Originally published in adn.com | August 17, 2024
Bicycle touring is a great way to see the countryside.
Whether you’re cruising on paved trails or bumping up and down on singletrack paths, bikes offer a chance to outrun the bugs and cover lots of miles. The trails around Anchorage offer a great way to warm up for two-wheeled adventures around the world.
My first European bike tour was a DIY project. We rented bikes outside of Paris and jammed them in the back of our rental car. Working our way through the Loire Valley, we parked the car at our hotel and rode through the French countryside past famous chateaus like Chambord and Chenonceau. Finding the best routes was a hit-or-miss affair, but we had a great time.
These days, you still can rent a bike and strike out on your own. Last week in Eugene, Oregon, I borrowed my brother-in-law’s bike and covered many of the bike paths along the Willamette River.
There are some incredible options, though, to work with companies that line out your itineraries, provide top-notch bikes and secure campsites or lodging along a pre-determined route.
In 1992, Jared Fisher started Escape Adventures in Las Vegas. I caught up with him when he was changing a flat on his gravel bike outside of Bentonville, Arkansas. “I’ve pedaled across the U.S. five or six times,” Fisher said. “I’ve even cycled from Sheep Mountain Lodge in Alaska over to Valdez.”
Today, Jared and his wife, Heather Fisher, run all kinds of active trips from their offices in Las Vegas and Moab, Utah. But they still have a special attachment to several multiday bike tours in the region.
“The Maze itinerary is our best trip out of Moab,” Jared Fisher said. “It’s a 3 1/2-hour drive from Moab just to get to the start.”
The five-day trip traverses some of the most remote sections of Canyonlands National Park. There are no hotels or lodges in the park, so it’s all “first-class camping” along the trail.
“You really don’t need to bring anything except a duffel with your clothes,” Fisher said. Guides set up the tents and cook the meals.
One particular feature of The Maze itinerary is camping near the Standing Rock site.
“We’re the only company that affords an overnight near the Standing Rock,” Fisher said. “Once camp is set up, you can sit out under the stars and even see the Milky Way. There’s no noise. You’re really out there.”
Tours are limited to seven riders. The cost is $1,660 per person.
The other popular guided trip out of Moab is the White Rim Trail for a four-day outing. The trail covers 100 miles in Canyonlands National Park. Again, there are no lodges, so the guides set up a camp each night and cook all the meals. The cost ranges from $990 to $1,099 per person.
“The White Rim Trail is the most popular mountain bike tour in the entire world,” Fisher said.
There are many variations of these itineraries. A new addition this year is the combination of RV rentals and guided cycling trips. So, instead of camping out, cyclists can overnight in an RV. Escape Adventures and Blacksford RV rentals offer tours for both road bikers and mountain bikers.
Fisher’s favorite bike tour is along the north rim of the Grand Canyon. “There’s much less visitation along the north rim since it’s only open for about six months of the year,” he said. “There are mountains, trees, the Grand Canyon and beautiful night skies.”
The riding is not particularly hard, but the elevation ranges from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. Most of the time, cyclists are camping, although there are a couple of nights at casual inns since that’s all that’s available. The five-day tour costs between $1,349 and $2,499 per person. The camping gear rental kit is $100 and includes a tent, a sleeping pad, raised cost and other goodies. Mountain bike rentals range from $70 to $85 per day.
Bike tours are popular in Europe. One friend is planning her third “bike and barge” tour with a small Dutch company called Bike Planet. They’ve only got one barge, called the Iris. Since there are aunts, uncles and cousins going, not everyone is a born cyclist. The Bike Planet people make a point that there are e-bike options and options for non-cyclists as well.
Bike Planet’s popular nine-day itinerary departs from Amsterdam and connects with the Rhine River for a trip that features stops in Arnhem, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Bonn and a couple of other smaller towns.
The cycling is easy — about 28 miles per day. Breakfast is included each day, as are six dinners on board. There are a couple of days when guests can check out the local offerings. The cost for this itinerary starts at 2,035 euros per person. It’s extra for a bike rental: 150 euros for a regular bike, or 250 euros for an e-bike.
Another group of friends flew to Vietnam for an adventure along the central coast. The 10-day tour, operated by Spice Roads, started in the city of Hue and included a visit to the beach community of Hoi An. Much of the course is along the coast, but there also are some hill climbs.
The group size is limited to a maximum of 16 riders. The average distance is 59 kilometers per day. The bike rental cost is extra: $200 for a mountain bike, or $425 for an e-bike. One participant noted that not everyone got an e-bike, “but there were some who wish they had!”
Spice Roads also offers several trips in Thailand and in Sri Lanka.
If you want to see where world-class cyclists live, visit the town of Girona in northeast Spain. Located about 40 miles from Barcelona’s airport, the town is within easy reach of the Mediterranean coast, Spain’s wine-growing regions and the Pyrenees mountain range.
The Cycling House runs a variety of bike tours in Montana, Arizona, Italy and Spain. Many of their tours feature accommodations for the group in a large, private home. In Girona, the Cycling House offers weeklong trips both for road bike riders and for gravel bike riders.
Looking at the day-by-day itinerary from Girona, the rides are designed for serious cyclers. The Costa Brava ride for the second day is 41 miles with 3,200 feet of elevation gain. On day five, be prepared for a 64-mile ride with 4,900 feet of elevation gain.
If you love to ride, you’ll love Girona. You might even run into Alaska’s own Olympic cycling champion Kristen Faulkner on one of your rides!
You don’t have to look too far to find a biking option wherever you’re going. Just don’t forget your helmet!
