Prehistory of BaltiCCycle

Different environmental protest actions including bicycle rides on a mass scale have been organized in Lithuania by grassroots at the end of Soviet times. It was one of the forms of Lithuanian movement for independence.

History of BaltiCCycle

1997 – The Lithuanian Cyclists' Community (LCC), a national non-profit non-governmental organization (NGO) has been established.

1997 – 2000– The promotional cycle tours (so-called ecological tours) have been organized in different parts of Lithuania gathering hundreds of participants.

2001 – the name of BaltiCCycle has been used first time as a name of common project initiated by LCC with Latvian, Estonian and Kaliningrad cyclists' clubs as partners and sponsored by EU Phare Funds and Municipality of Klaipeda. The goal of the project was to popularize Baltic countries as one of the most attractive centers of bicycle tourism in Europe, to stimulate the balanced economical development and to promote bicycle transport in towns. Several groups have travelled by different routes from Vilnius, Tallinn and Riga to Klaipeda as well as in Kaliningrad region.

2002 – the continuation of BaltiCCycle project in 2001 style. Routes are similar again. After 2002 the main organizer of previous tours Saulius Ruzinskas gave up. Sigitas Kucas invited Waldemar Grabka with his friends to take part in the part from Vilnius to Klaipeda, led by Sigitas. Waldek liked the idea of BC so much that he found CROTOS in Poland. Sigitas agreed with Waldek to continue BC together.

2003 – first common project with CROTOS from Warsaw to Vilnius. Frankas Wurft also was involved to organize it. Before going from Nordkapp to Olympia in 2004 BC organizers had some doubts regarding the name of BaltiCCyle. BC away from Baltic countries?! They had a small discussion in the Council of LCC too. We decided that BC is some specific style of travel, so it can be done everywhere. So BC is not the organization, it is the bicycle ride.

So since 2003 we have BC together with CROTOS. At the same time almost every year short BC tours have been organized in Lithuania by other persons from LCC. Since 2006 CROTOS has been organizing short expeditions in Poland.

Nowadays of BaltiCCycle

BaltiCCycle became famous not only among Polish and Lithuanian cyclists but among international as well. In our list we have more than thousand participants. People who come to BC already know what to expect.

Future of BaltiCCycle

We have our BaltiCCyle traditions. We want to keep them, but of course new ideas are more than welcome.