Information on Allroad Tour and how to prepare for it:
Allroad Tour is a route ride for heavy enduro-style
bikes taking place in the area of Kainuu and Lapland in Northern
Finland. In addition to joyful days in the saddle, you can enjoy
relaxing camp life and feel the peacefulness of northern nature.
Allroad Tour is not an offroad tour but during the week there will
be lots of opportunities to test one's limits and to overstep them.
THE ROUTE
The route is ridden through in smaller groups and
accompanied there is a service team by trucks. The route is
planned for big touring enduro bikes. It runs mainly along gravel
roads and forest paths. Asphalt is avoided as often as possible. |
 |
All the roads used are public roads and are
therefore subject to Road Traffic Act. In Finland there is also a
law covering cross-country traffic. According to it, off road riding
by motor vehicle is forbidden without the landowner's permission. It
is our matter of honour to conform this rule when riding in the
slowly renewing nature of Lapland.
The main route is 1500 - 2000 kilometres long. The
final length depends on both the condition of roads and on the rider
himself. |
|
Usually there are surprises arranged by the nature,
so the route is ready only when it has been ridden through. There
are also plenty of opportunities to plan routes during the tour and
groups can ride quite independently. In addition to maps it is
recommended to use GPS receivers. The waypoints and routes can be
transferred from the teams laptop to your GPS device in camps. |
| RIDING
IN GROUPS
Riding in group requires its own technique. Usually the queue
elongates because all do not ride at the same speed, somebody wants
to keep distance because of dust, somebody can fall or because of
technical troubles. For these situations it is good to know basic
rules of group riding.
The leader of the group riding as a first bike can be the only
one that knows the exact route. The last man ensures that nobody is
left behind him. When you are riding between these two it is not
enough just to follow the bike ahead of you, but you must also
observe from your mirrors the bike coming behind. At crossings you
must always ensure that the rider behind you sees where the route
continues. Leaving tyre marks on sand is not enough for that. Using
the winker in good time will help the follower to see when there is
a turn ahead.
If you are at a crossing but can't see the bike behind you, you
must await at the crossing until the follower surely sees you and
the new direction. In this case you usually lose the contact to the
bike ahead of you. There is no need to hurry, because according to
the riding rules he will be waiting for you at the next crossing.
Empty crossing means that the route continues straight ahead but it
is still reasonable to ensure every crossing with visual contact.
In theory this technique seems to be foolproof but in practice
things may change. The nightmare begins when you arrive at a
crossing and there is nobody around showing which way to turn. Do
NOT try to guess it now. If your decision is wrong you and all the
bikes coming behind you will soon be totally lost somewhere in the
middle of wastelands. Instead of guessing which way to go, you
calmly pull over, park your bike and wait. Soon the riders ahead
will notice that the patrol is not together anymore and they will
turn back to look for the lost souls. |
| STILL
A FEW WORDS FROM SAFETY
Allroad Tour is ridden in the remote areas where it can last
hours to get external help. Safe riding and group riding rules must
be kept in mind all the time. Riding speeds will be paid constant
attention to. No one has to drive harder than one wants to. There is
neither hurry nor timing. |
|
|
One must
remember to take enough breaks during the riding days. Every one
must be able to identify to confess the need for the break.
Allroad Tour operates in the reindeer management area during the
whole trip. In addition to reindeer, elks and other animals must be
watched out carefully. One thing to keep in mind are local motorists
who sometimes drive recklessly on the small roads that are lightly
trafficked. |
| Allroad
Tour is far from commercial tourist business and that is why Allroad
Tour Team offers no special insurances to the participants. Even
though the team organises the trip, the team not responsible for the
participants' action. All riders operate with their own risk and
must take care of their personal property and themselves.
