Touring with a Women's Group

[itself]

I've been on several supported tours, with 3 different companies, in the last 6 years. They all allowed me to see things I never would have seen on my own, on routes that were splendid for cycling. Some were better than others, but mostly it's the other people on the tour who make it. So far, I've seen the Czech Republic, Austria, Quebec, southern Spain, and Vermont. We did the Vermont tour to test out the "idea" of touring, in a place where we could drive to for the weekend tour. It was around the 15th of October and it was freezing cold (30's in the AM), so I would recommend going in late September. I was prepared with appropriate clothing, but some midwesterners on the tour, who were mostly tri-athletes, had no idea of what they were getting into. They had shorts, no wool socks, and little flimsy jackets. The week after we rode, there was snow on Smuggler's Notch.
DH and I are not much for planning routes in places that we are not familiar with. It's not that we couldn't, with GPS, etc., but it's time consuming. We do go to the Berkshires almost every summer on our own, (took the last 2 years off) and our friend plans the routes; almost every year I am ready to kill him because of the climbs!
I also did a little riding in Italy (outside of Siena) on crappy rented mountain bikes. We got lost and climbed a mountain that was part of the Giro, despite instructions from the guy at the LBS. While it was pretty, I was not a happy camper being lost in temperatures that were plummeting 20 degrees from our start.
I've also done a supported "camping" type tour, that I did not like. I actually like camping, but the food sucked and there was an expectation that you help unload gear if you got to the site early. The riding was every bit as challenging as the European tours I've done and what I wanted was a luxury hotel and a massage at the end of those days!

What companies did you use, and which one did you like the best?

[maryellen]

Another satisfied WomanTours customer. I've done their DC/VA/MD tour, Penn Amish Country, Death Valley, Texas Hill Country. Good value for the money.

[Crankin]

Itself, we did 2 tours with Trek Travel, Vermont and Czech Republic/Austria. They were the most expensive, and almost all of the meals were included. The side trips after riding were really good, too. What I didn't like was the fact that there were 20 people on the trips and each trip about 10 of the people came as a group and were clique-y. There was a lot of competitiveness in the riding, too. On the Czech Republic tour, there was a group of drinkers that were obnoxious. I also didn't like their coyness about some of the climbs. Some we were warned about, but then, more would come, and I mean extended climbs with 10-15% grades. I like to know. We chose them because at the time I had a Trek 5200 and I knew it fit me. I am small and cannot ride most bikes. This was a plus. I had the same bike I had at home. And the guides were awesome.
We did our Quebec tour with a group called Classic Adventures. We used them because they were a bit more low key. Three and four star hotels instead of five. And, we could drive there and use our own bikes. Mostly, I liked everything about this tour. There were only 2 leaders instead of three, and we were on our own a lot more. We are using them this year, to do a tour of the Finger Lakes. Again, we can drive there and use our own bikes.
Our tour of Andalusia was the best. The company we used is called Cycling Country. They are small, owned by a young couple from the UK, who ditched the corporate life and moved to Spain. They do Spain, Portugal, and UK tours. The group was small (10) and the whole thing was awesome. There was one huge downside for me, in that the bikes they had just did not fit me in some aspects. They were entry level Orbeas, and I had a 48 cm men's bike, which is what I have at home, but unfortunately, the Orbea did not have the short reach brakes I have! Consequently, I could not reach the brakes from the drops and even using them on the hoods just hurt the hell out of my hands. This is why we are seriously considering buying custom steel/titanium road bikes with S and S couplers, that we can take on these trips. It's not a big deal for DH, but it is for me.

[itself]

Here is a great suitcase that is legal for the airlines:

http://sandsmachine.com/ac_hard.htm

As far as coupling your bike, Bilenky Cycles will do this for you at a cost of course.

Crankin, thanks for the reviews of the tour companies. Other reviews are so welcome!

[sah]

I did the Woman Tours Kona trip this year. It was my first trip with them and they are a great group. I liked it so much I am on the Moab trip in October. All the women on the trip were fun and we had a great time riding.

[Thorn]

We've done many organized trips. Since I bike with DH, they were not woman-only tours. That said, on every trip we've been on there have always been solo travellers with us -- 50/50 split male/female although some trips have only women; others only men.

As stated earlier, it is the group that you travel with that really makes a difference. We've had aggressive, over organized leaders to laid back, let's all play-it-by-ear leaders. If you take the attitude that every trip is different and that to make the best of whatever Mother Nature or the fates of group organization throw at you, you'll have a great time.

We've done some Europe, but the last couple of years (when salaries dropped) decided to spend more time exploring US/Canada. We've had great trips in Kentucky, Glacier National Park, Burlington Vt to Quebec, etc. Each was different; each was great.

My suggestion....figure out when you want to go. Call and talk to the tour operators that are running trips at that time -- get references and talk to them, too. Figure out what you're looking for in a trip (e.g., riding distance, terrain, food, lodging, side trips, etc) and make sure you ask about those things to the company and the references. We've been on trips that we thought were awesome, but, trust me, some of the people we ride with would not have tolerated the terrain, or the lodging (hey, give me clean sheets and a shower and I'm happy, but other aren't).

That said, our two favarote domestic groups are Timberline (basic accomodation, it is about the riding, food is nourishing, but not 4-star. They do, however, attract low-key, fun people and since every week is some place new, the leaders are not bored with the route -- although they may be exploring it right along with you)

...and Go Sojourn (fancier, lighter mileage, it is about the experience, not the riding, more upscale, good food, nice lodging, planned side trips, etc, yet still not as pricey as some. We went from Vermont to Quebec with them and it was one of the best vacations we've had in many years. Some guests may get....uh...demanding, but the guides are amazingly good about reining them in--heck, watching the guides in action was almost worth the cost of the trip ).

[Crankin]

Yep, the guides have a lot to put up with; being a lowly ride leader has given me an inkling of they deal with. The leaders of our trip to Spain last year told us that we were the most "together" group they had on a tour. We stayed together for the most part when riding... although spread out and everyone got along. I got a little miffed at the 87 year old guy (yes, he was 87) who told me to "get out of his line" when riding. But, he was a gruff old survivor of Communism, who I took with a grain of salt. I know I don't ride all over the road, so I guess he was having a bad day.
I don't want to sound anti- American, but the difference in this trip is that since it was a company based out of Europe, it attracted riders from all over. There were 2 other Americans, from California, but everyone else was from Australia, Canada, or the Netherlands. It made a real difference.

[kjay]

I've done a number of tours in the US and Europe but with a women's group I've ridden two tours in the US: the Big Island and Death Valley, both of which were with WomanTours, whom I highly recommend.

[Dog]

Thanks for the great tour company suggestions. Does anyone know if there are any organized tours where you haul your own gear?

[maryellen]

Adventure Cycling could be a great resource for that. Here's the link to the page for self-contained tours on their site. I've never done a tour with them but perhaps someone else can chime in re experience. They are well-established and do lots in the cycling realm other than tours as you will see from their website.

http://http://www.adventurecycling.o...menu=SC&t=sc11