Loop Tour Event Notices

Loop Planners,  3/8/2024

       Mid-Valley Bicycle Club Loop Tour 2024

   Coasting Six Rivers

          Smith River Falls by Dan Barrett

The six rivers we will visit are the Willamette, McKenzie, Big River, Umpqua, Smith and Long Tom. In addition, we will travel to three lakes, Cottage Grove, Loon and Fern Ridge Reservoir.

The tour dates are June 22-30 (Tour 1) and July 20-28 (Tour 2).   

Priority Registration was open at 8 AM PDT March 16, 2024 and closed at 8 PM PDT on April 13, 2024. This allowed 4 weeks for Priority Registration.

Open or Waitlist Registration will open and remain open until the start of the tours. The LTC sends updates on registration via [mvbc-announce] email to MVBC members.

Go here to register for Loop Tour 1

Go here to register for Loop Tour 2

In 2024 we are staying close to home with a loop south and to the coast from Corvallis.

Nightly destinations are Eugene, Cottage Grove, Sutherlin, Loon Lake, Reedsport, Smith River Campground, and Fern Ridge Lake area.

The riding surface is paved.

The distance varies from 20-52 miles per day with an average mileage of 40 miles per day. One day is a layover in Reedsport.

Camping spots are in private, city and county park campgrounds and one or two school grounds. All camp spots have water and toilets and most have showers. Food is available on most routes and at most camp spots. At least one group meal is provided, otherwise food is the responsibility of the participant.

Two SAG vehicles will support riders and offer an option (with fee) to have personal gear transported.

Watch this document (notices.looptour.org) and the event home page (www.looptour.org) for updates on the 2024 event.

The LTC requests that all members who are considering this tour, particularly ones new to MVBC touring, read the The Loop Tour Participant GUIDE, located at guide.looptour.org. You may find photos from other Loop Tours at gallery.mvbc.com.

Thanks for your interest!

INTRODUCTION

Information about the Mid-Valley Bicycle Club Loop Tour (www.looptour.org) that may vary from year to year is detailed in this document (notices.looptour.org).  You may return here anytime to check for event information updates.

Once registration opens you may Sign-Up for the Loop Tour at www.looptour.org, and find other resources and information at references.looptour.org.

To register for the Loop Tour, you must be a member of the MVBC at the time of registration, and that membership must be valid throughout the duration of the tour (see join.mvbc.com).

Loop Tour Planning Committee (LTC)

loop@mvbc.com

SECTIONS

1. Event Capacity
2. Registration Policy
3. SAG Policy
4. Fees
5. Refund Policy

APPENDIX

1. Route Summary Table
2. Resources

The 2024 Loop 1 and Loop 2 tours (each) have a cap of 35 riders (including sag drivers).  A Wait List begins when registration exceeds the capacity.

Online Registration and Payment

1. Registration, Waiver/Release and Payment takes place ONLINE (see www.looptour.org)
2. Announcements about Loop Tour registration status (Open, Closed, Etc.) are posted at the event notices page (notices.looptour.org), and in various other places, including some but not necessarily all of: notices.mvbc.com, spokesman.mvbc.com, and mvbc-announce@googlegroups.com.
3. Address questions about Loop Tour registration by email to loop@mvbc.com.
4. Each adult and senior must complete a separate registration and pay for that registration.
5. Minors must be on the same registration form as an adult or senior who is responsible for them during the Loop Tour event.  If this person is not the parent or legal guardian, a hard copy of the waiver form must be completed, signed, and returned via mail or delivered to Dan Arbogast.  Contact loop@mvbc.com for specific information on this process.  Payment for a registration that includes a minor (or multiple minors) will cover all riders on the registration form.
   

Specifics on Determining the Tour List

The initial registration process follows a Priority System so that those who support the club by volunteering have the best chance of being able to participate in a Tour. There are three phases of registration: Priority, Open, and Wait List.  

Priority Registration opens on March 16, 2024 at 8 AM PDT and closes on April 13, 2024 at 8 PM PDT.  During Priority Registration, regardless of the date that a participant submits registration, the Priority System (listed below) guides the LTC in determining riders selected for the tour if more than the capacity register at this time. When there are more eligible registrants than available spaces, the LTC does a blind draw, following the levels, to determine the unlucky registrants that do not get onto the tour. If this unlucky registrant is part of a family group (part of the registration process), others in the family group are not affected; however, if an adult with a minor on his/her registration is the unlucky person, the minor, also, does not make it on the tour.  (See below for options for the unlucky registrants.) Everyone considering going on the tour, regardless of level, should register during Priority Registration. Ex: A regularly contributing member decides to wait. Vladimir Putin sees our tour on the Website, joins the club, and registers. As long as there are fewer people interested in that tour than capacity, he would get on the tour as Priority Level 5. The loyal member might not get on the tour if it fills quickly. See ‘Fees’ below for additional rationale.

The LTC will notify all registrants of their registration status within a week after Priority Registration closes. Registrants who do not get into the tour will have the option of: 1) switching to the other tour if it is open; 2) being on the Waitlist (registration fee held until further notice); or 3) withdrawing the registration and receiving a full refund at that time.  

Priority System Levels: The Priority System includes volunteer activities from March 1, 2023, through February 28, 2024. Indicating that you will volunteer for an event after that date does not give you priority for the 2024 tour unless you are a major planner and have started working.

Level 1:  MVBC official tour planning committee members, tour sag drivers, MVBC board members, major planners for Covered Bridge, and one *direct family member riding on the same tour

Level 2:  All other MVBC volunteers from March 1, 2023 through February 28, 2024 and one *direct family member

Level 3:  Club members with current memberships as of January 1, 2024.

