Cycle Canada Privacy and Policies - All the Basics

On this page of our web site you will find information on our policies and procedures for the conduct of our supported trips.

This includes policies on payment dates, refunds, insurance, privacy, sponsorship. If you can not find the answer to your question here, please write us at sweep@CycleCanada.com or call us toll free 800-214-7798 in North America, or from overseas, 1-705-434-1100.

Information on this sheet should be read in conjunction with the CycleCanada Schedule of Dates and Fees, which has specific detail on each event.

Tour du Canada: Policies listed below generaly apply to CycleCanada events. Tour du Canada has a separate set of policies that should be read by anyone interested in the cross-country ride.

CycleCanada reserves the right to amend these policies at any time and without notice.
On the Road: When riding, you only carry what you need for the day — typically that means munchies, camera, on-the-road tool kit and a rain shell or other clothes for possible weather changes.
One Week Rides: The BiQue Ride begins in Toronto on the first riding day. A return bus trip to Toronto from Montreal is optional. Cabot Trail begins in Baddeck with a late-morning orientation and a half-day ride. Erie Shores begins in St. Catharines with a bus ride to Windsor. Harvest Ride begins with an overnight stay in Ottawa. Fall Colours begins in Alliston with and Voyageur Route begins in Ottawa.
Expedition Rides: Tour Pacific, The Capitals Tour, Tour Atlantic and Old Dominion Tour each begin with half-day orientation sessions. Accommodation on the night of the orientation session is included. Breakfasts and dinners are provided on riding days, including the final riding day of each of these tours
Cross-Country Trips: Tour du Canada and The Crossing have unique arrangements because of the length and intensity of those rides. Anyone interested in either of those events should contact us for details.
Self-Guided Rides: Riders should carry clothing that they will need for the duration of those trips. Suggested overnight stays are in locations where riders can rely on local amenities for breakfast and dinner.
Luggage and Bike Boxes: Sports bags instead of standard luggage are recommended for longer trips. We cannot carry hard-shell bike boxes but we will transport bike boxes that fold flat. Please travel light.
Lodging and Travel Detail: On expedition trips, we provide accommodation on the night before the first riding day and on the final riding day. Where a ride begins with transport from an assembly point to the start point for riding, accommodation on that night is included. Accommodation on the final riding day is included in the package fee for The BiQue Ride and Cabot Trail. On other one-week trips, last-night accommodation is not included but we will direct you to suitable options.

Where transport by bus or train is arranged, bike transport is included. On camping trips, riders bring their own bedrolls and tents. If you do not have a tent, we have tents that can be rented for the duration of a trip. Riders are on their own for travel arrangements to reach an assembly point.
Meals: On camping trips, our staff prepare meals from our mobile galley except that Tour du Canada riders share in galley duty. Meal plans stress a high-carbohydrate diet that active people need. We make every effort to accommodate vegetarians. Riders should bring a mess kit. On camping trips, riders are on their own for lunches and for dinners on rest days. Tour du Canada and The Crossing are special situations. On indoor trips, we provide breakfasts on most riding days and riders are on their own for lunches and dinners.
Accommodation. Campgrounds include private campgrounds, provincial and federal parks. With the exception of one or two nights on Tour Pacific, all campgrounds have hot showers.

