Safety

El Camino Loco stands for biking & adventure. That means that we won't be holding your hand all the time nor can be present in the blink of an eye in case of trouble. A certain degree of autonomy is expected of all our participants (see Gear).

You leave each morning, manage your ride and arrive as you please, navigating by a GPS unit on your handlebars. Here are a few tips in order to avoid unnecessary risks along the trails:

• Safety in numbers. You can bike all day on your own, but that doesn't mean you should. Biking in small groups of the same level is more fun and safer. Don't be worried that you might not find any biking buddies, our groups are so diverse there are bikers of every shade and colour of physical fitness and backgrounds. You'll "find" each other real soon ! Our guide who bikes along, stays with the bikers who go at their ease at the back.

• It's not that because you haven't seen a living soul on the trails and dirtroads during the last 300 miles that behind the next corner there won't be an old Land Rover chugging up the mountain, trailing a few shepherds dogs... so approach each descent and turn with caution and enough reserve to deal with unexpected circumstances like oncoming traffic, sharp turns or sudden rock gardens.

• Always bike at your own level of abilities, certainly on the technical stretches. If you're in good shape (see Training), you can just as well hoof it on whole technical stretches and still make it to the end well before sunset and a well-deserved beer at the hotel. Making a mistake can have dramatic consequences in some spots, so use your sound judgement and better be safe then sorry. Once you're on your bike we can't hold your hand. In short : keep the rubber side down !

• Take along plenty of water (minimum 2 liters) and replenish wherever possible, for instance in each village. Careful with "suspect" sources or streams, tank your water as close to the incoming source as possible and never at the outlet of a drinking basin for animals.

• Always stay "on track" if your GPS goes on strike. Don't try to continue offroad by following tire tracks or by map, the maps you get from us are meant to continue or locate yourself on paved roads. If you try to go "blind" your fellow bikers most likely (always...) will pass behind you and the guide who goes last won't know you're off the right track and getting yourself in trouble. If you want to continue offroad, just wait at a point where you were certain that it's on track and wait for the first biker behind you. See also communication.

• We provide you with a GPS, back-up batteries and each day a different roadmap with the track on it, the telephone numbers of the guides and the hotel and a graph which shows you the altitude along with the distance. You can use the graph to situate yourself along the day and judge what difficulties still lie ahead. The map can be used to take paved shortcuts, but don't forget to warn us in case you do (see communication).

• When you arrive at the lodgings each evening, don't forget to hand in your numbered GPS and walkie-talkie to us. That way we can recharge the batteries and at the same time keep easy track of who has arrived and who's still out.

• Make sure you have adequate travel insurance on you as you go out and bike. European residents should carry their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with them at all times.

In case of an accident we don't want to lose too much time before getting you treated. Having to pass by the lodgings first or sorting out paperwork at a reception desk is an unnecesary waste of time and an added stress factor. And if you don't carry such a card, medical treatment has to be paid cash in a lot of countries.

Communication

You'll bike through some pretty deserted terrain with us, where a mobile phone doesn't always find a signal. But we do advise taking a mobile phone along, in a water resistant bag inside your backpack. Even if you can't use it right away in case of trouble, it'll more than likely shorten the time to the first possible phone call.

To further improve on communications during our raids we provide a Motorola walkie-talkie to each participant. You can use this unit for communication with your biking buddies around you, check where the hotel exactly is in the maze of little streets of a village upon arrival, ask if someone is slurping a coke in front of a bar in the village you're about to pass by... or to ask for assistance along the trail.

We ask that everybody leaves his unit turned on at all times (which is perfectly possible with the autonomy of the rechargeable battery packs). These walkies have a range of about 4 miles in open terrain, so normally you should be able to contact someone from the group pretty fast. Who can then transmit it through the grapevine if there's no mobile phone signal anywhere.

General behaviour

• Don't litter, not even banana or orange peelings. We provide small plastic bags to pack out the trash or left-overs from your pick-nick. Leave only your knobby trace, no garbage !

• Always close fences, electric wires and gates behind you if you found them that way. This is VERY important. Don't count on the guys or girls behind you for closing them. The one that opens, closes as well.

• Don't scare animals. Don't cut through or stampede herds. If you encounter a herd, put yourself at the trailside far enough and preferably at the side of the valley so you don' spook the animals. And wait patiently for them to pass. Don't ever ride through them without consent from the shepherd. If you do, he won't be very appreciative of that...

• We always use public roads and trails, with a few exceptions where we have gotten permission to cross private property. If this is the case, we will tell this clearly at each morning's briefing. Keep off private land and respect any signals you might encounter.

Bike transport

On most of our raids, we transport the bikes (out of Belgium) back and forth. Generally this is done within a closed, hardshell trailer. Nothing has to be changed or taken apart from your bike without prior notice from us (last details are communicated a few weeks before departure). The bikes are transported upright and are insured during transport for an average value of 1.500,- Euros.

So if we transport 30 bikes, we insure for a total amount of 45.000,- Euro. Whether that amount has to be used to repair or reimburse one bike or 30 doesn't matter for the insurance company, but it's the limit.

So if a steamroller would pass over our trailer when it's filled with brand new unobtanium fullies, we'd have a potential problem...

Therefore drop us a line if your bike is worth obscene amounts of money at the moment of departure, we'll adapt the insurance policy accordingly. This said, in 15 years of transporting our participants' bikes we never put one scratch on any of them - but better safe than sorry.

When travelling by plane and when the bikes have to go along in the cargo hold, we suppy (in Belgium) special crates to transport and protect your bike. You must pack your bike yourself (we put the case at your disposal at least one week before departure) and transport it as personal luggage. We do not take any responsability for any damage or loss during these transports, nor for the integrity of the bike crate (no cardboard !). A transport insurance is recommended but you need to take care of that yourself and for an amount that you decide. If you wish, you can additionally insure your bike here against all travel and other hazards : www.reisomnium.be

During the raids, every night the bikes are kept almost always inside under lock and key in a garage or room put at our disposition by the lodgings. We can't take any responsability for this either. Problems are very improbable because we generally stay in little villages with few inhabitants, but whenever in doubt we additionally lock all bikes together with plastic coated cable locks. We always try to look after our participants and their bikes as a good as we possibly can.