RESCHEDULED Crete, a Greek Adventure 2022

This ride is a fixed-base or semi-fixed-base ride, please read the ride description for more details.

† 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

Crete is an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea belonging to the nation of Greece.  This tour is a fixed base ride that has previously been run 3 times.  We will 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 well as 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 leader led options will be provided each day including an easier ride, and a more challenging ride.  A boat trip to a Victorian Castle located on a island, and a remote scenic beach will be included one day.  An optional hike to the Samaria Gorge or Irini Gorge will be offered for an additional charge on another day.  

The bicycling can be whatever you want it to be, from relatively short flat rides along the beach, to slightly longer, hilly rides to amazing historic ruins, to challenging longer rides into the mountainous interior, and along the west coast.

Our destinations will include:

• Fascinating ancient ruins at Polyrthenia and Falasarna
• Spectacular monasteries at Moni Hrisoskalitissas, and Moni Gonias
• The important historical port city and former Capital at Chania
• The mountainous Innahorian village of Elos.
• The charming coastal beach villagee of Sfinari

RIDE RATING

The average ride rating is 2B, which translates into a distance of 35 to 50 miles a day, with 1500 to 2500 feet of climbing.  The actual ride rating may be more or less difficult than 2B, depending on which rides you decide to do.  Riders may do whatever rides they want, whenever they want.  There will be 2 leader led group rides per day, and the easier ride may be easier than the 2B ride rating but it could be harder than a 2B ride.  Conversely, the harder ride can often be longer with more climbing than the 2B rating. Riders are warned that Crete is rather hilly, and even some of 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 interesections, or intersections signed only in Greek.

All rides will have maps, cue sheets and GPS tracks available from the "Ride with GPS" website.  Each rider is requested to review the rides and print their own cue sheets and maps.  You are encourged to do any of the rides at your own pace. 

WEATHER

The weather in April for this area has an average high of 68 degrees F, and average low of 52 degrees F.  The average rainfall for the month is 1.3 inches.  Since we will be there at the end of April the weather maybe warmer and drier.

LODGING & MEALS

We will be staying for 10 nights at the Nautilus Bay Hotel in Kissamos, which is a newer 3 star hotel built in 2010.  The hotel has been awarded Certificates of Excellence from Trip Advisor in 2017 and 2018!  The hotel is located directly on the beach, with a swimming pool, and is in easy walking distance to the waterfront arcade, and the center of Kissamos, with shops, grocery stores, restaurants and ATM's.

The hotel will provide the following amenities:

• Daily breakfast
• Dinner on 8 evenings (On the other 2 evenings a group dinner at a nearby restaurant will be included.)  The meals include a wide variety of meat, fish, poultry, and vegetarian options.
• A large swimming pool
• Sun beds and umbrellas at the beach and the pool
• Secure bicycle parking in the parking garage, or you may store your bicycle in your room.
• Free WiFi internet
• Daily maid service
• Private bathrooms
• Laundry service
• Private spacious furnished balconies with a clothes drying rack
• flat screen satellite TV

You can check out the hotel website at https://www.nautilusbay.gr

LOGISTICS

The ride begins on April 28, 2022 with an introduction meeting at 6:00 pm at the Natilus Bay Hotel in Kissamos, Greece, on the island of Crete.  The ride ends after breakfast on May 8, 2022 at the hotel.  On the departure day, an optional shuttle to the Chania Airport will be provided at a mutually agreed on time at an extra cost if there is sufficient interest.  Extra nights may be reserved at the hotel by contacting the hotel directly at http://www.nautilusbay.gr

Each participant is responsible to provide their own transportation to Kissamos, and for providing their own bicycle. Good quality road, hybrid, or mountain bikes are available for rent locally for a reasonable price from Hellas Bike. You can check out their web site and order your rental bike directly from the website at http://hellasbike.net. The bikes will be delivered to and picked up directly at our hotel.  E-bikes and tandems are allowed.  Check with Hellas Bike for availability  (www.hellasbike.net).

To get to Kissamos, you can fly to Chania, and take a 40 to 60 minute taxi ride to Kissamos.  The airport code is CHQ and is primarily served by Agean Airlines, Ryan Air, Norwegian Air, and Austrian Airlines. Alternatively, you can fly to Athens, and take an 8 hour overnight ferry to Chania, and a taxi to Kissamos.  Instead of taking a taxi from either the airport or ferry, public buses also run from the Chania Airport or ferry dock to a bus terminal in Chania, and then another bus runs from Chania to Kissamo, with a bus stop just a couple of blocks from our hotel.

COST & ADMINISTRATION

The trip fee is $1700 which includes 10 nights lodging based on double occupancy, 10 breakfasts,  10 social / happy hours, 10 dinners, a day long boat excursion and the non-refundable BAC registration fee of $100.  The trip fee does not include airfare, ground transportation to Kisssamos, or bicycle rental.  The BAC registration fee includes limited  secondary insurance (see BAC wesite under "Docs" for details).  A deposit of $600 per person is due at the time of sign up, and the remainder of $1100 per person is due on March 1, 2022. Both of these payments are made by credit card on the BAC website.  The estimated ride cost used an exchange rate of 1 Euro = $1.25 US Dollars.  The final payment may be adjusted due to currency fluctuations.  Refunds will be made if the trip costs are less than the trip receipts.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY

It is recommended that singles who want to find 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, 2022 to find a roommate.  If they are unable to find a roommate, they will have the option to receive a full refund (minus the $100 BAC registration fee and credit card processing fee), or pay the $600 solo supplement, and stay on the ride.  If a single pays the solo supplement, they may continue to seek a rommate, but must plan to participate without a roommate if necessary.  All solo supplement payments are sent to the BAC office no later than March 1, 2022.  Checks should be payable to BAC with annotation of the tour name on the check.  Checks should be mailed to Bicycle Adventure Club, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193. The ride leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride.

CANCELLATION POLICY

The $100 BAC registration fee and credit card processing fee are not refundable unless the entire tour is cancelled due to participation below stated minimum required.  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 a cancelling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time.  If a cancelling 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 solo supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour.  BAC encourages participants to purchase trip cancellation 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, and in good health.  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 the Ride Leader.  While on the ride, support the 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.  Please keep the ride leader informed of any special requests you may have, and respect the Ride Leader's decisions.

SIGN UP

To sign up 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 a email requesting you to go back to the BAC site to digitally accept the the Release Of Liability (ROL), and pay the non-refundable BAC fee ($100), and tour deposit of $600 by credit card.  As soon as your deposit has been processed, you will be added to the Participant list.  The final payment of $1100 is due no later than March 1. 2022.  Riders paying the solo supplement will also need to pay the additional fee of $600 by check by March 1, 2022.  BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Leader by "clicking" the name at the top of the ride description.