Great American Bicycle Ride 2012

INME LEARNING PVT LTD www.inme.in www.facebook.com/inme.in| |

NEW DELHI4671 4663

BENGALURU4155 4663

MUMBAI99200 6414

USA484 684 1769

INFORMATION &

REGISTRATION

DOCKET

AMERICA'S PACIFIC COAST

SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO12 MAY - 03 JUNE, 2012

Sarabjit Wallia

Mike Allen

Niharika Adhupia Vialpando

Vivek Sharma

Kalyan Keerthi

Amandeep Randhawa

Follow the voice ardently discussing an education revolution in India and you'll meet SarabjitWallia. After working with the founders of inme for nearly 12 years, he finished his masters in thefield of Outdoor and Environmental Education from Latrobe University in Australia, where he alsotaught Outdoor Leadership to graduate students.

His love for the outdoors was kindled at a very early age while rafting down the emerald waters ofGanga - a passion that has never flagged since. By the age of 16, while at Doon School, he hadsuccessfully scaled Mt. Trishul, cycled from Dehradun to Manali, and twice earned his gold in theInternational Award for Young People. Sarabjit has been based in US since 2003 and every summersees him working on Outdoor Survival and Leadership skills with young Indians.

Mike is an outdoor enthusiast. Whenever he can spare time from his busy schedule as the BikeMarket Manager at Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS Inc, USA), he likes to spend it on long distancebicycle touring, backpacking, camping, mountain bike racing or rock climbing! In all things bike, theknowledge and experience he has gathered in the last 15 years in the biking industry is a force toreckon with. He has coached tons of American kids taking their first ride on a bike. He is now lookingforward to sharing the GABR 2012 adventure with kids from the Indian sub continent.

Niharika, or Nikki as she is affectionately called, always dreamt of becoming a Montessori teacher. Achance outing to a quiet village nestled in the Himalayan ranges made her an outdoor enthusiastand altered her dreams. While still pursuing her bachelors degree in Philosophy, she startedsqueezing in expeditions to the Himalayas into her college breaks.

Nikki began her journey as an Instructor in the summer of 2008 up in New Hampshire, US. She hasworked there every summer since. In 2010 she led the Ropes course as a Department head in NewHampshire. She has also worked on round the year at inme programs at Coorg and Tons as well ason Inme's Double Trouble and Kedarkantha expeditions. She is settled in upstate New York dividingher time between her new husband and her passion for the outdoors.

Vivek gave up a career in the lucrative field of finance to follow his muse! Even after his BasicMountaineering course at NIM - Uttarkashi, motor biking and mountain biking remained his realpassion. He went on to become a premier member of the team that initiated mountain biking inIndia. Today Vivek is an authority in the field of Xtreme sports and has worked with the foundingmembers of inme as a mountain biking instructor for close to a decade. Currently settled inVanccouver, Canada, he is also a professional photographer and film maker. If you don't see himriding a bike, you'll most probably find him cradling a camera.

Klayan is Bangalore boy who was bitten by teh adventure bug quite early in life. He enjoys workingwith youngsters and has been part of the outdoor team at inme since its inception. He has done hisbasic course in Mountaineering from NIM.

A passionate traveller and an amateur photographer, he spends a lot of time in the Himalays and

frequently goes scuba diving. He has been in charge of the montain biking program at the inme

Coorg campus and has cycled solo from Bangalore to Tirupathi.

A former business manager from the apparel industry, Amandeep is a Post Graduate in InternationalMarketing and Textile Technology from RMIT Australia in addition to being a university goldmedallist in Commerce. She has spent close to ten years representing brands like GAP, Nike,Victoria's Secret, Marks & Spencers and Next.

