Eestikeelne info meie õhtuste rattasõitude kohta asub siin.
TTU Adventure Cycling Club’s evening bike rides take place almost every week from April to November and are an active and athletic way of spending free time. The bike rides have a long history – TTU Students, Alumni and their friends have been riding together since 2002. We usually gather for rides at 19:00 on Wednesdays in front of TTU’s main building. The rides are 40-60 kilometers long and include 2-3 rest stops for socializing, sightseeing or, in the summer, swimming. We usually return to TTU between 23:30 and 0:00. The rides are not meant as a training session and all bike enthusiasts are welcome to ride along.
Depending on weather and other factors, the rides may be canceled or moved to Tuesday or Thursday on some weeks. Also taking place are special projects: 1-2 times a year there are bonfire nights, which include shorter (less than 30km) tours, sometimes longer routes are chosen, meaning a pedaling of over 80 kilometers. From time to time, we take the train to the countryside and then ride back to Tallinn. Thanks to one way being taken by train, more area can be covered on a single evening.
To help riders select suitable rides, the evening bike rides are separated into categories:
- LIGHT – route less than 40km, tempo and rest breaks suitable for those who seldom bike, usually get back home before 23:00.
- CLASSIC – route 40-60km, tempo and rest breaks suitable for weekly riders, usually get back home between 23:30 and 0:00.
- SPORTY – route over 60km, thanks to shorter pauses may get back earlier than CLASSIC.
- TRAINING – for sports lovers.
- SPECIAL – bike rides involving train rides, bonfires etc.
Most of the rides are CLASSIC, because they are the favorite style of one of the main organizers Jaanus. We are volunteers and of course everyone likes organizing events that are suitable for themselves.
In 2015 and 2016, we tried to offer information about our events also in English – in the hope that foreign students could also join then. There were some people, who occasionally joined our events, but their number was low. In 2017, we decided that translating all the information is just too big effort. So unfortunately, the current status is, we don’t offer regular information about our events in English. This means Google Translate may be your friend. If you have questions, you are always welcome to ask them in English.
All of the evening bike rides will be announced 1-2 days earlier in our Estonian newsletter and Facebook page. The notifications include information about the route – length, difficulty, points of interests etc. The bike rides are free and no registration is required!
The evening rides include gravel and asphalt roads, bikeways and even forest trails, so make sure your bike is suitable for the route. Road bikes with 1 cm width tires are not recommended. Hybrids, mountain bikes and (geared) city bikes will definitely be suitable. Because the evenings are quite dark in Estonia, it’s important to make yourself visible to other drivers. Front and back lights are required by law during the dark time. Also worth using are reflectors on you and your bike. Reflectors vests and wearing a helmet are recommended. As our rides take us also to forest trails, even in the dark, it should be noted that simple signal lights are not sufficient to allow comfortable and safe ride. The front light should be powerful enough to illuminate the road!
We don’t have a service car offering technical assistance with us on the evening rides, so make sure your bike is in good condition. If you have tools for bike repairs and know how to use them, take them along. Tires are the first thing to break, so having a spare is highly recommended. Of course fellow riders can help you with any repairs, but there’s no guarantee that someone will have a suitable spare tire for your bike.
Take with you drinks and snacks. We usually make stops at stores or gas stations, but these stops may well be a few hours into the ride. If we pass no stores (this happens rarely), this information will be included in the newsletter and Facebook.
When coming to the evening rides, it’s recommended to save the telephone number of the organizer to your phone – this may prove useful if you lose the group or can’t make it to the start on time and wish to join later.
After a long winter break from riding, people are usually not ready for the full length rides. Because of this, the first three rides of the season are shorter and easier – a reintroduction to riding a bike. For those riding their bike for the first time in summer or autumn, it’s recommended to do a three or so rides on your own before joining our evening rides.
A typical season (April – November) includes 20-25 rides, which means we ride almost every week. Usually 10-20 people participate, on some occasions less or more. Special rides including bonfires tend to have more people.
Hope to see you soon in the saddle!
