Responsibilities of Trip Participants
Trip participants have a certain responsibility to Ride Local and other trip participants. All trip participants are responsible for: Reading and understanding the following Terms and Conditions and reviewing our Release of Liability prior to registering for any Ride Local trip. You must understand the conditions implied in the provided Trip Guide, selecting a trip that is appropriate to their interests, fitness and abilities, preparing and training for the trip accordingly and having the proper bike and equipment needed for the selected trip. A participant may be asked to leave a trip if the leader feels that the person’s continued participation may prove detrimental to the individual or to the well-being and enjoyment of other guests.
Responsibility Code
Common sense is one of the most important things to keep in mind and practice on any trip, especially a bike trip. Know your limit and ride within it at all times. The following is the mountain bikers responsibility code which we ask all participants to follow:
Always ride well within your physical limits in case of situations like detours, variable weather and accidents where more energy than intended might be needed.
Always ride in control and well within your ability level. You must be able to avoid other people or objects.
All riders must wear the appropriate helmet (or full-face) and gear (knee pads, gloves, armor).
Inspect your bike daily while on the trip and have it checked by a qualified bike mechanic before your trip.
Stay on marked trails. Obey all signs and warnings. Do not cut switchbacks. Keep off closed areas.
Avoid riders ahead of you. They have the right of way.
Look uphill and yield to other riders when entering a trail or starting downhill.
Do not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above.
If you are involved in or witness a collision or accident, stay with your fellow rider.
Do not ride your bike if drugs, alcohol, or fatigue impairs one’s ability.
Do not feed, provoke, or approach wildlife.
Safety
Remember that you will be far away from home and an injury will not only affect your trip but the whole group’s experience. We recommend that you take it easy on your trip with us and ride well within your limits. Keep your wheels on the ground please and always ride in control. Walk sections if you are not 100% comfortable.
On our first morning of riding we will go over safety elements which include: team spirit and working together, daily bike check, helmets, eye protection, hazards, communication procedure, staying hydrated, avoiding fatigue and cramping, riding pace (it’s not a race) and responsibility for your gear.
While our rides do cater to strong intermediate and advanced riders we recommend that all participants be versed in the following riding techniques before the trip: safe urban riding, stopping and not skidding, riding switchbacks, looking ahead, safely dealing with exposure, cornering, riding defensively and taking responsibility, hiking your bike, riding steeps and falling techniques.
Each group will be riding with one to three guides at all times (three guides for groups of six or more), one at the front of the group, one at the back of the group, and one guide in the middle of the group. Each guide will have a radio, a first aid kit and is certified in first aid. Safety is ultimately a group effort. This means each participant rides well within their ability and understands that our goal is for everyone to finish the trip in good health.
While theft can happen anywhere, most rides are in remote areas that are safe. We recommend you do not leave any valuables unsecured in hotel rooms. A bike lock is not needed, as bikes are stored inside accommodation at night.
Travel & Medical Insurance
All Ride Local participants are required to have valid travel medical insurance and travel cancellation insurance. You will have to fill out a medical release and information form with your medical insurance policy information and general medical information before each trip. This information will be kept strictly confidential. If you have your own travel medical insurance policy (e.g. through your work), please ensure that it covers adventure travel, specifically mountain bike trips - some policies exclude what they deem to be 'extreme' sports, and often mountain biking falls into that category.
We strongly advise you get travel cancellation insurance once you submit your deposit. With it, you will avoid losing the funds you have invested in your trip and flight due to an emergency or illness, or illness or death of an immediate family member. Some cancellation policies also provide baggage loss protection and other protection.
Medical and Travel Insurance should cover the following:
Emergency air evacuation: This is mandatory on all Ride Local trips, in case you’re injured in a remote region.
Reimbursement of your hospital bills and coverage for possible early return travel home.
Mountain Biking: Make sure you confirm this activity is covered.
Trip cancelation and interruption: your land cost and flight costs will be reimbursed in the event of the unexpected injury, illness or personal emergency.
Loss/damage of baggage, bike and personal effects (recommended when travelling with bikes and always confirm coverage amounts. If you need more coverage - invest in separate insurance just for your bike).
Baggage delay reimbursement and/or delay in your trip to recover expenses if the trip is interrupted, delayed or you miss a connection.
Additional policy details:
Will pay expenses upfront or reimburse after returning home and submitting a claim. Paying upfront is ideal because medical bills abroad can be expensive and “reimbursement type plans” might mean you can’t leave the facility or country until the bill is paid.
Provides coverage for pre-existing conditions, as required.
This is not an exhaustive list and is only intended as a helpful guideline. You should ensure any policy you buy is fully appropriate to your particular situation, both medical and financial.
If you need help with travel insurance please let us know, we partner with World Nomads for all of our travel insurance needs.
