Eleven-Cities-Cycling-Tour

REGISTRATION 2013 CLOSED.

Registration 2013.

The registration for the Eleven-Cities-Cycling-Tour of Whit Monday 20 May 2013

is open from15 December 2012. Registration can be done by payment of EUR 15.00 (or a multiple of this amount in case of groups) to the following account: XXXXXXXXX (IBANNR.: NL 49 RABO XXXXXXXXXXXX , BICNR.: RABO NL 2U) of the Eleven-Cities-Cycling-Tour (Elfstedenrijwieltocht) at the Rabobank in Bolsward. Please mention your address as a reference and send us an e-mail wih your name and address (info@11steden.nl).

The maximum number of participants is 15.000. Participants need to be minimum 16 years of age on the day of the tour.

Start and finish: in Bolsward
Total distance: 240 km

No registration at the start.

The Frisian Eleven Cities Cycle Tour

The tour has been organised since 1912. Since 1947 this is a yearly event, with exception of 2001. In this year, the tour had to be cancelled because of the foot and mouth disease in Holland.

The cityfarmer Corry de Groot from Bolsward cycled the tour for the fiftieth time on Whit Monday 27 May 1996. Unfortunately he could not participate in the following years because of a knee injury.

Up till now (2010/2011) there are 14 cyclists who completed the tour for the 50^th time. On Whit Monday 2011 there are 2 participants who can completed the tour for the 50^th time.

In the Thirties and from 1947 to 1958, the tour was also a competing match. There was a match for racing cyclists and a match for participants on normal bicycles, the so-called proficiency tour. The high costs of the matches were the reason for the board at that time to stop with the competing matches and to organise the tour as a pleasure ride only from that time on.

The interest to cycle the tour was not very big in those years. Until 1964, there were about 300 participants who cycled the tour. In 1965 there were 498 participants. But in 1966, a period of growth started. In 1971, 942 participants cycled the long tour of 240 km and in 1972 there were 1568 participants registered. Only then the real growth of the number of amateurs started. In 1974, 2584 participants registered, in 1975 this number was 4050, in 1976 6857 and for the tour in 1977 9366 cyclists registered. In 1978, the 10.000 limit was passed.

Since 1979, the tour knew a maximum number of participants of 12.000. Since then, the interest for the tour has always been bigger than the number of available starting cards. Yearly, the organisation had to decline the interest of about 6000 amateurs. In 1986 the number of amateurs suddenly increased and the organisation had to disappoint about 13.000 amateurs. This extra interest has partially been caused by the 11-Cities Race, (skating marathon), which took place in 1985 and 1986.

Over the following years, the number of interested people stabilised around 20.000. After the 11-Cities Race (skating marathon) of 4 January 1997, the interest suddenly increased. About 23.000 amateurs registered. This number has slowly decreased to about 20.000 and over the last years the number has been stable around 16.000 registered amateurs. The tour of Whit Monday 4 June 2001 had to be cancelled because of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Holland and Fryslân.

Because of the number of amateurs which yearly had to be disappointed, there were clearly all kinds of proposals to give more people the opportunity to cycle the tour. But the organisation of a mass event like the 11-Cities Cycle Tour requires such an amount of effort of the organisation, co-workers, police, Red Cross, first aid, traffic control and other persons and authorities involved, that the possibilities which can be organised on one day have been reached. This is the reason that it will remain to be one tour on Whit Monday from Bolsward in one starting direction. However, in order to try to fulfil the wishes of many and to celebrate its 75^th anniversary, the organisation allowed a maximum number of participants of 15.000 on Whit Monday 8 June 1987. This maximum number is still valid nowadays.

The participants have to start in Bolsward in groups of 625 cyclists. The first group leaves at 05h00 a.m. Hereafter, each next group will start every 8 minutes. The last group (group 23) starts at 07h56 a.m. At the start, cooperation is given by three bands, the city barrel organ Omke Romke and the Boalserter Skotsploech. They accompany the cyclists to the first check points, were they can begin the long tour of 240 km along the Eleven Frisian Cities. Participants have the opportunity to finish in Bolsward and to report to the finish check until 24h00.

It goes without saying that there are thousands of spectators along the route to encourage the cyclists. These are images which we might all recognize of the 11-Cities Race (skating marathon) in 1985, 1986 and of Saturday 4 January 1997 when thousands of skaters were cheered to the finish of the 11-Cities Race on the Bonkevaart in Leeuwarden.

Rules and regulations 11 Cities Cycling Tour

The 11 Cities Cycling tour is a non-competitive pleasure ride;
Participations by persons younger than 16 years is not allowed;
Participation with motorised/electric bicycles is not allowed;
Participation by vehicles with more than two wheels and/or tandems, suitable for the transport of more than two persons is not allowed without prior consent of the board;
Recumbent bicycles have to carry an orange safety flag on sufficient height;
Participation or cycling in the tour by persons other than the legitimate participants is not allowed;
Because of safety reasons it is obligatory to carry a safety helmet.
Participants are cycling on their own responsibility. They are personally liable for all damage, which has been caused by their own action, negligence or inaccuracy. Participants protect the organisation and persons who are working for or on behalf of the organisation, against third-party liability. Participant have to be insured against personal liability;
Participants have to take the existing traffic rules into account;
Participants are obliged to use the cycling paths, which cross the cycling tour;
Only if the other traffic is not disturbed, it is allowed to cycle with a maximum two persons next to each other;
It is strongly prohibited to cycle in a so-called fan-shaped formation;
It is prohibited to deviate from of the indicated route;
The maximum is 25 km per hour. There are time checks in Dokkum, Bolsward and Stavoren;
It is not allowed that participants are followed by an official following car;
The participants have to start the tour on the time which is indicated on the starting card. The start is at the Nieuwmarkt in Bolsward.
At the check points, each participant personally has to show the starting card for stamping. The check points are mentioned on the starting card and are to be recognized on the yellow 11 Cities Flag;
Stamping will only be done on the starting card. In case of loss of the starting card, it not possible to receive a remembrance medal or to count the tour as completed achievement;
After completion of the tour, each participant personally has to check out by handing over the stamped starting card and completely filled out finishing check card;
The starting card will be thoroughly checked at the finish. Participants will be disqualified in case one or more stamps are missing or in case participants have acted against the rules and regulations;
In all situations in which these rules and regulations do not foresee, the board will rule.

The 11 Cities tour is cycling tour of 240 km.
Each participant is to be well prepared and has to have decent material.
Because of safety reasons, it is obligatory to carry a safety helmet.

Eleven-Cities-Cycling-Tour

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