Family Cycling Vacation
 

Hi. I am looking for a great family cycling experience in 2007 for two 40+ parents and their 12 and 14 year old boys. I am trying not to spend a lot of money on this, so the luxury tour companies (Vermont Cycling, etc.) are probably out.

So far, I have found Pedal Across Michigan, which is geared toward families and is a 6 day ride, averaging 45 miles per day. This ride seems great, at less than $100 per person for camping and a vehicle to transport your stuff each day. Breakfasts and dinners are also available for a $4 and $8 per person. This ride sounds great! Does anyone have any feedback on it?

Also, there is the Ride Across Iowa, which is a more serious ride, averaging 60 or more miles a day. Probably too serious for us.

Adventure Cycling Association has some routes that might be good for us. A lot of the rides are during the spring though, when the kids are still in school. Also, the rides seem to cost $500-800 per person for a week.

Does anyone have any suggestions on other sources for this type of ride?

Thank you!

travelgirl2, I have not done this myself, but some friends went on the Bike Virginia trip several times and really enjoyed it. I think there are variable mileage options. The trip is a camping trip but my friends told me that some people elected to stay in motels along the route (I don't know whether they had to arrange that on their own). The route changes every year. Here is the website: www.bikevirginia.org/. I think we're still a couple of years away from this kind of trip but it's something I have thought about, so I'll be watching for your report! : )

My husband and I are thinking of doing the VA ride next year. When our girls were 10 and 14 we did a bike ride called Bike the Whites in New Hampshire. I think it was a 3-night trip, and each night you stayed at a B&B or an inn and they transported your luggage to the next stop. You had a choice of longer or shorter rides every day. It was not nearly as expensive as some of the Vermont companies.

You could put your own trip together but you'd miss out on the comraderie of other bikers. Cape Cod, for instance, has a lot of different trails.

I googled Bike the Whites and it is still up and running. Three country inns with breakfast and dinner every night for $379 per person. The inns were very nice, and the breafast and dinners were excellent. It now runs from Tuesday to Friday so I would add some other activity at the front end.

Thank you for your suggestions!

Barbara - The Virginia tour looks great. Unfortunately, the 2007 dates begin when my kids are still in school. Will definitely keep it in mind for the future. In fact, we are considering whether to make the 6 hour drive to participate in a weekend tour at the end of September.

Suki - Bike the Whites looks like a great alternative to the expensive touring companies, while affording some luxury by staying in B&B's and inns.

Birdie - We usually try to incorporate a day or two of biking, usually on Rails to Trails, whenever we take a car vacation. We loved the Farmington Canal in Connecticut. Also have enjoyed a rail trail near Washington DC, the Burlington VT city trail, the Stowe VT trail and a few others. But just for a day at a time.

I found a site which lists a lot of upcoming rides: ://www.nbtda.com/FullList.asp

This is a company I've heard of but never used:

www.zephyradventures.com

San Juan Islands are a great option. Time it right and you can whale watch from shore. You can plan it easily yourself.

Just do circle routes on various islands and take the ferries between lodging/campground.

Another nice option (in the other Washington) is to do the route of the C& O Canal. Harper's Ferry is a fantastic historical stop.

Most states have a "bike across the state" event. In Georgia it is called BRAG.

Google different states to see if any fall within your dates. I have friends who do it every year.

travelgirl, thanks for the link to the bike rides. My husband is very fit and can easily do 50 miles a day. Me, not so much. I have to get training!

You're welcome, suki.

In thinking about it further, this would be our ideal ride:

Very inexpensive
30 miles per day (up to 50 miles would be okay)
Not too hilly
Transportation of luggage from site to site
With a group of cyclists, for comeraderie
Geared towards families, ie. lots of other kids, well-marked and patrolled routes, low traffic routes
5-7 days long
Easy meals and lodging

repete - great suggestions for non-group touring. Both San Juan Islands and C&O have been on our list for a while.

starrsville - have been checking all the state-wide rides. Mileages on some are just too much for us. I couldn't see us going 60 and more miles a day. Right now, we can probably go 15-20, and we'll be working up to more.

My ex did the ragbrai (sp?) ride across Iowa. He was very fit at the time and said it was surprisingly difficult and was also very hot.

LLindaC - we'd probably collapse half-way through!

Camping is fine, too.

One of the rides has a service where they will set up and break down your tent for you at each site. It seems kind of wimpy, but maybe this would be good, since we'd be tired from riding all day. It would be nice to ride up and see your tent waiting for you.

This travel site has a lot of active vacations all over the world -
the bike trip to the San Juans sounds great I think -

http://gorptravel.away.com/index.html

I have a friend who just came back from his annual summer bike trip - he rode 2200 miles on his bike- and he is over 65.

