Stock up on those Power Bars! With warm weather here, for the most part, the cyclists among us will be especially eager to hit the road. But how, and on what programs? You could opt for a group tour that costs hundreds per day, but why would you want to? Dozens of states and bicycling organizations sponsor tours every year for as little as a refreshing $20 a day (and we recently found one for only $10 per day), covering camping, baggage support, and, frequently, food and beverages.
The key to these refreshing rates is the National Bicycle Tour Directors Association, a network of bike organizations–of which many are non-profit and run by bike enthusiasts, not entrepreneurs looking to make a buck. Consequently, most of their tours are super-cheap and beloved by constant and occasional riders alike. The NBTDA Web site (www.nbtda.com) allows you to search where and when you’d like to ride and how much you are willing to spend. You can pick a specific area of North America, or just plug in a price and time range and see what comes up.
Most tours limit the number of riders, so it is a good idea to reserve early. And in many cases, you’ll have to bring your own camping gear and other supplies, but vans or buses will transport everything for you but you and your bike. Here is a sampling of what we recently found for this spring and summer, priced under $400 per person:
– From June 9 to 15, the Oklahoma FreeWheel group winds its way through Oklahoma and a small section of Arkansas. The price for adults for the seven-day tour is only $70 (or just $10 per day), and that price includes camping, luggage transport, maps, portable toilets, rest stops and snacks. Children ages 6 to 14 pay only $40. For information, visit www.okfreewheel.com or call 918-592-BIKE.
– Wisconsin is a bike-crazed state, and one testament to that is its eight-day “Great Annual Bicycle Adventure Along the Wisconsin River” (or GRABAAWR). The 500-mile tour starts near Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and ends in Prairie du Chien. Most of Wisconsin is flat or slightly hilly, and the weather for this ride, starting June 29, should be quite nice. The fee for camping and luggage transport is $180. Call 888-575-3640; www.bikewisconsin.org.
– Further west, you can wind through 400 miles of Wyoming over a six-day period for $135. The tour runs from July 21 to 26, and it includes camping, trucks to carry your bags, some snacks and beverages, T-shirts and continental breakfast. Go to www.cyclewyoming.org or call 307-742-5840.
– At the northeast tip of the United States, an eight-day bike tour departs on July 26. The ride, called the “Lighthouse Tour,” makes its way through parts of Maine and Nova Scotia, covering 380 miles total. While this tour is a bit more expensive than some others ($390), it includes ferry fees, hot showers, most meals, support vans and a T-shirt, as well as the usual baggage transport and camping. The salty air in your lungs and the seascapes along the ride are worth a little extra, too! Call 207-743-9018 or visit www.canamwheelers.com.
It might seem obvious, but you’ll need to be in decent shape and to ride fairly regularly in order to make it through a bike tour and not be miserable. As a general guide, tours with special rates for children or families are a little less demanding.
Look up more bicycle tours at www.nbtda.com.