bigM membership

Member Policies

BigM members agree to abide by certain policies to ensure safe and happy riding for everyone:

  1. Wear a helmet. In addition to protecting your most valuable asset, this is out of courtesy to those you ride with - the ones that are there to pick you up if something bad should happen. No helmet, no ride.
  2. Coming on a night ride? Bring lights! Good ones suitable for off-road riding - at least 10w halogen or equivalent and with enough battery capacity for the ride. As above, no suitable lights, no ride.
  3. Every individual wishing to participate in bigM events must complete an application form and submit this with the appropriate membership fee. Payment of the fee signifies your understanding of and agreement to follow bigM policies and recommendations (see our introduction package).
  4. Club subscriptions shall be due annually, every 1 February.
  5. Any member failing to renew membership within one month of the renewal date shall cease to receive insurance coverage and access to information restricted to members. Those members who fail to renew within one month of a subsequent reminder shall be deemed to have resigned from the group.
  6. No individual shall take part in any event or ride as a club member unless his/her membership is current.
  7. Prospective members that have not been members of bigM at any time in the past are permitted to take part in two rides before deciding to join bigM. It is understood that these prospective members are not covered by bigM's third party liability insurance policy.
  8. All members will have immense fun on all club rides that they take part in.
 Bomber

BigM members also agree to abide to the following club etiquette:

  1. Respect the trail signs. Do not ride areas not allowed for cyclists. These verboden trails are not open to us for a reason, mainly the ecological one. The trail police (there actually is one) might catch you, too!
  2. Do not litter. This includes banana peels! If you think it gets eecky in your backpack, bring an extra plastic bag! (And remember to take it out of your backpack not too long after you've returned home ...)
  3. Be self-sufficient. Carry at least the stuff you might need to fix a flat, bring enough water and snacks, and money should you run out of either. Awkward situations happen, but please do not rely on your fellow riders to continuously help you out. See our checklist for help on how to pack your backpack.
  4. Be nice. Off as well as on the forum, communicate in as friendly tone as possible. This is more and more important as we keep growing in numbers, in an attempt to keep our superb ambiance! For general guidelines for the forum, surf to our introduction package.

Legal Status

Brussels International Group of Mountain Bikers (bigM), is not an official club - it has no legal personality under Belgian commercial, civil or fiscal law. However, it is an association de fait (association of fact) for the purposes of obtaining third party liability insurance for its members participating in group rides.

The annual membership fee helps defray the administrative costs of the group: liability insurance, web hosting fees, and reserving our bigM internet address, to name but a few costs. Accounts are available for members to view upon request.


Insurance
  • Third Party Liability Insurance

    Big M has entered into an insurance policy to protect its members in case of third party liability arising during bigM events. Here are the insurance conditions (French only, sorry!):

    Responsabilité civile page 1 page 2
    Responsabilité juridique page 1 page 2

  • Medical and Property Insurance Not Covered

    Please note that the membership fee only covers third party liability (damage you cause to anyone of your fellow riders, their bikes or other hapless victims of possible accidents). Thus, make sure your personal insurance covers any damage that you might cause to yourself (medical) or your bike (property) while mountain biking. Be aware of the fact that mountain biking is considered an extreme sport, and it might not be covered by standard insurance packages unless you request specific coverage. Check with your employer's human resources department if there's any doubt.

    bigM membership

  • Applying for membership

    If you have read and accepted all above, and want to apply for bigM membership, click here.

  • bigM introduction package

    For all our members, and in particular to help newcomers get quickly acclimatized to our activities: Please take the time to read our introduction package.

  • Renewing your membership

    Renewal of memberships is done no sooner than during the last month of your current membership year by transferring a new membership fee to the bigM bank account. Before you do this, however, check with a member from Het Stuur that the amount to be paid hasn't changed.