He did 16 days with Adventure Cycling
and did the rest on his own .
He has also ridden across the US twice on his bike -
He's an amazing guy - like to hear his stories but dont want to try it myself

travelgirl, I don't know..my husband and I did a village to village hike in Switzerland this summer where they transported our luggage. If I had to stay in a tent daily, it wouldn't do. I needed a soft down comforter, hot shower and cold beer on the deck! Ahhh
pa..this sounds like fun, let us know what you decide

Look first at some of the multi-day charity rides, such as MS-150 or Lung Association Treks. The support on these is usually excellent, and the fund-raising requirement often so low that you could self-pay the entire amount and still pay less than many of the commercial tours.

Look also at tours that bicycle clubs (and other outdoor sports clubs) arrange for their members. Since these are done as a service to the members, and not as a profit-making activity, that again keeps prices minimal. Ask a lot of questions though, as some of them may be for cycling skills much higher than yours. Find a lot of links to local cycling clubs thru the pages of www.bikeleague.org and www.adventurecycling.org

Also look at the maps of "rider-tested" routes that are sold by Adventure Cycling. The maps are excellent, but you'd have to find someone to haul your gear, or would need to pack it on your bikes (or try the trailers, if you can rent one or two of them - often again a service of bicycle clubs).

I bicycled from LA to Boston twice on a charity ride that had been organized by someone who now has his own private bicycle tour company - "America by Bike" www.abbike.com - and he might have some tours that would be suitable for your group.

Also look at Country Roads Bicycle Tours, http://www.crbyt.com This is another tour company operated by people I knew from a ride ("Cycling Jersey" that I did three times with) who have created their own tour company. I am SURE their tours would be suitable for you, and some of them cost about $50/day per person. While searching for their company name, I found the website http://www.bicyclingworld.com that LOOKs like it offers a lot of search criteria; how good the results are I cannot say.

Some local chapters of HI/AYH (Hosteling International / American Youth Hostels ) also arrange multi-day trips, staying at hostels and/or campgrounds.

The Michigan ride sounds good ... did it used to be called "PALM" (pedal across LOWER Michigan)? I like the lower-priced rides and the charity rides ... people seem to enjoy themselves more. One of my fellow ride leaders when I did the cross-country ride the 2nd time had told me how she almost took a job with one of the high-priced companies, but felt the participants wanted too much hand-holding and to be catered too .... too "snooty" for her tastes.

Good luck. Bicycling is a GREAT way to have a fun vacation, and one does not need high-priced B&B's to have a good time.

Gee, I almost forgot about one that goes practically through my neighborhood. New York has an 8 day 400 mile ride along the historic Erie Canal. http://www.ptny.org/canaltour/

If you have non-cycling family members, this tour (and many others) will allow them to "volunteer" (luggage moving, support vehicle driver, etc) and come along for free, even with some time to bicycle as well. Use of volunteers is another way some tours keep costs and prices down.

Thanks rb_travelerxATyahoo! What great information. I appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge. Yes, the Michigan ride is PALM (pedal across lower Michigan). It looks like the best ride for us. My kids are still in school up until then, so we'd have trouble making it there for the beginning. Similar dates to Bike Virginia in 2007. Maybe we could join one of these a day or two late. PALM, especially, looks like it is very geared towards families.

This year, we are looking at the lowest cost options... A nice fluffy bed would be nice, but we don't mind camping. There is something exciting about 'roughing it'.

rb_travelerxATyahoo - How did you find riding from LA to Boston? What a great trip that must have been. Can you tell me a little about it? How long did it take? How many miles each day? Etc. Thanks!

rb, thanks for all the great biking info you provided. My husband is thinking of doing RAGBRAI, the ride across Iowa. Do you know anything about that one? Thanks.

I have friends who do RAGBRAI every year. I know that it is fairly hard core and very, very hot. Lance Armstrong did it this year. My friends have a great time each year they do it but it is not a leisurely trip.

Have fun
Taitai

From what I've heard of RAGBRAI, you go miles past fields of corn, pigs, corn, corn, pigs, and corn. Did I mention lots of cornfields? But in between there's a lot of friendly towns and townspeople who put out (some free, some sold) good & beverages and it becomes like a long cycling party.

The rides I did, called "Pedal for Power Across America" was 47 days long with 5 days off at Flaggstaff, Santa Fe, Topeka, Champaign IL, and Erie PA. Average distance was 83 mi per day, with as much as 116 and as little as 44. How did I feel? Well, I still get goosebumps when I'm asked about it! Oh there were some days when I was DAMN glad to get to a hot shower, but not once did I regret signing up for the rides. I think the toughest day was in MO from Chillicothe to Kirksville ... we went thru an area called something like "Thousand Hills State Park" and I swear we did all 1000 hills on sub-par road surface. The day we did 116 (the 45h day) I did an extra 9 miles to earn a "Double Kilometer Century (200 km) and I wasn't as tired. (The truth be told, I had decided NOT to do the extra 9 miles, but my odometer was broken and I rode 5 mi past the hotel). My only 2 other days exceeding that was around 140 mi on a ride called "Boston to Provincetown in a Day" sponsored by Charles River Wheelmen, then 203 miles in a "Fall Century Weekend" sponsorded by an Albany NY bicycling club.