Level 4: Up to two additional *direct or **indirect family members of people in higher priority levels, riding the same tour.

Level 5:  Club members who joined after January 1, 2024.

*Direct Family Members:  children, spouses/domestic partners, parents, grandparents, siblings;

**Indirect Family Members:  cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, spouses/domestic partners of indirect family members.  

Should there be space on a tour after Priority Registration, Open Registration begins, and spaces are filled based on the timestamp of your registration. Your priority level determined from volunteering only affects registration during Priority Registration. Open Registration begins after priority registration closes with the exact time and date to be announced. Open Registration closes when a tour reaches capacity.

If a tour fills, Wait List Registration begins and remains open until the start of the respective tour.  The order of riders on the Waitlist follows this system:  

• First: riders that registered during Priority Registration but did not get in; order based on Priority System first, then lottery;
• Second: riders that attempted to register during Open Registration but did not get in; the order is based first on the date and time stamp of registration, then lottery.  

The Loop Tour Committee adopted this registration system to encourage members to support club events by volunteering. It provides a method for a fair and transparent way of selecting participants when there are more registrations than open spaces. Having said this, the Loop Tour Committee will review and may approve special situations not specifically addressed in the above policies.

This information is an abbreviated version of sag policies. If you are considering having your gear sagged, please go to guide.looptour.org and read the section on Route & SAG.

We encourage riders to carry their own gear. If this is not desirable or possible, the support vehicles, for an additional fee, will transport gear. (see register.looptour.org).  While the sag drivers will make every effort to get gear to camp in a timely manner, you should take any essential daily gear with you on the bike.  You should consider carrying your tent and possibly clothes and shower supplies  in case the sag driver is delayed.

Space is limited in support vehicles, so, if you are having your gear sagged, minimize what you take. Remember to pack light in small, waterproof, soft-sided duffel bags or panniers, not suitcases. Only carry the amount of gear that you would be able to carry on a bike.  No sagged bag may exceed 20 pounds. The SAG cannot accommodate fragile items.  Sag drivers are volunteers, but they are in charge of organizing the truck.   You are to deliver bags to the sag vehicles promptly, load your gear as per instructions by the driver, and assist in unloading gear as per instructions from the driver.

NOTE:  Riders who choose to sag only part of their gear or sag only on some days still pay the full sag fee.

A portion of the Rider Fee contributes to sag expenses because sag drivers provide the following services for non-sagged riders as well as sagged riders:

• Limited use of the coolers to temporarily store food
• The self-monitored beverage service
• *Limited transportation of rider &/or bicycle in case of an emergency, injury, or illness.
• *Limited transportation of gear, full or partial, in the case of an emergency, injury, illness
• Use of mechanical and first aid supplies in the sag vehicle
• Water and snacks provided by the driver
• Clarification of route information from the driver
• Any other services deemed necessary for the safety of riders

* The LTC requests that the rider pay the sag fee if ‘limited’ transportation of the rider and/or gear goes beyond two days.

Fees vary by participant age: Adults (18-64 years), Seniors (65 years or more), Students (18 years or more and currently enrolled in a college degree program, and Minors (17 years or less).  The Ride Fee covers camping costs, group food events, and emergency sag support.  Having the SAG vehicle carry your gear is optional and has a separate fee.

Here are the 2024 fees:

As a club-sponsored event, there is no desire to penalize anyone who needs to change his or her plans in an emergency, and there is no intent to raise money for MVBC through the tour.  On the other hand, Loop Tour is run on a tight budget and many of the expenditures are committed long before the tour begins. Changing the number of participants even months before a tour can play havoc with the budget.  To keep this complex issue from becoming a matter of opinion, the Committee uses the following policy:  

• Full Refunds: A full refund is available at any time if a replacement rider is identified who then registers and pays the appropriate fees.  People on the “Waitlist” have first priority as replacements based on the Waitlist order. Anyone who submits a Registration Request but does not get on the tour because of the Priority and Lottery Systems may choose to receive a full refund or be on the Waitlist.

• 50% Refunds: If no replacement is available, a 50% refund is available if the cancellation occurs prior to one month before the start of a tour. For 2024, the chair of the LTC must receive email notice by midnight May 22 for Loop 1 and midnight June 20 for Loop 2.
• No Refund: If no replacement is available, cancellations within a month before the start of a tour result in NO REFUND.  
• If the Loop Tour Committee cancels the entire tour, (such as might occur if there are forest fires in the area or COVID-19 conditions worsen) registrants will receive a refund based on fees that were not spent or can be recouped.  Although the Loop Tour Committee cannot guarantee a full refund, every effort will be made by the Committee to do so.  
• If a refund is appropriate, only registration and SAG fees are considered.  Registrants do not receive a refund of the club membership fee.
• No refunds are given for changes to the route or tour duration whether before or after the start of the tour.
• The Loop Tour committee may make exceptions to the refund policies in case of a genuine emergency.

Route Summary

LOOP TOUR LINKS

• Website = www.looptour.org
• Annual Information Notice (this doc) = notices.looptour.org
• Participant Guide = guide.looptour.org
• Packing Guide = packing.looptour.org
• Event History = history.looptour.org
• References = references.looptour.org
• Loop Tour Planning Team = loop@mvbc.com

MID-VALLEY BICYCLE CLUB

• Website = www.mvbc.com
• Tours = Tours - MVBC
• References = references.mvbc.com