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The Barents region Children's and Youth cycling tour is organized on the initiative of Severomorsk children's and youth cycling club "Pilgrims" and supported by Barents Secretariat, Murmansk regional Administration, Administrations of the town of Severomorsk, of the town of Kemi (Finland), Sør-Varanger commune Administration, cycling clubs from Karelia (Russia), Finland and Norway.
This cycling tour is to be held from the 15th of July to the 14th of August, 2001.
The route of this tour is circular and passes the Northern territories of Russia, Norway, Sweden and Finland. This is planed as a popular annual sport and cultural event. The route and place of start and finish may vary every year. Attached is the route for year 2001.
Unique nature, great varieties in altitude, countries differences seen everywhere will make the cycling tour bright and attractive trip for its participants.
The cycling tour isn't meant as a race. It differs from the race first of all due to its accessibility. The possibility of taking part in the tour will strongly stimulate many Barents region children and youngsters to going in for sports.
The purposes and aims of the cycling tour are:
- stimulating of children's and young adults' interests in cycling, getting fit, foreign languages studying;
- development of the international youth contacts;
- enriching of children's and young adults' knowledge on Barents region nature, history, ecology, science and industry;
- popularizing physical culture and healthy way of life.
Implementation of the project
- Preparatory stage (April-July, 2001)
The candidate-participants prepare for the tour in the "Pilgrims" cycling club.
This includes:
- regular trainings in gym and cycling along the roads;
- lessons on history and culture of the territories along the route of the cycling tour organized with help of the local library and the Murmansk regional museum of local history and culture.;
- lessons on the English language;
- psycho trainings on making the candidates friendly and sociable.
We are going to monitor the participants' knowledge on Barents region nature, history, ecology, science and industry in order to see how it has changed over the preparatory stage of the project and the cycling tour itself.
Two shorter cycling tours will be organized in order to prepare and to test candidates.
These are the cycling tour to the Valley of Glory on the Victory Day, 9th of May (112 km) and the Kola Road cycling tour (1200 km for 13 days) in June.
At the same time the following organizing actions are developed:
- fixing list of Russian and foreign cyclists taking part in the tour;
- making the schedule (route and culture programme) of the tour more exact (hours, minutes);
- search of funding (regional and local administrations, funds, sponsors);
- organizing of the culture programme (excursions, meetings with local youth);
- booking of the overnighting;
- providing of the traffic security (especially on the Norwegian part of the route);
- applying for visas, paying of insurance;
- renting of the escorting cars.
The Norwegian part of the route is the most remanding one. The organizers will go by car along the route and check all places of interest, book accommodation and organize meetings with local cyclists and youngsters. This trip will be composed with the trip to the Barents Regional Youth Forum conference, which is going to take place in Tromso from the 12th to the 16th of May, 2001.
Representative of the "Pilgrims" cycling club will travel to Moscow to buy spare parts for bicycles. Repairer will fix all bicycles before the cycling season begins.
Organizers spread information about the project, make agreements with sponsors about advertising, order T-shirts and souvenirs with logo of the tour, etc.
Organizers rent touring equipment and buy food for the tour.
Ceremonies of start and finish of the tour must be organized.
Organizers of the tour provide the transportation to Murmansk and back to their homes for the participants from other towns. Organizers are responsible for accommodation in Murmansk as well.
- Essential stage (July-August, 2001)
All participants arrive to the starting point two days before start. They visit the most interesting sights in Murmansk and have test cycling ride before start. This helps them to acquaint with each other and to adapt to relief.
At 15th of July after starting ceremony the column of cyclists leaves for the journey.
Order of cycling and other details
Order of formation is as follows:
- Traffic police car.
- The cyclists column.
- Technical assistance car.
- Escorting lorry carrying the personal things of participants, touring equipment and food.
- Escorting car with doctor, video operator and photographer.
Traffic police car is needed only when entering and leaving the towns and cities.
The cyclists move in compact column by pairs. If the width of the road doesn't allow to cycle in pairs, then cyclists move one by one. The average speed is 25-32 km/h. Bicycles must be light, preferably race bicycles, and provided with necessary gears.
The average distance per day is 100-150 km on mountains and 150-200 km on valley.
The participants overnight in hotels and campings, or in gyms in sleeping bags.
When entering settlements the individual cyclists or organized groups of cyclists can join the cycling column and participate in the tour on a shorter part of the route.
At Kilpisjärvi on August, 3.-4.08.2001 the Barents tour will join cycling marathon "Kilpisjärvi - Tornio" (500 km for two days) being held the 17th time. 120 participants from different countries take part in this event. www.lapland.fi/marathon
The cycling competition is going to be organized by Ounaksen Pyörä-Pojat cycling club in Rovaniemi. www.ounaksenpyora-pojat.fi
The participants
To gain the aims of the tour the participants must represent all countries of the Barents region. The participants shouldn`t be less than 15 years old.
The participants ought:
- to have an experience of cycling in group, know methods to prevent collisions and mass falls,
- to keep stable speed without accelerations and jerks when in leading positions.
The participants should be interested both in cultural and sport programmes.
For detailed schedule of the tour, please, see enclosure.
- The closing stage (August - September, 2001)
After finish of the tour more detailed questionnaire will be given to the participants of the tour. After closing party and press-conference participants go to their homes.
Report about the tour will be published in local, regional and national news papers, sent to the main cycling magazines in Russia and Nordic countries. This information will be placed on the web-sites. The radio and TV programmes are also will be made.
All evaluation results are analysed and work on organizing of the Barents region Chidren's and Youth cycling tour 2002 starts.
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