An avid horseback rider, Aman is passionate about the outdoors. Her recent excursions included

climbing the 13000 mts. high Chandrashila peak in October 2011. A biking enthusiast, Aman can be

spotted often at the cyclothon circuit. Currently she is training for running her first half marathon.all pictures from GABR 2011

inme – Great American Bicycle Ride 2012

trip overview Welcome to inme’s Great American Bicycle Ride (GABR) - a remarkable journey through the pacific coast on the land of plenty. Fittingly, it is a journey marked by soaring mountains, tall trees, crashing waves, breathtaking vistas and big fun. The adventure will open in Seattle, Washington, interestingly, the first city in the USA to put even its cops on bikes! Your first day on the program will give you an opportunity to immerse in the local culture – be it at the Pike Place Market, the ‘Soul of Seattle’ where you’ll meet the local craftsmen, buskers (street performers), lavender farmers, and local fisherman or at America’s first Starbucks Coffee shop where you’ll join Seattleites for a cup of coffee. Day 2 will mark the beginning of your tryst with nature. You will ride your bikes to the coastline and be greeted by the gusty blue waves of the Pacific Ocean rushing to meet the sparkling beaches. You will spend the next 3 days riding through Washington at a gentle pace. As you gradually increase the distance travelled each day, you will get acclimatized to the physical exertion of cycling, the road rules, and the daily program schedule. The next part of your journey will be spent travelling through Oregon. According to legend, Oregon derives its name from the French word ‘Ouragan’ which translates to "windstorm" or "hurricane". So, as you navigate your path here, be ready to pick up the challenge that mother Nature will surely send your way! This will be the most demanding part of your journey. You will face steep ascents, heady descents, long riding days, and, at times, roaring winds. The rewards offered along the road, however, will be just as exhilarating. The epicureans will get a chance to tease their taste buds as we pull into Tillamook Cheese Factory. Not only will you get to tour the factory, you will also get an opportunity to sample a wide variety of fresh and delicious cheeses and ice creams made on-site. Those thirsting for even more adventure will be able to try their feet at sand boarding at the Sand Master Park! Oregon is a premier destination for adventure seekers. It has world-renowned skiing, snowboarding, hiking, white water rafting, and it is the ULTIMATE destination for sand boarding! As you approach the end of this epic adventure, you will enter California – the home of the Redwood. The redwoods are descendents of a group of conifers that flourished more than 144 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Only three redwood species have survived the earth’s ever changing environment, each restricted to a small region of the world. The Californian coast is inhabited by the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens).

You will cycle through this awe-inspiring forest of the largest trees in the world. You will also get to meet some of the world’s tallest and oldest living beings – as tall as 320 feet and as old as 2000 years! Some of these trees have trunks more than 24 feet in diameter - so big that the entire group would not be able to hug one tree! Interestingly, much of California's land has been cleared for housing and agriculture but because of reforestation practices, California forests are nearly as large as they were 100 years ago. Your trip will finish in San Francisco as you cycle down the famous Golden Gate Bridge. What a stunning landmark to wrap up the trip of a lifetime - The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has enough steel wires in its cables to circle the earth at the equator 3.5 times! You might also be lucky


enough to catch the bridge being painted. After all, the Golden Gate Bridge is so big that workers paint the bridge year round. By the time they are finished with one end it is time to begin repainting the other end! You will spend your last day celebrating the 1060 kilometers and 3 states that you have covered over our journey. You will spend the day soaking in the sights of San Francisco, reminiscing about your trip, shopping for souvenirs, and going out for a well-deserved gourmet dinner!

On this epic adventure, you will average 78 kilometers per day, with a total of 1060 kilometers throughout the trip. Although you will travel self-supported, carrying everything you need, a road support vehicle will travel with you throughout your journey.

To add to the physical challenge of the trip, you will also be given an opportunity to

interact with the local population and practice your planning, budgeting and creative skills. You will stop at local markets and grocery stores everyday to purchase daily rations for organizing six meals a day for the group – delectable enough to tempt everyone’s appetite, nutritious enough to keep everyone well fueled and energized for loads of fun, and quick enough to leave time for relaxation!

You will be staying in hostels in Seattle and San Francisco. The remainder of the trip will

be spent camping at some of the most beautiful and well-maintained sites. After you pitch tents, you will check out the local beaches, play games, and cook a delicious dinner before heading to bed to be well rested for what is in store for you the next day.