Accommodation that is indoor is in university residences, Bed and Breakfasts, Inns, Motels. Accommodation is two to a room of the same gender, we do reserve the right to accommodate three to a room. On Tour Pacific some nights are in hostels with dormitory accommodation and it may be necessary to accommodate mixed genders in the same dormitory in such cases.
Routes and Maps: Our routes are on paved roads. Riders should expect to share the roads with motorized and non-motorized vehicles and must obey the traffic rules applicable to the region of travel. We provide daily route sheets and/or maps for our events. We do not sign routes. We believe riders should share the responsibility for traveling as cycle tourists
Part Way / All The Way: We encourage riders to join our trips for the full ride. But you can ride part of a trip, except Tour du Canada. Tour du Canada riders sign on for the whole trip except that veterans of past Tour du Canada rides can sign on for part way. Provisions must be made in advance for part way trips.
Group Size: We believe that you will enjoy cycling trips more in groups where you can get to know other riders. For that reason, we limit group size. Limits vary, depending on the trip.
Orientation: Before each trip, we hold an orientation session to discuss what you can expect on the ride. For the longer trips, these sessions are more detailed. We believe the time spent at the orientation session is a valuable part of the trip.
Vehicle Support: Our truck carries personal gear. We encourage riders to ride all the way but make every effort to ensure that no one is left stranded.
Communications: We provide a communication system that allows us to track their whereabouts and assist with problems as necessary. Drivers do not carry cell phones to communicate with riders. Cell phone reception is unreliable in many areas and can be a dangerous distraction for drivers when driving.
Insurance: Cycle Canada recommends that participants obtain travel, cancellation and personal property insurance.
Payment of Fees: Payment in full for an event is due within 30 days of the start of a trip, except that special provisions apply to Tour du Canada and The Crossing. If payment is not received by that date, the organizers reserve the right to cancel a registration and the refund policy will apply. We accept cheques or credit cards up to 10 days before an event starts. Late payments must be by cash or money order. Credit cards payments are in Canadian funds (your bank does the foreign exchange).
Cancellation and Refunds: This policy applies to Cycle Canada events. For Tour du Canada, see the statement of policies specific to that event. Deposits for CycleCanada events are not refundable. If a rider cancels more than 60 days before the start of a trip, an administration fee of $50 or 10% of the amount paid, whichever is greater, will be assessed. The balance of the deposit will be transferred to an event in the following year. If a rider cancels between 30 days and 60 days of the start of an event, an administration fee of $100 or 20% of the amount paid, whichever is greater, will be assessed. The balance of the deposit will be transferred to an event in the following year. If a rider cancels within 30 days of the start of an event, an administration fee of 50% of the total trip fee will be assessed and the remaining amount will be transferred to an event in the following year. Deposits are not transferrable to another rider.

Event Cancellation: Organizers reserve the right to cancel a Cycle Canada ride or Tour du Canada for any reason at any time prior to departure. In such case all funds paid will be refunded. If an event is cancelled, the organizers are not responsible for additional expenses, such as travel costs.
Privacy: Our policy is that if you contact us with your name and address we will not sell, rent, trade, "partner" or distribute that information to any third party (except where we are required to do so by law). Such detail is provided on a case-by-case basis and only with the consent of the participant, except that names and home towns may be shared with fellow riders. From time to time accounts and/or images of participants in our trips may be used for publicity purposes by Tour du Canada and/or Cycle Canada. If you have questions regarding privacy, please write our: Privacy Officer.
Sponsorship: From time to time we get queries from people who want to associate their ride with a charitable or for-profit organization. We always stay neutral on the goals of any sponsoring agency. Our rule on fundraising, either charitable or for-profit, is that any such activity is a personal endeavor. We make no judgment on any fundraising activity and we recognize charitable pursuits are important. But we do insist that riders not use our trademarked names or our copyright material in association with their sponsorship activities unless we give specific permission in writing.
Our Pledge, and Yours: CycleCanada events and Tour du Canada are organized by Cycle Canada, The Veloforce Corporation, which is owned by Bud Jorgensen. He is a long-time recreational cyclist and founder of Tour du Canada. Our off-season base is at Alliston, Ontario, which is about midway between Toronto and vacation destinations along Georgian Bay. Participants in our events have a right to expect that Cycle Canada, as organizers, and its staff will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that riders complete their trip and are enriched by the cycling experience. We hope that all riders will find companionship in, and be tolerant of, other members of the group and help to make the trip a memorable and positive experience for all riders.

 

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