EQUIPMENT AND PACKING
The weather in Lapland will vary from the heat to the frost and from
the sunshine to the sleet. The most important is to prepare for bad
weather. A spare piece of clothing must be taken along as well as a
rain suit for camp use. An extra pair of shoes or boots for camp is
a must because the riding boots will get damp and need to be dried
every evening. Well slept nights are the surest guarantee to a
successful trip, so pay special attention to the properties of tent,
sleeping bag and mattress. Sleeping bag that has been meant for
summer use is probably too cold. If you choose your equipment
preparing for the fact that day temperature is + 5 C and it will
rain for the whole week, everything is likely to be OK. |
 |
Good tyres
and right tyre pressures guarantee safe and convenient riding.
Allroad Tour is not a right trip to wear out the last millimetres of
your back tyre but you will be fine with decent street enduro tyres.
Real moto-cross tyres are not necessarily needed but many riders
still like to use rough-patterned tyres, like Michelin T63. If you
not familiar with gravel, it is worth trying some gravel roads
before the trip with lower tyre pressures. |
| The
condition of brake pads is wise to check. Under sandy and dusty
circumstances the pads, especially in rear, will wear out fast. If
you are in any doubt about the pads, replace them before the trip.
One of the most annoying reasons for interruption of the trip is
the breaking of a brake or clutch lever. There is no more needed
that that your bike accidentally falls down in place. Decent
handguards attached to grip ends normally help to save the levers.
In addition to the hands feet are easily vulnerable. Motocross boots
or enduro boots protect them best.
Waterproof softbags or drybags are the best choice for carrying
your equipment. Hard side bags are not recommended. A small backbag
or hip-pack is perfect to carry one´s daily necessities, snacks,
drinks, tyre repair kit, some spare clothing, toilet paper etc.
RIDER'S BASIC EQUIPMENT
- tent (or place in someone else´s tent)
- warm sleeping bag and mattress
- mug, soup plate, fork, knife, spoon, water bottle
- for personal hygiene towel, toilet paper etc
- waterproofly packed soft bag for luggage
- spare cloths, rain suit, extra pair of shoes for camp
- tyre repair kit, chain lube, strong adhesive tape, cable ties
for small repairs
- plaster, painkiller etc for personal use
Please pay careful attention to packing of your bike. All
equipment must be firmly fitted and well balanced. This optimizes
operating behaviour of your bike and convenience of riding on badly
conditioned roads. |
 |
CAMPING,
SERVICE AND FUEL
Allroad Tour's Service Team takes care of general cooking
equipment, heavy tools (shovel, axe etc.), first aid equipment and
other common stuff. Riders must carry all their personal things
including tents on their bikes. The service team arranges catering
so you do not need a primus or cooker of your own. |
| Every
day a breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, the dinner and sausages for
evening's camp fire will be offered. When the route runs near public
services it is possible to drop in local shops or service stations.
Allroad Tour's service team also carries spare parts and common
tools for bikes. Service team doesn't service the bikes, but each
rider does the job him/herself. |
 |
From the service team tools can be
borrowed and asked for advise in technical problems. There are also
some tyres, chains and other general spare parts for bikes available.
Every single
bike's range of operation must be at least 300 kilometres. If your
bike has a tank smaller than this, you must carry the additional
fuel with you. A firm rack or another sure fitting system must be
build for the petrol can. Do not carry your reserve fuel in your
backbag.
|
| ALLROAD
TOUR SPIRIT
Allroad Tour is a unique event for big touring enduro bikes. All
the participants create it together. It is based on companionship
and collaboration combined to ascetic outdoor life in Lapland's
nature. This is what brings about the Allroad Tour Spirit.
The common expenses of Allroad Tour are equally shared among the
participants in accordance with prime cost only. These expenses
consist e.g. of food and cooking fittings, rentals of service trucks
and trucks fuel. Allroad Tour's partner companies participate in the
general maintenance of the trip. For this reason the costs of the
trip can be kept extremely low.
Check also the pictures and stories of
previous Allroad Tours |