O R E G O N

S A N F R A N C I S C O

S E A T T L E

G R AY L A N D B E A C H

S TAT E PA R K

B E V E R LY B E A C H

S TAT E PA R K

J E S I E M . H O N E Y M A N

S TAT E PA R K

S U N S E T B AY

S TAT E PA R K

H U M B U G M O U N TA I N

S TAT E PA R K

H A R R I S B E A C H

E U R E K A , K O A

B U R L I N G TO N

C A M P G R O U N D

E L K P R A I R I E

C A M P G R O U N D

S TA N D I S H - H I C K E Y S TAT E

R E C R E AT I O N A R E A

M A C K E R R I C H E R

B E A C H

M A N C H E S T E R

S TAT E B E A C H

B O D E G A D U N E S

S TAT E B E A C H

G O L D E N G AT E

B R I D G E

B

A

C

D

E

M

N

F

G

H

K

L

P

Q

J

I

R

O

C A L I F O R N I A

S C H A F E R

S TAT E PA R K

L A K E S Y LV I A

S TAT E PA R K

S A M U E L P. TAY LO R

S TAT E PA R K

You

W A S H I N G T O N0 KM W E W I L L K I C K O F F O U R

A D V E N T U R E I N S E AT T L E

On the first day we browse the

stalls of fresh fish thrown by

fishermen straight up from the ocean. Next we head

to America’s first Starbucks Coffee shop. We will ride

along the Pacific Ocean and take a dip in it.

OUR RIDING ADVENTURE BEGINS!

We drive to Schafer State park and get ready to start

the adventure. In Washington, we start to get used to

the riding and the daily schedule starting with a few

low mileage days and fun afternoons cooling down

with an afternoon swim in the ocean.

88 KM C R U I S E O V E R T H E B O R D E R I N T O

O R E G O N

We will take our first day off

and drive to Oregon. Riding

our bikes we make our way to the coastline where the

bright blue surfing waves of the Pacific Ocean will

crash on the beautiful sandy beaches to our right and

the evergreen forested mountains rise on our left.

We will cruise and camp on the stunning beaches of

Oregon. You will be in heaven as we pull our bikes

into the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a tour and

to try the wide variety of delicious cheese and ice

creams that they make on-site.

798 KM C A L I F O R N I A , H E R E W E C O M E !

NATURAL GIANTS! We mount our

bikes and head south through an

awe-inspiring forest of the largest trees in the world:

the Redwoods, natural giants! These trees are so

big that if we stand hand in hand, our entire group

would not be able to hug one tree. We will also have

the opportunity to ride our bikes right through the

middle of one of the largest redwoods alive. We take

a day off from riding to hike in the redwood forest!

Here we will be camping at some of the most

beautiful and well-maintained campgrounds with

world class facilities

1,156 KM S A N F R A N C I S C O ! W E M A D E I T !

We finish cycling down the famous

cycling route, Pacific Coast Route

1 right over the Golden Gate Bridge. We will enjoy

a day off in San Francisco, reminiscing, shopping

for souvenirs, exploring and going out for a well-

deserved gourmet dinner!

185 KM T R Y O U R S K I L L S AT S A N D

B O A R D I N G

OREGON is known in the USA as

being one of the best states to

go to if you have thirst for adventure. It has world-

renowned skiing and snowboarding, hiking and is the

ULTIMATE destination for sand boarding! We will test

out our group skills on the dunes! We take a day off

from riding and outfit everyone with a board and film

each other’s sweet tricks at the Sand Master Park.

BEACH CAMPING Over 200 miles of

Oregon, we camp night after night on stunning

beaches. After we pitch tents, we will check out

the local beaches and play games, cook a delicious

dinner and a decadent dessert.


eligibility · You are born between 1 Jan 1995 and 31 Dec 1998

· You are at least 5 ft in height

· You are able to mount and dismount a bicycle without assistance

· You are confident and comfortable cycling both on and off road

More importantly, you must be a willing participant who can physically stretch to walk/cycle for 4-5 hours in a day. Though the selected route has been successfully covered by the suggested age group many times and will be filled with fun and adventure, this is not a joy ride. Instructors and trip leaders will not be able to help you physically. You must also be willing to maintain a high level of discipline, adherence to group leader instructions, and commitment to the group.

visa requirement · A valid tourist visa to travel to the USA.