Theft & Loss
Ride Local, staff and partners are not responsible for lost or stolen bikes, bags or personal items at any point during a trip. Clients are responsible for the care and prevention of theft of their bikes and gear. It is the client’s responsibility to approve methods of loading on/off vehicles and also storage. If ever in doubt, we encourage everyone to talk to their guide or host and, if needed, agree on an alternative or ask to store bikes in their rooms. On all our trips we recommend bringing a durable lock for added security (even in your hotel room). As well, before leaving for your trip, we strongly encourage everyone to ensure belongings are appropriately insured to their full value.
Trip Deposits & Payment
A per person deposit of $750 USD for scheduled trips is collected at time of registration - except Custom or Private Trips, which varies. Deposits may be made by wire transfer, Paypal, or major credit card (Visa or MasterCard). Deposits for scheduled trips are refundable up to 14 days after registering (when booking 60 days or more in advance), after the 14 days, deposits are non-refundable, but transferrable up to 150 days prior to a trips start date and must be used within one calendar year of a cancelation request. When booking 60 days or less prior to a trip start date - the full trip balance, including any add-ons, will be due at the time of registering.
Cancellation policy?
We understand that things happen and the game of life can give you a flat tire. We do our best to offer a fair cancellation policy for these instances. Due to the price and logistics of our trips we do adhere to a strict cancellation policy. Please review our cancellation policies below. They will also be provided with your Trip Guide upon registering.
If canceling for our International and Crested Butte trips:
Once your $750 USD deposit is received you have 14 days to get a full refund, as long as you are not within the 60-day pre-trip window. After 14 days your $750 USD deposit is nonrefundable, but can be transferred to another trip up to 150 days prior to your trips start date and must be used within one calendar year of your cancelation request.
Once full balance is paid at 60 days before the trip start date, 50% may be refunded up to 45 days prior, 25% refunded up to 30 days prior.
All trips are non-refundable 29 days or less prior to the trips start date.
If canceling, the following policy applies for our Private or Custom trips:
$750 USD trip deposits are non-refundable once your deposit has been received. Once your full balance is received at 90 days before the trip starts, 50% may be refunded up to 75 days prior. 25% may be refunded up to 60 days prior. All Custom or Private trips are non-refundable 59 days or less prior to the trips start date.
All participants must purchase Travel Insurance to avoid loss of funds if cancellation is necessary.
All cancellations must be made via email sent to info@ridelocalmtb.com.What if Ride Local cancels a trip?
Once you have registered and paid your deposit, you can go ahead and start looking into flights and making other arrangements right away. We won’t cancel the trip unless it's for unforeseen circumstances.
Natural disasters including but not limited to; erupting volcano, landslide, flooding, wildfire, earthquake, droughts, major storm, etc. can occur at any destination where we operate our trips. Political instability can also occur in some countries where we operate trips making a destination un-safe to visit. Natural disasters and political instability can disrupt our trips prior to departure and during the trip. When possible Ride Local will inform participants in advance of any possible disruptions. In the event a trip is cancelled or an itinerary is modified for the group’s safety due to a natural disaster or political instability, Ride Local will not be responsible for loss of funds. All riders should have comprehensive Travel Insurance that covers travelers in these circumstances.
Flights
Each participant is responsible for booking and paying for their own flights to the starting and/or finishing point of all Ride Local trips. Please note majority of airlines charge an excess or oversized baggage fee for bike bags/boxes. Ensure you confirm the policy and cost before finalizing your booking. At the time of booking flights, we recommend sticking with one airline carrier to avoid paying each airlines excess or oversized baggage charges. Also recommend checking in for your flight as early as possible. This can sometimes help ensure your bike bag makes it on the flight with you. Most airlines only have so much space for oversized. It may otherwise be bumped to another flight, arriving later than you. Upon arrival always inspect your bike and bag at the airport in case it was damaged on the flight.
Here at Ride Local we use momondo.com for finding cheap and reliable airfare.
Add-on Supplements
Renting a bike for trip duration. Renting a bike is an option for most of our trips at an extended price. We offer awesome bikes that are well equipped for our trips.
Single Room Lodging for trip duration. For room arrangements expect to have 2-3 people per room with its own bathroom. We do this in order to keep the costs down, but we do understand that this cannot apply to everyone. For people wanting single room lodging that is no problem at all but is usually an extra charge.
Health & Fitness Requirements
Participants should be healthy and active strong mountain bikers. It is vital that persons with medical problems make them known to us well before departure. Hospital facilities for serious problems can be difficult to source and evacuation can be prolonged, difficult and expensive. Ride Local assumes no liability regarding provision of medical care. There are specifics on the recommended fitness and skill level for each of our trips.