Bike Tours 101

Otesha's 2012 tours are set to shake things up. Combine sustainable living, community building, theatre, leadership training and phenomenal bike touring – what do you get?

Be part of a passionate team devoted to sustainability that will live an incredible experience, changing outlooks and lives . . . maybe even your own.

Spend days outdoors, encounter nature, dream in tents under the night skies, bike miles of beautiful Canadian terrain, and connect and learn from the communities you visit along the way.

Gain and share valuable leadership, performing, facilitation, group living and biking skills.

Best of all, be part of a movement of people all across Canada who are being the change they want to see in the world. 

Become a Volunteer Tour Member

Teams of a dozen or more motivated and energetic volunteer tour members will set off on cycling tours in 2012. You can be one of them! You will share an incredible experience as you live as a mobile and sustainable community. No bike touring or other experience is necessary, just a willingness to train beforehand and give it your all.

Choose a Tour

Each Otesha bike tour is a unique and amazing experience. We consider skills, experience and balance when building a team. We ask that people be open to the opportunity to participate in the team that they are offered a position within. The application form asks you to indicate which tours you would be willing to join. You'll need to consider:

1.    Location: First and foremost, we encourage you to join a team in your region to reduce carbon emissions that are produced by traveling to and from the program.

2.    Tour Type: As a volunteer with a Performing and Cycling Tour, pedal from performance to performance, brave the elements, and connect with communities along the route. Devote two months to exploring the ups and downs of directly addressing environmental and social justice issues through your own every day actions. Taking up the challenge of a 9 Day Shift tour brings you together with other sustainability-minded folk for a weekend to weekend romp that focuses environmental sustainability, hands-on learning, human-powered transportation and community building through the lens of a single issue.

3.    Participant Age: Performing and Cycling Tours are “by youth for youth” programs - this means that all participants are between the ages of 18 and 30ish and will work on youth education. Nine Day Shift Tours welcome anyone over 18 years of age - last season volunteers from 22 to 67 years old took to their bikes to form a mobile sustainable community. If you are not yet 18, but can ride with a guardian who is of age, get in touch with us to discuss your participation.

4.    Time commitment: In two months, a Performing and Cycling Tour will interact with over 3000 audience members in 25 communities, travel at least 1500km and create unforgettable bonds among you and your tour- mates. A 9 Day Shift Tour will put 250+km on your odometer and requires only a week away from "regular life" (if you have one of those).

5.    Theme: Want to get deep into the food system? Looking for ways to learn more about protecting everyone's access to clean water? Themed tours take you to the places and people that are deeply involved in the issues.

6.    Physical challenge: Some tours cycle through mountains, while others follow the shores of lakes and less rugged terrain. We travel without support vehicles, so pre-tour training is critical to avoid injuries that take you off the road. Tour members range from experienced long-distance cyclists to people who haven’t ridden a bike since they were a kid! Our experience shows that proper training will allow you to tackle any of our routes.

The Journey

Training

Performing and Cycling Tours begin with eight days of intensive training (“Training Week”) that will include team-building, development of your community standards, public speaking, story-telling,theatre skills, learning the Otesha play, media relations,bike maintenance, bike safety and more! Otesha emphasizes an experiential, DIY approach which requires a high level of involvement from tour members. Training is a combination of input from staff and input from you. Once on the road, your group rides as an autonomous community with regular support from staff in the Otesha office.

9 Day Shift tours provide bike touring safety training, orientation to the focus issue and the support of a staff Tour Coordinator throughout the ride. The 9 Day Shift Tours put the learning in your hands and connect you with local experts.

An Otesha tour is a high-energy adventure and a physical challenge. That’s why we ask team members to do physical training on their own in preparation for the tour. You don’t need to be an experienced cyclist, but training beforehand will help prevent injuries. Performing and Cycling Tour members should aim to be able to cycle 75 kilometers on a fully loaded bike. The distances covered by 9 Day Shift Tour members are slightly less -- participants must be prepared to ride a total of 50 kilometers per day carrying loaded panniers. But don’t worry – it’s not as hard as you might think! Once placed on tour you will receive a detailed Prep Pack filled with tips on training for the tour.

A Day in the Life of an Otesha Tour Member

Have a look through the photos and journals of past tour members here.

As a group, your goal is to form a “mobile sustainable community” that will be a testing ground for ideas about how to live sustainably everyday. What that means is up to you and your co-riders.

The Performance

Performing and Cycling Tours mount a production of Otesha’s fresh theatre piece, “Taking Action”. The play showcases three characters with different approaches to changing the world and the solutions they develop. The performance combines theatre and improv in a high-energy (and humorous!) interactive show that involves audience members in brainstorming solutions to local environmental challenges. A member of a Performing and Cycling Tour can expect to give an average of three to five performances a week to schools and community groups. Tour members follow up the play with small group workshops that take the participants deeper into sustainability issues. Both the play and the workshops focus on creating dialogue and inviting ideas for action that make sense for the local community. Tour members will begin practicing these student-centred facilitation skills during Training Week.

How Much Does it Cost?

Participating in an amazing Otesha bike tour requires that each team member raise a project contribution that goes towards tour expenses such as food, liability insurance, tour planning and support, and equipment. The minimum project contribution for a Performing and Cycling Tour is $2350. 9 Day Shift tour members contribute $900 ($975 after March 1).

Tour member fundraising is an integral part of Otesha’s economic self-sufficiency (rather than operating on subsidies provided by foundations and government agencies). By raising funds to participate in a program, you are not only covering the costs of your experience, but are helping to ensure that the organization keeps riding on into the future.

Fundraising is an empowering experience for tour members, and a great way to reach out to your community. We provide a detailed fundraising package, and will offer you phone and e-mail support. We encourage you to take this opportunity to spread the word about the awesome journey of change you will be embarking on!

No qualified applicant will be turned away from a tour for financial reasons - bursaries are available. Project fundraising does NOT cover your transportation to and from the tour, the costs of your bike, tent and other personal gear, or extended health coverage. These costs can vary widely depending on your circumstances. For more information and tips on how to reduce those costs, check out the Bike Tour FAQ.

Sign me up!

Now that you’re ready to ride, all you have to do is apply!

If you don’t have access to the Internet, please call us at 613-237-6065 and we’d be happy to mail you an application package.

Act fast! We are accepting applications on a first come, first considered basis. In other words, sign up NOW for the best chance of touring in the season and location of your choice. Tour member selection will be ongoing until teams are filled.

More questions? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at 613-237-6065 or via e-mail at applications@otesha.ca.