If you do not have a valid US visa, you will need to arrange an interview with the US embassy to obtain the visa. Inme will provide assistance with relevant documents and information. Please note that obtaining a US tourist visa is a long process - it could take between 30 to 60 days beginning from the interview at the embassy until the final procurement of the visa.

application In order to complete your registration, you need to provide

· A detailed application filled by you

· A consent form signed by your parent/ legal guardian

· A detailed health form duly filled by your parent/legal guardian and a physician. This includes a physical fitness certificate attesting that you are free of any ailment or disability that could hamper your participation and safety.

· Payment of program fee

Once enrolled we will be in touch with you via email regarding the preparation for the trip. We will send you a fitness plan that you should follow. This will start 8 weeks before the program to make sure you have the physical ability to overcome all challenges thrown at you in this trip.

The program is not recommended for people with history of severe asthma, heart related issues, epilepsy or highly impaired vision.


program fee The program fee is Rs 1,50,000 + USD 2000 for estimated expenses in the US.

This fee and estimated expenses will cover:

The whole program coordination from Seattle to SanFrancisco

Inme Course Leaders to escort and take care of the group - both ways

All meals and food supplies as planned for this self-sustaining trip

Accommodation (Seattle and San Francisco in hotel / youth hostel and other places on organized camping grounds)

Transfers to and from airports in the United States

The bike is yours! It will be a great souvenir to cherish. The cost of getting the bike back is included in the fee.

DOES NOT INCLUDE:

Cost of air travel. We have an attractive deal with our chosen airlines that is valid upto a certain date. Please ask for specific details.

Visa fee and related expenses.

Personal clothing and equipment for the trip (sleeping bag, clothes,helmet etc). We can guide you or have this arranged for you at cost.

(see kit list in this docket).

travel The trip is planned as a biking adventure trip with the flights worked out for New Delhi – Seattle and San Francisco – New Delhi. The travel dates are fixed. We leave New Delhi on May 12, 2012 and arrive back from San Francisco on June 3, 2012.The trip has been planned in great detail with Mike and Sarabjit having done this trip before.


equipment list This list will assist you in knowing what to bring. Please pay close attention to this list as, on a self sustained biking program both the quantity and quality of equipment matter a great deal.

Do not treat this process like packing for a summer program as there is no campus and fixed tents where a little extra stuff does not matter. Every little item that you carry must fit into your panniers (saddle bags). We will carry all of our gear on our bikes, so the lighter the better!

Please bring only the items on this list. The list below is in accordance with the expected cold & wet weather. Please pack everything into a duffle bag (soft, foldable), no rucksacks or suitcases.

We cannot stress enough on the point of not carrying extra stuff. Do remember that other than your personal items you will be responsible for carrying group gear on your bikes as well, i.e. tent, cooking stove and utensils, food, etc. You need all the space and weight you can spare!

Upper Body Layers

ITEMS REMARKS2 biking t-shirts Quick drying material, NOT COTTON1 shirt to wear around camp 1 warm full-sleeved woolen upper Warm, NOT COTTON1 warm full-sleeved fleece Warm1 rain jacket NO PONCHOS! Keep in mind that you could be biking the entire

day in rain Lower Body Layer

2 padded biking shorts They must be padded biking shorts1 pair of camp shorts Quick drying material1 pair of camp pants Warm track pants / fleece bottoms, Not Jeans 4 pairs of undergarments 1 rain pants

Head, Neck and Hand layers

Warm cap A warm hat made of wool or fleece.Ear band To cover ears in cold weather. Not needed if your cap does this Gloves Warm fleece or woolen gloves, not leather

Footwear

1 pair shoes Sturdy shoes for biking (like running shoes)4 pairs of biking socks 1 pair of floaters/sandals Something that can be worn around camp and in water

