Best Bike Touring Groups?

[tulip]

Just ask a lot of questions and research. Call references. I would not be able to stand a "mommy camp" atmosphere. Even the words give me the creeps. We're all different and that's why you should make a very informed choice.

I agree. I have steered away from WT because they "encourage" participants to switch roommates every night so that everyone gets to know everyone else. To some that might be great, but I'm a Single Supplement gal and need my alone time, especially in the evenings. The more tours I've done, the more I appreciate self-guided tours where it's just me and a map. "Mommy Camp" sounds dreadful, as I presume there would be no place for someone who does not have/never has had/never will have/never wanted children.

So do your research and know thyself!

[shootingstar]

choice.
I agree. I have steered away from WT because they "encourage" participants to switch roommates every night so that everyone gets to know everyone else.

I like sharing with other people who I know already before a trip...maybe I'm just particular. Chances are, I will jive with 1 or 2 out of a whole bunch of women. But I didn't know this practice of theirs and will ask someone who I know did 2 of WT's tours.

[Crankin]

Yuck. I'm too old for roommates, except for my DH. I don't do bunkhouses, either. Sleeping in a mixed gender group setting with a bunch of strangers during my AMC leadership training sucked. I didn't sleep for 48 hours.
I like camping, but again, only with close friends, or family. And, frankly, I don't do so well with a large group of women, unless they are already people I know.

[Karenanywild]

We are booked for the Tuscany trip next year with Trek Travel. After researching we chose them for the following reasons:
1. They are the only company I found that has a vested interest in making sure you have awesome equipment for the trip. i.e. they are hoping you buy a bike from them. An expensive bike trip with crummy equipment would be awful.
2. My research said, 'oh trek travel, they just took the best of everyone else and packed it into their own company'. Sounds like a plus to me.
3. For our work we spend a lot of time in hotels. When on vacation I absolutely don't want to stay in a stinky, old hotel room.
4. Very professional and organized. Their staff were a great help answering questions.

Hoping it turns out being a good choice. There are 6 in our group going.

[Crankin]

There are other companies that provide the same level of service as Trek, who don't have the vested interest of selling you a bike... Backroads and Ciclismo Classico are 2. They also have excellent bikes. Backroads now gives you a choice of upgrading to a Specialized Ruby.
I liked the Trek trips we took. I did not like the participants!
This is one of the reasons I built a custom bike with couplers that I can take on bike trips. I may or may not do this for my trip to Portugal. Cycling Country now has access to Trek bikes, instead of the Orbeas we had last time. If they can get me a 47 cm wsd Trek, my own bike will stay home.

[Thorn]

Travelling with groups can be great fun; some are pricey; others not so much. In the end, it is the makeup of the group that makes or breaks the group experience.

For us, while we've encountered exceptions to the rule, generally speaking if the company is about cycling as a way to travel and explore, we enjoy the company of the group; if cycling is secondary to the "vacation experience", we find there is a higher the probability that you have group members that tend to be....uh...err...for lack of a better term...demanding. These are the type of people who are too worried about getting the most for their money than going with the flow of the trip. For example, we were in Spain, in the heart of the Rioja wine region and one of the guests was bemoaning to everyone and anyone his inability to get a good Scotch and how much it cost him for the mediocre one they sold him. Really? Try the Rioja, dude, it is fantastic!

But, I digress. Check with people you would like to travel with and see what groups they like. Make a list of what you're looking for in a trip. Going with a well known company like Trek Travel, Backroads, or Sojourn will probably guarantee you a well organized trip with great guides. But don't discount smaller groups. UW-Stevens Point Adventure Tours, Timberline and PAC Tour are some of our favorite groups--all seem to attract a fun group of people, although we've encountered that "demanding" guest on them as well although not as often. And, if you do encounter them on a trip, you'll be amazed at how, an early start on the road gets you away from them; and maybe a dinner on your own one night to escape....go with (or in this case, against) the flow and enjoy the trip.

Based on this thread, I'll be looking at Crankin's Cycling Country recommendation -- sounds like our kind of group. Thanks Crankin

[Crankin]

You're welcome. You can tell Geoff and Maggie that Robyn sent you and he will know who it is...
Funny, none of the people who bothered me on trips were of the type you describe, Thorn. They all were interested in riding. Some were stronger/racer types, and others were like me, good, but slower riders, and some were much slower, but still good, experienced riders. What bothered me was the drinking and other weirdness (we had one trip where the wife sat on her DH's lap and did a lap dance during the orientation, when there weren't enough chairs to go around ). And the Trek trips definitely had competitiveness in riding. I hate that, but back then I wasn't confident enough to ignore it. DH and I know we like to ride slowly on a tour, to see the stuff, especially the big climbs. I made it through a 10 mile climb that is part of the Vuelta a lot of years; the only way for me to do that is to do it slowly, like 3-6 mph slowly. Somehow, the group in Spain really clicked and we rode together, a lot.

[MartyM]

I have to tell you --- it's so nice to hear this from other women. I'm not anit-social but I don't like large groups of people I don't know and don't want to sleep or camp with them. In groups I can usually find 1 or 2 people I can connect with but I prefer the smaller more intimate groups. I thought I was an "odd ball" for feeling this way. So nice to hear others feeling the same way.

[KathiCville]

I commented earlier about my Natchez Trace trip five years ago with WomanTours. I happily paid the single supplement in order to have a room to myself. I was the only one in the group to do so. It was worth it (to me). As much as I enjoyed the women during the rides and at meals, I was so wiped out at day's end that I really needed to be alone to recuperate. And I definitely can't sleep well with a stranger nearby. I suppose I'm what you might call a friendly introvert---happy to meet new people and interact for a while, but then I absolutely need downtime to rest and get my energy back or I can't function........I don't recall a "mommy camp" atmosphere on my trip---but then, at age 50, I was the second youngest in the group! (The oldest was 80.) I probably heard more talk about grandchildren than children, LOL! Maybe I lucked into a lively group because I seem to remember a lot of chat about travel, food, books and, of course, cycling. For what it's worth, I'm never-married, no human children, just two beloved furballs. :-)

[crynski]

I am glad I stumbled into this thread. I signed up for a tour with WomanTours because I want to try bicycle touring, and I have absolutely zero camping experience, and am still a fairly new biker. I paid for the single upgrade and being a "friendly introvert" as someone else put it I would rather have my own room. Three of my cousins (all girls in their late 20s and early 30s like me) did the GAP trail this year and camped out. They want to do the full GAP and C&O trial, followed by an amtrak trip back to Pitt where one of the girls lives, and I hear this year's trip is going to be in Michigan possibly the UP. I would like to do at least one of the cousin's rides with the girls but I feel like a guided tour would be a better introduction for me. I am fluid enough to get along with any sort of group unless it is wall to wall kid talk (I am a child free, single, dog mom). Personally my biggest concern with a group tour is not being out with "professional riders" who's vacation will be ruined by waiting for me the newbie to catch up.

[PortlandKelly]

I have traveled the most with Backroads and Cycle America and definitely recommend both companies!