Regulations

Regulations Eleven Cities Bicycle Tour

  • The Eleven Cities Bicycle Tour is a tour ride and not a race.
  • Participations should have attained the minimum age of 16 years on the day of the tour.
  • Participation on bicycles with auxiliary engine/pedal assistance is not permitted. The bicycle should be fully operated by human (muscle) power.
  • Participation with vehicles with more than two wheels and/or tandems, set up for transport of more than two persons is not permitted without prior permission from the board.
  • Recumbent bicycles should carry an orange safety flag at sufficient height.
  • Participation of or cycling in the tour by other than registered participants is forbidden.
  • Wearing a cycling helmet is compulsory.
  • Participants ride at their own risk. They are personally liable for all damage caused by, through or because of them or their negligence or lack of care. Participants indemnify the organisation and persons, working for or on behalf of the organisation, against third party claims. Participants need to have third-party liability insurance.
  • Participants should respect traffic regulations.
  • Participants should follow any instructions from the police and the organisation promptly.
  • It is forbidden to deviate from the indicated route.
  • There are time checks in Dokkum, Bolsward and Stavoren. These time checks are based on an average speed of 25 km per hour.
  • Support vehicles are not permitted.
  • At checkpoints, every participant needs to present their stamp card PERSONALLY for stamping. The checkpoints are listed on the stamp card and can be recognized by the yellow Eleven Cities flag.
  • Stamping is only done on the stamp card. If the stamp card is lost or missing, there will be no souvenir medal and the tour cannot be counted.
  • Starting times and closing times of the checkpoints are mentioned on the stamp card.
  • The start takes place outside Bolsward town hall. Starting before the time mentioned on the stamp card is not permitted.
  • After completing the tour, the participant needs to sign out personally by handing in the stamp card and a printed finish check form with barcode.
  • At the finish, the stamp card is thoroughly checked. If one or more stamps are found to be missing or if any regulations have been deviated from, then the participant is disqualified.
  • The board reserves the right to change the route, the start and finish locations and starting time or to cancel the tour or end it prematurely, if necessitated by weather conditions, calamities, public order, safety of the participants and public or other grave circumstances.
    In this case, there is no right to restitution of the registration fee or compensation for damage and expenses.
  • The participant declares:
    - to have read these regulations and to abide by them
    - to be in good health and sufficient fitness to complete the tour
    - to have sound material at their disposal
    - to agree with the use of photographic and cinematographic material for promotional purposes.
    - to forfeit all rights to publicity through registration.
  • In all cases where these regulations do not suffice, the board has final decision.

Medals
Every participant who completes the tour before midnight receives a beautiful souvenir medal.
Upon completion of the tour 10 times, 20 times, 30 times, 40 times, 50 times or 60 times, a special souvenir is awarded. These special souvenirs are awarded once to the same participant.

Tour count
For the count of the number of completed tours, a maximum of five incomplete or not-ridden tours is permitted between two completed tours. For this purpose, 2001 is not counted. If there is a dispute over the number of completed tours, the participant needs to be able to prove the right number of tours with stamp cards in their name. It is, therefore, important to retain your stamp cards.

No more velomobiles at Eleven Cities Bicycle Tour
The board of the Eleven Cities Bicycle Tour has decided to exclude velomobiles from participation as of the tour of 2013.

Our target group is the sporty cyclist. According to the regulations, the bicycle is defined as a vehicle with two wheels that is propelled by human muscular force through a pedal system. The participant chooses their own type of bicycle. A racing bicycle, a touring bicycle, a sporty bicycle, a day-to-day bicycle or a transport bicycle, as long as the participant acts responsibly and does not endanger others, it is entirely up to them.

Over the past years we have been seeing an increasing number of cycles of a different variety among the participants: velomobiles. It is a three-wheeled cycle with an aerodynamic shape enabling it to achieve high speeds. Despite the fact that a velomobile does not meet the requirements, we have tolerated their participation over the past few years.

On the basis of experiences over the past few years, however, we have decided to exclude velomobiles from participation as of the tour of 2013. The difference in speed combined with the reduced visibility, as a result of the low position, have proved cause for dangerous situations in practice. This is something that other participants have also indicated. In order to prevent possible future accidents, we feel compelled to take this decision.

Recumbent bicycles with two wheels are still able to participate.

Participants are expected to be in good health and fit at the start. Please prepare well and test your fitness by cycling the Eleven Lakes Bicycle Tour.