Assorted items

Biking Helmet Make sure its a good fitBiking Gloves Swimsuit / trunks Water will be cold but there will be days when we step in for swimSunglasses Torch / head lamp Small, extra batteriesBottles / Hydration pack 2 one litre bottles and/or a camelback with a 2-litre capacity 1 plastic bowl 1 knife, fork, spoon Preferably plasticLarge ziplock bags 5-6 bags for wet items


Toiletries Toothbrush & toothpaste Travel size pasteBar of soap In a plastic soap container and zip lockShampoo/conditioner Small bottle Deodorant SmallSunscreen SPF 30 or higherLip balm / cold cream SmallBug spray Quick drying towel Medium size

Sleeping Gear

Sleeping Bag 0˚C or lowerSleeping bag compression sack Good quality compression sack to reduce the volume Sleeping Mat Thermarest or other inflatable matsSleeping Mat compression sack Good quality compression sack to reduce the volume

Optional Items

Camera Batteries or charger with converter plugBook Something to read in your free timeDairy / Journal Highly recommended Money Maximum of $250 (cash/ prepaid card / traveler cheques) International calling card To call home when possible

Do Not Carry

Mobile phone No signal most of the time, little to no chance of charging. iPods or similar devices Absolutely not allowed when on your bike, no ease of charging

Tips:

1. Wear the track pants in your list during your flight to and from US, it will save one additional item to carry.

2. Wear floaters on the flight, you’ll find them more comfortable.

3. If your wear contact-lenses, we would strongly suggest carrying a pair of prescription glasses as well. For the ones who prefer glasses please carry an extra pair.

Please ensure you buy equipment as specified and rated. We will be glad to guide you with your purchasing. Write to [email protected]


preparing for the trip

This summer you will be bicycling 1060 kilometers. With a little effort you can prepare yourself physically and be ready to rock out while we ride the coast! If you follow the recommendations below you will have no problem completing the trip. We expect everybody to show up with a reasonable level of fitness and be ready to ride.

Biking is the best way to prepare for biking. If you have access to a bike - ride it. If not, substitute some other form of cardiovascular exercise: running, football, swimming, etc. The workout below is for a bike.

This schedule begins 8 weeks before the trip and guides you through daily workouts all the way to the week before we meet you in Seattle!

Once you register, we will be in touch with you during the 8 weeks before the trip to keep track of your progress.

Week Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

8 45 min off 30 min off 45 min off 90 min 7 45 min off 30 min off 45 min off off 6 90 min 45 min off 30 min off off 90 min 5 90 min 45 min off 30 min 30 min off 2 hours 4 90 min 30 min off 45 min off off 2 hours 3 90 min 45 min 45 min 45 min 45 min 90 min 2 hours 2 2 hours 45 min 45 min 30 min 30 min off 2 hours 1 60 min 60 min 60 min 60 min 60 min off off

Visualize yourself on this trip.

Think of the fun moments and the tough parts. Imagine not giving up when you are tired and really stretching yourself.

Imagine yourself at the Golden Gate Bridge posing with you cycle for a group snap!


trip leaders, safety and support

This adventure has been planned in great detail with Mike and Sarabjit having done this trip before. Additionally, Vivek and Sarabjit have recently been on a scouting trip on the exact route to detail the logistics. As mentioned, this is a popular biking route and has been attempted by many participants in the recommended age group. There are sections that have specified cycling routes and camping spots at appropriate distances.

• All the accompanying Instructors are qualified first aiders. • The US has excellent emergency services and should we need any help, the services on selected route has a 10-15 minute response time. Also, there is a road support vehicle that moves with the group throughout the entire stretch of the trip. • All participants will be insured for the trip (part of the program fee). Please note that this insurance covers certain aspects of medical emergencies and conditions so please read the terms of coverage carefully.

We have 6 program leaders that will take care of the group’s safety. Amandeep and Kalyan will accompany the group to and from India and Sarabjit, Mike, Nikki and Vivek will join the group at Seattle.

