High-End Bike Trips

[ChickWithBrains]

DH and I are considering a bike trip this coming Jan or Feb, likely to South America (Argentina/Chile) to enjoy the opposite season. We desperately need vacation, we prefer active vacations, and the bikes seem like a great way go to. DH has been a cyclist for years and we're both tri folks, so we figure our fitness level is fine for the sorts of trips we're looking at. We're eyeing group tours with 15-75+ miles of riding daily (at least 2-3 options for length each day) with interesting lodging and the promise of fabulous meals.

Anyone done this, especially with groups like Backroads or Butterfield and Robinson? What would you have done differently? What did you love? Please share!

[Aint Doody]

I have been on 2 trips with Bicycle Adventures. My only regret is that the trips didn't last longer! They are a great company located in theTacoma, WA, area. They concentrate on the western part of the country, but they also have trips to other places--New Zealand comes to mind. Their guides are wonderful and so very knowledgeable. I like the fact that the evening meals are at really nice restaurants, and you order from the menu whatever you like. I've made really good friends on both my trips as well.

[onimity]

Well, as you saw from the other thread I am planning a similar trip, but independently. It's awesome to see someone else planning a trip to South America, I've been down there for our winter the past couple of years and am absolutely in love with SA.

I prefer independent travel because I like to take rest days when I want them, and account for things like weather rather than stick to a hard-and-fast schedule. I like the option of spontaneity. On the other hand I understand that I am sort of unique in my choice of what constitutes a vacation, and that you may well want to put all the details in the hands of someone that will handle them.

I don't have any experience with the companies you listed, their tours look nice but I would say that as long as you are in reasonably populated cities you won't find any shortage of high-end accommodations and great food. That is, if you like steak. :) I've not been terribly impressed with Chilean food to date, even in higher-end restaurants. Good wine, though, in both! Argentina also has more delicious pastries than any place I have visited.

On the whole, I have met a lot of travelers going places with high-end agencies in South America, they seem to be hit and miss. Sometimes an international company will contract with a local company that will go with cheaper options & basically disregard the itinerary you saw on a lovely website and paid 10X the going rate for. Other times, you get exactly what you wanted, but it is usually on a very well-beaten path and you can expect to be in very touristy spots. It is important to seek out people that have traveled with these companies, and recently.

It seems from your other post that you are mostly concerned with not doing self-supported touring and that good food and lodging are a concern. Given that, I might also recommend that you chose a place or few, depending on the length of your trip and book individual trips in different areas.

I've been reading a lot about the Lake District since that is the section that I am planning now. It seems like it would be fairly easy there to rent a bike to see some of the major attractions around Bariloche, and there are numerous companies that do bike tours between there and Futuleufu (great rafting, if you are into that). You can also ride up the 7 lakes route to San Martin de los Andes, which looks to be stunning.

On the whole, though, I'd recommend spending the effort to get local guides because they will generally show you things/places that are much more interesting. If you handle your own accommodations, you can still work it out so that you can stay in really nice places, unless you want to venture further into the wilderness. I'll be cycling through here in Dec. and would be happy to send you any info I find on agencies/guides that are recommended. Not to mention good food! :)

Mendoza is another great area; you can rent bikes to tour local wineries, and there is a ton of great hiking around the city. Regardless it would be a great place to unwind after a long cycling trip. Again, no shortage of top-end accommodations and food to die for. I can send you a list of some great restaurants if you end up there.

Travel between cities in Argentina & Chile is really easy. LAN Chile and Aerolineas Argentinas have regular flights to most major cities, and unlike in the US, generally feed you. Of the two I much prefer LAN Chile. And while the thought of a bus in South America strikes fear into the hearts of many, the bus service in Chile and Argentina is really quite phenomenal, great seats, food and wine. Quite comparable to first class air travel within the US.

Hopefully that is of some help, sorry to not have more info on the tours, I know that is the question you asked :). Keep us posted on your plans, I can't wait to hear what you decide to do!

Anne

[crazycanuck]

Umm..If you want to come to Western Australia you could do the Munda Biddi Mtn bike trail.
www.mundabiddi.org.au At the moment it's 332km.

And the best part is you have someone to show you part of the way :)

I know of an outback mtn bike tour but the details seem to have escaped me at the moment..

What about cycling the Great Ocean Road in Vic, Australia or touring Tassie?

Good luck!
C

[Crankin]

I have been on 2 "high end trips" with Trek Travel and a slightly less plush trip with Classic Adventures (they work with Bicycle Adventures). Everything was great on these trips; the guides, especially at Trek were unbelievably knowledgeable and great leaders. I know several people who have done Backroads trips and I haven't heard any complaints.
The only negative thing I can say about these trips is that some of the other participants were a bit obnoxious, at least to me. When I get back from a hard day of riding I do not want to sit around in sweaty bike clothes and drink beer. I also can't stay up until midnight getting drunk if I have to be up at 8 getting ready to ride again. On the trip we did to the Czech Republic and Austria, half of the group were friends and had known each other since college. They weren't "bad" people, but it definitely made the trip seem like there were 2 groups. The Classic Adventures trip we did to Quebec last summer went much better, even though the level of support was a teeny bit less (2 guides instead of 3). We purposely chose a trip that was listed as easy/moderate so there would be none of the competition we saw on the other trips. Most of the people were strong riders, just older like me.

