emergency Fund, which money will be used only in the case of force majeure (for example, car accident, robbery, etc.). Your deposit is 2 € multiplied by the number of days you will take in the ride. The unused part of your deposit will be returned back in 30 days after the ride finish.

Additional paid service (optional):

booked by registration;

• transportation of one additional personal luggage up to 20 kg (2 € per diem);
• T-shirt with the lo
  go of the ride – additional or for participants cycling 30 or less days – 15 €;

booked during the ride:

• bicycle spare parts (bike shop price);
• 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 up when the resignation letter is received by organizers (before the ride by email bc2016@bicycl.lt or bc2016@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. The membership fee for the travel days exceeding 60 days after resignation date are fully returned, and for the first 60 days are returned 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 70 % 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 20 and more days of cycling – 80 % of unused money (for the first 20 days no refund);
• 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:

• GMPR Lithuanian Fund: +37068659375, bc2016@bicycle.lt, Sigitas Kučas;
• CROTOS – Travellers’ Association: +48 663 266 553, bc2016@bicycle.pl, Maryla Zielińska.

Patronage. Polish Olympic Committee.

Friends:
catdays.net