I'd give the same advice to prepare as I was given: spend a lot of time in the saddle. Don't worry about distance, just get <i>real intimate</i> with your saddle.

Go for it! You'll have a great time.

I topped this thread for you, travelgirl2:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34425856

Thanks for that information. So, what's your next big ride going to be, rb?

rb - I didn't know you were such a great biker. You'll have to come to Williamsburg for &quot;Bike the Parkway&quot;. Not a great distance but lots of fun. Its usually the first weekend in May.

Birdie - I'm NOT such a great biker. Even the longest trip starts with one push of the pedal! Then another ....

I'm still sheepish about cycling in VA. It was in Riverside/WalterReed Memorial that I spend 2 months in traction after being &quot;hit &amp; runned&quot; in Middlesex County back 05/14/1985. Sometimes lightning DOES strike twice!

I hear &quot;Bike the Parkway&quot; a nice event and to be honest with you, while I was staying often at Governor Spottswood Motel, I thought of asking if I could keep a bicycle there for my frequent trips to the Burg. Since I &quot;hung my shingle&quot; (custom software) a few years ago my visits are less frequent. Now I have a couple dozen bosses instead of just one!

RB - I hate to argue. But, anyone who can go 100+ miles is a great biker, in my book! Thanks for all the great information.

I am going to round up DH and the kids and we are going to take our first training (ha ha) ride this afternoon!

This past weekend we went with Bike Virginia on a camping and cycling weekend in the Northern Neck. We had a blast. We went 31.4 miles, which was pretty much our outer limit, without training at all.

We are already looking for our next cycling trip. Thanks again for the information and inspiration to get biking!

Way to Go! Congradulations.

Now that you've made that many revolutions, you've only got a few more before you cross the state ... then??

Keep it up!

Thanks RB! I love the encouragement I get from Fodor's members. You guys really understand the restless spirit that drives me to get out there and see and do more and more.

http://www.oregonbicycleride.org/about.html
http://www.bicycleadventures.com/whe...gon/crater.php

Thanks for the ideas, bbqboy. Riding around Crater Lake looks awesome. This particular tour, at $300+ per person per day, would be too much for us, costing $1200+ per day for the family. The itineraries look great though. I'd love to re-create one of them someday.

if you bring your own bikes and plan on your own which trails you'll do each day you will probably save lots of money.. there is a site that isn't at all complete (or user friendly) but some of their areas (they divided the states into regions??!) have guides that have a whole section about biking, so you can get some ideas for trails
www.tripcart.com

I just ran across this old thread of mine and thought I'd bring it up-to-date. In August 2007, our family did a 10 day bicycle trip along the Danube River, beginning in Passau and ending in Vienna.

We rode an average of 25 miles a day. We stayed in simple hotels. Each morning, we dropped our luggage in the lobby, ate breakfast and started riding. Along the way, we'd stop for lunch or a snack. When we arrived at that night's destination, our luggage was waiting for us in the lobby. We usually arrived between 3-6 pm, totally exhausted (well, I was totally exhausted, hubby and kids were just very tired).

Here is the web site we used to book: http://www.eurobike.at/en/eb/suche/suche.asp

The price for a 10 day trip is currently 535 euros per person, plus 55 euros for bike rental and 50 euros for a high-season surcharge.

The way this trip worked was perfect for us. They made the hotel reservations and gave us maps and transported the luggage each day. Other than that, we were completely self-guided. I absolutely loved it and would love to do it again or try another similar ride.

One advantage of this ride was that it's on a paved bike path which is almost completely flat. Also, you can add days where you like and they will work with you to tailor the trip a bit for you, although we just took their 10 day trip which included riding 200 miles in 8 days.

One thing we really liked was that everything along the trail was geared towards biking. Farmers set up huts along the trail where they served alcoholic cider and snacks. One afternoon we were getting pretty tired when we happened upon a huge ice cream parlor on the bank of the river.

Also, even though we were not part of a group, we saw some of the same people over and over and compared notes on riding. We hooked up with 2 ladies from Spain and rode with them for 2 days. That was lots of fun. We were all disappointed when our hotels were different on the second evening.

Along with the Spanish ladies, we spent a rainy afternoon riding a ferry downriver instead of cycling, and spent a few hours eating lunch and talking with a man from Barcelona (who wasn't riding because, &quot;I have a problem with my ass&quot;) and a father and teenage daughter from Germany. That was a great afternoon!

Thanks for the update, travelgirl2! Looking forward to hearing more about it.