Tour de Victoria British Columbia

† 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 $85 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.

Ride Description

OVERVIEW: This is a fixed based tour emanating from a central location in the city of Victoria BC Canada. Victoria is the provincial capital located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It was established in 1843 by the British and named for Queen Victoria. This city has a rich maritime history but it is now known as the Garden City. The six official rides will include a city tour, exploration of the east and west sides of the Saanich Peninsula, the Westshore and the Cowichan Valley. The routes will follow cycling trails, streets with bicycle lanes or quiet country roads wherever possible. The final ride will be to the world famous Butchart Gardens. A mid-week rest day is scheduled to allow participants to explore the local sites on foot including the Provincial Legislature, the BC museum, Craigdarroch Castle or even go whale watching. Optional rides will be provided for those who would prefer to ride rather than rest.

RIDE RATING: The ride is rated as 2B but it should be noted that it is a STRONG 2B. The ride leader lives in Victoria and has ridden all of the routes many times.Victoria and the surrounding areas are not flat so the average daily climbing will be at approximately 2220 ft. While there are no long climbs cyclists will be going up and down hill frequently with some short climbs with grades in the high single to low double digits. The routes will generally range from 40-50 miles with two days exceeding the B rating with rides of 51 and 58 miles  Based upon my Garmin,which is more accrate than Ride With GPS, the Cowichan Valley ride also exceeds the 2 rating by about 500 ft.

WEATHER: The average temperature in early August is 68F but it is frequently warmer. There are on average only 3 days of rain in August but participants should be prepared for that possibility since coastal weather can be quite variable.

LODGING: This is a fixed base tour with all rides starting from the 4* Chateau Victoria hotel which is centrally located in downtown Victoria. The hotel has a newly renovated pool and gym and there will be locked bike storage and parking which is not included in the price.

LOGISTICS: This tour commences with check in on Sat August 10 and checkout on Sunday August 18. An overview of the tour and routes will take place at happy hour the first night beginning at 4PM. The first group dinner will occur on Sunday August 11 to allow for any late arrivals, and the closing dinner will take place on Sat Aug 17. All rides will start and finish from the hotel. Victoria has an international airport for those who wish to fly (YYJ) or if driving, Vancouver Island can be reached by ferry. There are three car ferry options, BC ferries from Tswassasen BC, WA ferries from Anacortes WA or the Blackball (Coho) from Port Angeles WA. Rental bike information will be provided for participants who wish to rent but the tour organizers will not be responsible for bike rentals. Tandems are welcome but E-bikes are NOT.

COST & ADMINISTRATION: Estimated cost is $2050 per person based on an exchange rate of $1.00 = $1.20 Cdn. Remember August is prime tourist season in Victoria so the hotels are at a slightly higher rate than during shoulder seasons. Included in the price are eight nights lodging, all breakfasts, two group dinners, daily social hours, ferry tickets for the Cowichan Valley Ride, harbour tour and taxi, entrance to Butchart Gardens, daily maps, cue sheets, GPX and TCX files. Upon acceptance to the ride, you must pay your $1000 deposit by credit card. Final payment of $1050 is due by 1 June 2019. The additional BAC fee of $50 will be paid directly by credit card when you sign the Release of Liability (ROL) form electronically. Solo participants will be accepted at the Solo supplement rate of $985. This is in addition to the $2050 estimated cost of the ride.  This ride is occurring outside of the US so based upon currency exchange rates an adjustment to the final payment may be required.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY: It is recommended that singles who want a roommate try to find their own prior to sign up. The Ride Leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride. Singles who wish to share will not be placed on the participant list until they have a roommate.

The additional Solo supplement of $985 must be paid by check to BAC at the time of registration. Checks should be made out to “BAC” with a notation of the tour name included on the check. They should be mailed to: Bicycle Adventure Club, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193. Solos are free to find a roommate and receive a refund of the Solo supplement until Mar 1, 2019 but must plan to participate without a roommate if a roommate is not found or if by personal choice.

CANCELLATION POLICY: The BAC ride registration fee and payment processing fee are not refundable unless the entire tour is cancelled. Refunds 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 cancellations. If the cancelling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the cancelling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report is 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 solo supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members to purchase personal trip cancellation insurance.

RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY: 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 submit a request to join this ride use the "links" displayed above this Ride Description. When you are accepted, the Ride Leader will move you from the Waitlist to the Pending List. At this time you will receive an email notification to login to the BAC website to sign the release of liability form and pay the non-refundable BAC ride registration fee and the initial tour deposit ($1000) by credit card. As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. To contact the Ride Leader, "click" the name at the top of this Ride Description.