Eestikeelne oluline matkainfo asub siin.
NB! This information applies to TTU Bike Trip only!
For our other events (Journey from Tallinn to Kääriku, TTU Adventure Cycling Club’s Autumn Trip, evening bike rides) the conditions are different and the corresponding information page should be read.
Things to take along
- Please make sure your bike is in good technical condition and because the ride is along public roads, make yourself as visible as possible! All kinds of lights and reflectors are great for that! You can also wear a reflective vest or bands around your hands and feet.
- A helmet is strongly recommended. Accidents happen and even if it’s not your fault, it can still be you that ends up with serious head injuries without a helmet!
- The things that most often break are tires. Please always carry a spare inner tube that fits your bike, ideally have even more than one.
- If you have experience with simple bike repairs, bring your tools along! That way you won’t have to wait for someone else to come to your rescue.
- For small injuries and blisters, you may take some bandages with you.
- You definitely need a personal drinking bottle that you can fill at shops along the way or from the water canisters on the safety car. Please consider that although the safety cars keep as close to the cyclists as possible, it is possible that under exceptional circumstances they need to be away for a while to handle high priority tasks. To be safe, carry at least a half day’s worth of water with you on the bike.
- Bring along some snacks to keep you going between the organized meals. Physical activity can burn energy faster than you expect!
- To avoid burns, bring along a sunscreen that is suitable for your skin type and previous tan!
- To fully enjoy your trip, bring along bug repellents! TTU Adventure Cycling Club recommends Diffusil (green for clothes, red for skin), which in our opinion is the best one from the regular supermarket options, but is not as strong a chemical as Ben’s 100 that is available at hunting stores. Diffusil also protects you from ticks, which can spread dangerous diseases!
- For rainy conditions you can carry a raincoat. Whether you use it or not is a matter of preference – in warm rain it can happen that sweating under the coat produces even more moisture than the rain would.
- Bring along sleeping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat).
- Just in case, take some cash with you – not all places we go accept cards!
- Bring swimming clothes, a towel and other things you would want to use on swimming breaks!
For your information
- We encourage that cyclists help each other as much as possible and ask for help when necessary. The more participants help each other with simple issues, the faster safety cars can react to more serious issues!
- If something happens that you can’t solve yourself, don’t hide it! The safety car has first aid supplies and bike repair tools. The safety car teams can help you with both bike- and health-related issues. Please save the numbers of organizers and the safety car driver on your phone so that you could let them know about any issues even if they don’t happen to be nearby. Please note that spare parts are not included in the participation fee and you will need to pay for those yourself.
- Make sure that the chain of your bike is lubricated! On a three-day trip that includes gravel roads, it is normal to add oil to the chain at least once, even if you just lubricated the chain before the trip. In case of muddy roads you should add oil even more often! A dry chain can break and if you’re lucky, it will mean some hassle instead of enjoying the trip, but if you’re not so lucky, it can cause a serious fall. If you don’t have lube with you, don’t hesitate to ask for it from the safety car!
- Please be sensible about the amount and type of things you put in the package van!
- Remember that the things you put in the package van cannot be used during the day. The package van is emptied only at the campsites in the evenings!
- The things that you need during the day, but want to keep dry (including spare clothes) should be packed in a plastic bag inside your bike- or backpack, to avoid them getting wet in case of rain.
- In the beginning of the trip you will get a map and the schedule from the organizers. It is useful to keep an eye on these – if you know where you are, it is much easier for others to find you if you need help.
- In case of a serious emergency that requires professional help, call 112 (ambulance, rescue, police).
- The organizers are volunteers who do not get paid for this. We just do it for the fun of a great trip! If you hear that the organizers need help with something and you’re not doing anything important at that moment, help out! Together we can make the trip even better!
- Our trip is generally not suitable for underage participants.
- We will translate all the information that is necessary for English-speaking people to prepare properly and participate at this event without problems. Please note, however, that the event itself is carried out mainly in Estonian, so coming with an Estonian friend (or finding one at the event) would be beneficial to get the whole story. All the organizers and most of the guests are able to speak English, so in case of questions or problems, do not hesitate to ask for help!
Riding style
- We ride politely, which among other things means that we don’t block the road!
- When riding in a group, always keep some distance between bikes, be aware of the dangers of gravel road curves and be generally alert.
- Keep your eye on the organizers – not everyone who rides in the front always knows where they’re going!
- This is not a race – let’s keep the speed such that nobody is left behind.
Liability
- Each participant is responsible for themselves and their belongings. The organizing team is not liable for any accidents that may happen on the trip.
- The water in the safety car is taken from local taps and wells, always making sure that the water is drinkable by asking the offerer. Still the organizers do not take liability for the quality of the water and people with sensitive health should get their water from the shops along the way.
- Please consider that although the organizers do their best to keep the things in the package van safe (for example keeping the packed van in a paid and guarded parking lot in Tallinn for the night before the trip, locking the doors when the team is not around etc), the organizers cannot take liability if something breaks, gets destroyed or goes missing. Avoid putting fragile or expensive things in the package van!
- To keep the participation fee affordable, we don’t order special bike frames for transporting the bikes. The bikes are transported always in one layer and generally transporting them like that does not cause any issues. If your bike is more expensive or you are worried that it might get scratched, you can pack it on your own beforehand, keep an eye on and assist in packing it into the truck. The organizers are not liable for any damage to the bike that may occur during transportation.
- TTU Adventure Cycling Club takes pride in meticulously sticking to the schedule and program and we will definitely do our best each time. Please still note that unexpected events can happen and the organizers are not liable if the schedule or program can’t exactly be followed due to reasonable or unavoidable circumstances!
- TTU Adventure Cycling Club is not a travel company, but a hiking club and this event is not of package travel type. We welcome at the event also people from outside the members of the club, but every participant should acknowledge that paying the participation fee does not mean buying service from us, but joining a clubby event. The essence of the participation fee is to cover expenses related to organizing the event and this, for example, does not include protection against accidents.
