RESCHEDULED The Dordogne, Perigord and Gorges

† 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 $150 for all other countries, both are per participant.

Ride Description

OVERVIEW
This tour was led in 2005, 2010 and 2015. The tour cycles through Perigord, famous for truffles and foie gras, and follows some of the most beautiful rivers in the world (the Dordogne, Vezere, Lot and Célé), and goes into the gorges of central France. We visit castles, museums, cathedrals, grottos, caverns with fantastic formations, and Cro-Magnon cave dwellings.

RIDE RATING
The trip is rated 2B with an average daily distance of 41 miles and average elevation gain of 1754 feet. There is one day with altitude gain that exceeds the rating with 3675 feet of climbing over 58 miles. There are 2 other days that exceed the rating in distance with 55 and 55 miles over 2325 and 2335 feet of climbing, respectively. Cycling is mostly on lightly traveled secondary and tertiary roads, with a few sections of primary roads (not highways). Participants must be comfortable using maps and route sheets.

WEATHER
The average low temperature during late May is 55 degrees and the average high is 74 degrees. Average rainfall in late May is about 1.5". Riders should always expect the unexpected and be prepared for any weather. Check your favorite weather site on the web just before your departure for a long range forecast.

LODGING
The accommodations on this trip are mostly owner-operated, very nice 4-star hotels, with a few 3-star hotels and one 5-star hotel. Daily route reviews before our group dinners will include a glass of wine, beer, soft drink, juice or water with a small snack. Drinks at dinner are normally extra. Overnights are in beautiful country inns, castle hotels and chateaux. Some of the towns we visit are St. Emilion, Brantome (the Venice of Perigord), Les Eyzies, Sarlat, Conques, and Cahors. There will be 2-night stays in Les Eyzies, Sarlat and Cahors.

GROUP DINNERS
We use Preferences in your Profile to try and accommodate your special medical and dietary needs. In order to provide you with some choice, we ask hotels to serve two main dishes to each couple. If you receive one dish and prefer the other, you may trade with others. Very few hotels allow a group to order off the menu and some insist on serving only one main dish. Participants may not wear jeans, shorts or t-shirts to group dinners. During COVID our breakfast and dinners may change to accommodate social distancing mandates.

LOGISTICS
The tour will meet in Bordeaux on May 14, 2022 and depart after breakfast on May 28, 2022 in Cahors, At the end of the tour a bus will be provided to the Toulouse airport. The first meeting and dinner will be at the hotel with the meeting beginning at 6 PM and dinner at 7:30 PM. The van's primary role will be to transport luggage and supplies, as well as transporting of bike boxes. While it will be available to assist with any emergencies, it will not serve as a sag vehicle and participants are expected to complete the ride each day. Tandems are welcome.  If you're considering an E-Bike, please talk with the Ride Leader before sign-up. Rental bicycles are not available on this tour.

COST & ADMINISTRATION 
Cost estimate is $2800 per person double occupancy, not including the non-refundable BAC fee of $100,  The currency exchange rate is figured at at $1.20/Euro and includes 14 nights lodging, 11 dinners, 14 breakfasts, luggage van, maps, route sheets, daily socials, bus to Toulouse airport and sightseeing information. Tickets for sight seeing are not included in the cost. Electronic versions of maps and route sheets will be sent, and participants are expected to print their own copies of them. GPS tracks will be provided for those who want them, but it is up to the rider to know how to use his or her GPS before the trip begins. Initial deposit was $1000 and additional payments were paid: $900 on July 1, 2019 and $900 on November 1, 2019. Note: The final payment may be adjusted depending on currency exchange rate fluctuations. Jeff Messerschmidt will be our van driver.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY
Singles are welcome, but encouraged to find compatible roommates and/or riding partners. Ride Directors will introduce and assist singles to find roommates, but singles must make their own rooming decision. We do not accept solos, as the number of rooms available are limited.

CANCELLATION POLICY
The BAC ride registration fee and payment processing fees are 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 cancellations. 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 canceling roommate may also be liable for the single supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancellation insurance.

COVID/INSURANCE

The specific safety precautions to protect participants from COVID will be determined 60 days prior to the tour start date.  At that time, we will meet with tour participants using a video conference to explain any safety precautions that will be necessary. You may be required to wear PPE in public, maintain social distance in public and limit social gathering in public according to the state's mandate. All participants must have completed the 2-dose vaccine prior to starting the tour. Negative COVID tests may be requested. Ideally we would like to consider our group our COVID-free bubble.

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 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.

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