dklein2

We are thinking of traveling in the eastern US next year. I'm looking for a biking trip for 2-3 days as part of that trip. It could be anywhere in New York or Pennsylvania. I'd like a tour where there would be a van available if one of our family members needs assistance during the ride. Also would be nice for hotels, meals, etc. to be arranged while we concentrate on biking. Have done some Internet searches but no luck. Any suggestions?

rb_travelerxATyahoo

check related links at the websites of League of American Bicylists and Adventure Cycling:

bikeleague.org
adventurecycling.org

if nothing comes up, try looking into some of the fund-raising charity rides, such as those hosted by Lung Associations, MS-150 rides, etc. Sometimes those can be worthwhile if you just pay the minimum fund-raising amount from your own pocket, or of course you could try collecting for the cause. Those organizations often host rides with EXCELLENT support, knowing that often the riders are over-extending themselves. I'll also recommend a company called "American by Bike" (www.abbike.com), but you may wish to discuss your family members' bicycling skills with "Doug" before signing up (Tell Doug that a Schenectady Pedal-4-power-AcrossAmerica referred you ... Doug, the owner was part of the staff for a LA-Boston trip I made in 1990+1991, but not with ABBIKE)

dklein2

Thank you rb_travelerxATyahoo for all of your suggestions. I will check them out!

mclaurie

I remember reading about a bike tour of historic covered bridges in Pa. Bucks County Pa and Lancaster County (Amish Country) would both be good areas for that. I did a google search for bike tours of covered bridges in pa and came up with lots of websites including some "generic" bike riders clubs/trips. Hope this helps.

Keith

How about going in the spring and doing it in Florida?

I have done the spring events with Bike Florida, twice. They were both great. Although most of the people do a 5 or 6 day ride, FBT also offered an option to do just the first few days.

http://www.bikeflorida.org/

They had both camping or staying at a nearby motel.

My favorite commerical bike tour company was Michigan Bicycle Touring, but they went out of business. Vermont Bicycle Touring looks good, but they are longer trips and expensive.

Keith

Suki

If you can locate a tour in the area, I strongly urge you to bike Lancaster Pa. This is a truly beautiful area. We did a 3-day bike vacation in New Hampshire a few summers ago through a program called "Bike the Whites." It was fun but not as scenic as we had hoped. A few weeks after we returned we biked on our own for a day through Lancaster County. We used a cue sheet offered online by the Lancaster Bike Club. We passed rolling hills, farms, old mill streams, cows standing in the middle of old mill streams, horses, and of course the Amish in their horses and buggies. It was a really great ride. If you are interested, I think you should call the Lancaster visitor bureau and see if they have any info.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Suki's suggestion of finding routes, or even better scheduled rides, published/hosted by individual bicycle clubs is great too. I didn't suggest those because most club rides do not provide scheduled "sag" service (pickup), but some do. Club hosted rides will usually be the least expensive, as they are done for the pleasure of members & guests, not for profit. Use the same links I provided above to find individual clubs.

New York state has done a cross-state ride on "Bike-Route 5", closely following the Erie Canal & Mohawk River for a few years ... I think it's called the FANYS ride, or something similar. I know there's some great rides done in PA as well, & will try to find links or contacts for you.

SenecaGirl

Here's a web-site to check out -- Wilderness Adventures. They provide tours of the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes -- both gorgeous, scenic areas. They do provide assistance during the tours with a van. They set up hotels & meals -- they are great people.

http://www.wildernessadventures.ws/