To give you an idea about the kind of leaders inme proudly works with, a short profile of each of them appears on the next page.

Sarabjit Wallia

Mike

Niharika Adhupia Vialpando

Vivek Sharma

Kalyan Keerthi

Amandeep Randhawa

Follow the voice ardently discussing an education revolution in India and you'll meet SarabjitWallia. After working with the founders of inme for nearly 12 years, he finished his masters in thefield of Outdoor and Environmental Education from Latrobe University in Australia, where he alsotaught Outdoor Leadership to graduate students.

His love for the outdoors was kindled at a very early age while rafting down the emerald waters ofGanga - a passion that has never flagged since. By the age of 16, while at Doon School, he hadsuccessfully scaled Mt. Trishul, cycled from Dehradun to Manali, and twice earned his gold in theInternational Award for Young People. Sarabjit has been based in US since 2003 and every summersees him working on Outdoor Survival and Leadership skills with young Indians.

Mike is an outdoor enthusiast. Whenever he can spare time from his busy schedule as the BikeMarket Manager at Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS Inc, USA), he likes to spend it on long distancebicycle touring, backpacking, camping, mountain bike racing or rock climbing! In all things bike, theknowledge and experience he has gathered in the last 15 years in the biking industry is a force toreckon with. He has coached tons of American kids taking their first ride on a bike. He is now lookingforward to sharing the GABR 2012 adventure with kids from the Indian sub continent.

Niharika, or Nikki as she is affectionately called, always dreamt of becoming a Montessori teacher. Achance outing to a quiet village nestled in the Himalayan ranges made her an outdoor enthusiastand altered her dreams. While still pursuing her bachelors degree in Philosophy, she startedsqueezing in expeditions to the Himalayas into her college breaks.

Nikki began her journey as an Instructor in the summer of 2008 up in New Hampshire, US. She hasworked there every summer since. In 2010 she led the Ropes course as a Department head in NewHampshire. She has also worked on round the year at inme programs at Coorg and Tons as well ason Inme's Double Trouble and Kedarkantha expeditions. She is settled in upstate New York dividingher time between her new husband and her passion for the outdoors.

Vivek gave up a career in the lucrative field of finance to follow his muse! Even after his BasicMountaineering course at NIM - Uttarkashi, motor biking and mountain biking remained his realpassion. He went on to become a premier member of the team that initiated mountain biking inIndia. Today Vivek is an authority in the field of Xtreme sports and has worked with the foundingmembers of inme as a mountain biking instructor for close to a decade. Currently settled inVanccouver, Canada, he is also a professional photographer and film maker. If you don't see himriding a bike, you'll most probably find him cradling a camera.

Kalyan is Bangalore boy who was bitten by the adventure bug quite early in life. He enjoys workingwith youngsters and has been part of the outdoor team at inme since its inception. He has done hisbasic course in Mountaineering from NIM.

A passionate traveller and an amateur photographer, he spends a lot of time in the Himalays and

frequently goes scuba diving. He has been in charge of the montain biking program at the inme

Coorg campus and has cycled solo from Bangalore to Tirupathi.

A former business manager from the apparel industry, Amandeep is a Post Graduate in InternationalMarketing and Textile Technology from RMIT Australia in addition to being a university goldmedallist in Commerce. She has spent close to ten years representing brands like GAP, Nike,Victoria's Secret, Marks & Spencers and Next.

An avid horseback rider, Aman is passionate about the outdoors. Her recent excursions included

climbing the 13000 mts. high Chandrashila peak in October 2011. A biking enthusiast, Aman can be

spotted often at the cyclothon circuit. Currently she is training for running her first half marathon.

INME LEARNING PVT LTD www.inme.in www.facebook.com/inme.in| |

NEW DELHI4671 4663

BENGALURU4155 4663

MUMBAI99200 6414

USA484 684 1769

INFORMATION &

REGISTRATION

DOCKET

AMERICA'S PACIFIC COAST

SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO12 MAY - 03 JUNE, 2012

Documents

Great American Bicycle Ride 2012