Climbing Level
Level 1 – Up to 1500 ft
Level 2 – 1500 to 2500 ft
Level 3 – 2500 to 3500 ft
Level 4 – More than 3500 ft Distance Level
Level A – Up to 35 mi
Level B – 35 to 50 mi
Level C – 50 to 65 mi
Level D – More than 65 miles
The Bicycle Adventure Club (BAC) is a non-profit club for serious cyclists with over 2,000 active members
BAC typically offers over 50 domestic and international tours each year that range from fairly easy to challenging
Most members bring their own bikes. Often rentals are available from tour operators or local bike shops
Tandem and e-bike riders are welcome on most rides
Lodgings are always comfortable, but vary from luxurious to rustic; chain hotels to local inns
Ride leaders provide turn-by-turn navigation to find points of interest and your next hotel
Riders are generally self-sufficient, have some mechanical skills, and help each other.
At least 2 (sometimes more) Group Dinners are a part of most rides and the cost is covered in the tour price
Most days feature a social hour for discussing the next day’s ride and getting to know others on the tour
On our tours we ride on roads, cycle paths, or gravel trails – and sometimes all 3 on the same tour!
Tours are proposed, designed and led by members. They have autonomy within broad guidelines
Rides are rated as to climbing difficulty and daily distance to easily select the tour that is right for you
Group sizes vary but are generally around 22 riders.
The membership fee to join is $30 for an individual and $60 for a couple; renewal fees each year after that are $20 for individuals and $40 for couples and is due on the anniversary of your join date.
THE BAC DIFFERENCE
We offer high quality cycling tours at reasonable prices. We have an ever-changing selection of tours offered in North America and foreign locations. International tours may be offered through a commercial tour company at lower prices than you’ll find through for-profit tour companies.
We have a long and established track record. For over a half of a century we’ve offered a great selection of cycling tours all over the world. Since 2003, we’ve offered over 1800 successful tours.
We refund all unspent tour funds to the ride participants after a tour is completed. A tour’s budget is carefully reviewed before a tour is advertised, as is the post-tour accounting for actual costs and participant refunds, to make sure the accounting is accurate and fair for you. At the end of the tour, any money you paid that wasn’t needed for tour expenses is refunded to you.
We emphasize the fun while keeping you well-informed. On each tour, participants can expect fun and informative social or “happy” hours. The ride leaders review the current day’s ride or activity, step you through the next day’s adventure and offer drinks and snacks as you get to know the others on your tour.
Each tour includes group dinners where all participants on the tour can socialize and have dinner together as a group. This provides the ride participants with the opportunity to get to know each other and to truly come together as friends. Group dinners (usually two and often more) are included in the cost of the tour.
We provide accurate and detailed tour descriptions so that you can determine which one is best for you before you sign up. We provide additional information for the ride participants after they are registered including the detailed budget, the hotel list, the daily routes and the costs reimbursed to the ride leaders.
We have a ride rating system that leaves no doubt about the difficulty of the rides on each trip. We want you to be absolutely sure that the tour is a good fit for your abilities. An example of a ride rating is 2B. The number indicates one of four levels for the climbing difficulty and the letter indicates one of four levels for the average distance ridden each day. Click here to see the Ride Rating System page
We provide supplemental medical insurance for both domestic and international tours. This includes repatriation flights from international locations if needed.
We provide digital Ride with GPS (RWGPS) routes for each tour. The routes are downloadable and provide turn-by-turn navigation. We also provide a RWGPS discount price for BAC members.
We help singles find roommates and accommodate solos whenever possible on tours. We also welcome tandem and e-bike riders.
We offer high quality training for our new Ride Leaders. They also receive one-on-one mentoring before, during and after the ride is completed.
We have a deep bench of experienced Ride Leaders offering tours each year. We typically have between 75 and 100 ride leaders researching, proposing and offering tours at any one time. New ride leaders are consistently joining our ranks.
We ensure full financial transparency and accountability. BAC has detailed policies regarding ride leadership, spending, and reimbursement. We endeavor to have the costs be transparent and fair for all participants.
We ask for your feedback after every BAC tour. We send a confidential ride survey to ride participants after each trip is completed to learn what could be improved for future tours. The comments from riders are always reviewed with the ride leader.