[maillotpois]

We did a Backroads "epic" trip to the Tour de France several years ago. It was great - the riding was really good and the guides were awesome. We rode by some Butterfield & Robinson buses - my impression was that B&R was a bit more about the luxury and less about the riding than Backroads. Although the easier level Backroads trips are likely less about the riding. I think Backroads has trips to suit just about every riding need (lots of miles or not as many).

I loved the rides they planned for us - I did wish we had a bit more time no our own to just poke around and explore on our own. But that was probably a function of the fact our trip was "epic" and they had to fit in some super long rides along with Tour viewing. It didn't leave much time for poking around on your own.

[bcipam]

I have done Backroads and I have done other organizations which are much less expensive. I don't have a complaint about any touring company. Backroads is definitely top notch, great staff, great inns, but so pricey. I started taking less expensive vacation and frankly am happier. I don't go on these vacation is stay in nice hotels, I go to ride my bike through great scenary. Whether you pay $5000 for the trip or $1500, the scenary and the riding is the same. What a great adventure you have planned. Have a great time!

[spokewench]

I've never done one of these Tours with a company before, but I wanted to tell a nice story about some Backroads employees. This was years ago, when I had first started mountain biking. I was out in Chabot Park which was practically in my backyard and I ran into a group of people riding. I fell in with them cause they were going about my speed and went around a corner and slid out - Almost immediately my left hand started to swell up like a balloon and I was not sure I had not broken it - (it turned out I only bruised it real good) - but one of the people I was riding with (who I did not know at all) was a Backroads employee (tour leader) and he sent his buddy back to get a car and sat with me until he came around to pick me up and took me home. They were great so I would definitely say that Backroads, if their employees mean anything, are a great group.

[ace]

I went on a Ciclismo Classico http://www.ciclismoclassico.com trip to Italy in May/June, and it was fantastic, I wouldn't have changed a thing. They focus mostly on Italy, but also do other trips in Europe.

I found this site really helpful when deciding which company to go with:

http://www.biketour-reviews.com/index.htm

It provides participants' feedback on a wide range of bike tour companies, as well as gives insight into the differences between the various (many many) companies.

[madcity]

I have done a number of trips with Trek Travel. Am in the process of putting together another trip with Trek Travel to Tuscany in Sept 08 and Provence in June 08. My experiences have varied with the trip and the mix of travelers in each group. The trips to Tour de France have been exhilarating, challenging and tremendous fun. The guides for Trek have been excellent and very accomodating. On one trip I was having some leg/knee issues and did not want to suffer a serious injury trying to ride the "cols". The guides and other members of the group were considerate and never made me feel like a wuss. One of my roommates on the second trip I made with Trek had done a number of trips with Backroads and Breaking Away. After some discussion, my roomie commented: "You know, Backroads and Breaking Away are great companies and they do a fine job, but they could take lessons from Trek Travel". My own take is that I have had the time of my life on the trips with Trek Travel. I feel you would be missing a great opportunity if you did not look into Trek Travel.......read the info on the website www.trektravel.com Call and talk with one of their travel consultants. They are the best!!!!!! And if anyone wants to contact me via email, please feel free to do so.

[blueskies]

I haven't done one, but Experience Plus! also is offering a pretty great sounding Patagonia trip. It's 18 days, 700 miles, Patagonia coast to coast. Very tantalizing.

[Thorn]

We've done an ExperiencePlus! trip (hiking) and known people that have used them for cycling. Overall, a great trip and the rentals were decent bikes.

We've self-catererd, semi-self catered, taken trips at the lower end of the price range as well as higher end trips. While we've had klunker, snobby, demanding fellow participants at all ends of the spectrum, the odds of getting klunkers seems to increase with price. But, like life, you will get a mix of people and sometimes the mix is...well...that's life.

Which group you travel with depends upon what you're looking for. We just finished a great trip. The people were fun. The leaders outstanding. The riding awesome. The weather....well...interesting. It wasn't a high-end trip, but that's why we took it--the focus was the riding and the area. Hotels were fine and the food edible and filling, but not gourmet. On the other hand, when we travelled to Italy we wanted the food as well as the riding, so we went high-end. We weren't dissappointed.

[slmdunc]

I haven't done one of these trips yet, but I have researched, and am actually booked for next summer with Bike Riders Tours (http://www.bikeriderstours.com/) for a SELF GUIDED tour of Burgundy!

I didn't want a group trip for this particular vacation. My SO and I are going, and the company carries your luggage from place to place, they book great cottages and inns to stay in along the way, it includes a few meals, they give you a route map - and you're on your own. I speak *enough* French, and know enough to travel by bike on my own, but always have a close by emergency contact if need be. I'm so excited I could pee my pants. :D