† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $50 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.
OVERVIEW
Crete is an Island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, belonging to the nation of Greece. This tour is a fixed base ride that is basically a repeat of the previously run tours in 2014 and 2016. We'll be staying in the small city of Kissamos, located near the northwest corner of Crete. Our home base will be the Nautilus Bay Hotel for 10 nights, and each day a buffet breakfast will be provided, as will a social / happy hour, and dinner. Each day we will do "out and back" rides, or loop rides leaving from, and returning to the hotel. Two options will be provided each day for a relatively easy ride, and a more challenging ride. All rides will have maps, cue sheets, and GPS tracks available. A boat trip to a Victorian Castle and a remote beach will be included one day, and a optional hike to the Samaria Gorge on another day.
The bicycling can be whatever you want it to be, from relatively flat rides along the beach towards Chania, to short hilly rides to amazing historic sites, to challenging longer rides into the mountainous interior, and along the west coast.
Our destinations will include:
RIDE RATING
The average ride rating is 2B, which translates to a distance of 35 to 50 miles per day, with 1500 to 2500 feet of climbing. The actual ride ratings may be more or less difficult, depending on what rides you choose to do. There will be a choice of at least 2 rides per day, and the easier ride will often be easier than 2B ride rating. Conversely, the harder ride may be longer with more climbing than the 2B ride rating. Riders are warned that Crete is rather hilly, and even the easier rides may have grades steeper than 8%, and there is a limited amount of flat ground in the area. Navigation may also be challenging due to a large number of unsigned intersections which may also be signed only in Greek. You are encouraged to do any of the rides you want at your own pace.
WEATHER
The weather in April for this area has an average high of 68 degrees, and an average low of 52 degrees. The average rainfall for the month is 1.3 inches. Since we will be there at the end of the month, the weather may be warmer and drier than these monthly averages. Last time this ride was run in April, we had highs up to 80 degrees with no rain.
LODGING & MEALS
We will be staying for 10 nights at the Nautilus Bay Hotel, which is a newer 3 star hotel built in 2010. The rooms are spacious with large balconies. In 2013 the hotel won a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor. The hotel is located directly on the beach with a swimming pool, and is within easy walking distance to the waterfront arcade, and center of Kissamos with shops, grocery stores and restaurants.
The hotel will provide the following amenities:
You can check the hotel website at http://nautilusbay.gr
LOGISTICS
The ride begins on April 23rd, 2018 with a introduction meeting at 6 PM at the Nautilus Bay Hotel in Kissamos, Greece, on the island of Crete. The ride ends on May 3rd, 2018 at the hotel. On the depature day an optional early morning shuttle to the Chania airport will be provided. Extra nights may be reserved at the hotel by contacting the hotel directly at info@nautilusbay.gr.
Each participant is responsible to provide their own transportation to Kissamos and for providing their own bicycle. Good quality road or mountain bikes are available for rent locally at a reasonable price from Hellas Bike. You can check out their Web site at http://hellasbike.net The bikes will be delivered to and picked up from our hotel.
To get to Kissamos, you can fly to Chania, Greece, and take a 40 to 60 minute taxi ride to Kissamos. The airport code is CHQ, and is primarily served by Agean Airlines and Ryan Air. Alternatively you can fly to Athens and take an overnight ferry to Chania. Public buses also run from the airport and ferry terminal to Chania, and then another bus runs from Chania to Kissamos with a bus stop just a couple of blocks from our hotel.
COST & ADMINISTRATION
The trip fee is $1400, which includes 10 nights lodging based on double occupancy, 10 breakfasts, 10 social / happy hours, 10 dinners, and a day long boat excursion. The trip fee does not include airfare, ground transportation to Kissamos, bicycle rental, or the BAC ride registration fee of $100. The BAC ride registration fee includes limited secondary insurance (see BAC website under "Docs" for details). A deposit of $500 per person is due at the time of sign up, and the remainder of $900 per person is due on Dec 1, 2017. Both of these payments are made by credit card of the BAC site.
The estimated ride cost was calculated using an exchange rate of 1 Euro = $1.25 US Dollars. Refunds will be made if the trip costs are less than the trip reciepts.
SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY
It is recommended that singles who want a roommate try to find their own. However, after receipt of the initial deposit, a single without a roommate will be placed on the ride and given until March 1, 2018 to find a roommate. If they are unable to find a roommate, they will have the option to receive a full refund (minus the BAC fee) or pay the $500 single supplement and stay on the ride. If a single pays the supplement, they may continue to seek a roommate, but must plan to participate without a roommate if necessary. (Note: All single supplement payments are made directly to RIde Leader.) The Ride Leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride.
CANCELATION POLICY
The BAC ride registration fee is not refundable unless the entire tour is canceled. Refunds of tour payments will depend upon whether a replacement rider signs up, and on costs that can be recouped. The amount refunded will be based on the principle that the tour’s remaining participants will not incur any additional cost as a result of cancelations. If the canceling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the canceling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report are completed. If a single participant cancels and another roommate cannot be found, in addition to other costs that cannot be recouped the cancelling roommate may also be liable for the single supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancelation insurance.
RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY
Please remember that BAC Ride Leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support. Participants are expected to come to the ride well trained, in good health and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using well-maintained bicycles. All participants should accept responsibility for a safe and enjoyable tour. We encourage you to read the ride description carefully and respond to requests from Ride Leader. While on the ride, support your Ride Leader with offers to help with various tasks such as happy hour preparation and clean-up. Please do not interfere with the ride by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the ride or tour. Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you may have and respect the Ride Leader’s decisions.
SIGN-UP
To register for this ride, use the sign-up links just above the Ride Description. After preliminary acceptance, you will be moved to the pending list and receive an email requesting you to go back to the BAC site to digitally accept the Release of Liability (ROL), and pay the non-refundable BAC fee ($100) and tour deposit of $500 by credit card. As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. Final payment of $900 ($1,400 for single supplement) is due no later than December 1, 2017. BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Director by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description.
Bicycle Adventure Club
PO BOX 23998 San Diego, CA 92193
Telephone (858) 715-9510 office@bicycleadventureclub.org