Rescheduled The Best of Tasmania 2023

† 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

Tasmania is an island belonging to the nation of Australia. It is located approximately 150 miles south of the mainland of Australia. Tasmania has a temperate climate, with beautiful beaches, exotic flora and fauna, and relatively little traffic. The population is approximately 540,000 in an area the size of West Virginia. It is known for the Tasmanian Devil, and other wildlife that exists no place else in the world!

We start the tour near the Hobart Airport. Hobart is the largest city and capital of the island State of Tasmania. Most of us will fly into the Hobart Airport as our port of entry. We begin on Feb 2, with a 2 night stay at a hotel adjacent to the airport. This will give you time to adjust to jet lag, assemble your bicycle, or obtain your rental bike, and go for a warm up ride. The tour route will first go southeast to the Tasman Peninsula. Here we will stay for 3 nights at a hotel in Eaglehawk Neck. This will give us time to explore a Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park, The World Heritage Site at historic Port Arthur, and Tasman National Park. Next we will bicycle north up the east coast of Tasmania. There is an 18.2 mile stretch of road that is not paved. The road surface is relatively smooth hard packed dirt, and there is very little traffic. A minimum tire size of 700 x 28 mm is recommended.  We continue up the east coast on the Tasman Highway staying over one night each in the small coastal towns of Orford, and Swansea. We then continue north to the waterfront town of Bicheno where we stay 2 nights. This will give us the opportunity to do a very scenic out and back ride along the waterfront north of town, or just explore the cute fishing port and beach resort town of Bicheno. From here we head due south and pass through the town of Coles Bay on our way to the spectacular Freycinet National Park. Here we will stay 3 nights at the famous Freycinet Lodge where we will have individual one bedroom cabins. This will give us time to explore the national park and take a hike to the iconic beautiful Wineglass Bay. We then backtrack down the east coast to the Hobart Airport again staying one night each in Swansea and Orford on the way. We conclude the ride at a hotel near Hobart, with a farewell dinner on February 16, and checking out after breakfast on February 17, 2023.

E-Bikes and tandems are allowed on this ride.

Participants should be aware that in Tasmania all traffic drives on the left side of the road, and it is imperative to look BOTH ways when proceeding into an intersection.

RIDE RATING

This ride is rated 3B. There are 8 required riding days with an average elevation gain of 2046 feet, and an average distance of 37.2 miles. These averages would normally equate to a ride rating of 2B, but I have elected to rate it 3B because there are 3 days that exceed the  elevation gain rating of 2, and one of these days exceeds the elevation gain rating of 3. These 3 days have elevation gains of 2,684 feet, 2,938 feet, and 3,630 feet. The day with the 3630 feet of climbing also has 18.2 miles of unpaved roads, and 1618 feet of the climbing is on the unpaved portion.

On some days there may be a fair number of climbing grades that exceed 8%, although they are typically rather short. Many of the shoulders are narrow, and may have loose gravel from chip seals. Traffic volumes are relatively light, but will include trucks and buses. On some days there may be long distances between food and water.

WEATHER

The average temperature in Hobart for the month of February is 62 degrees, with a high of 71, and a low of 53. February is the driest month of the year, with an average monthly precipitation of 1.5 inches, and an average of 4.4 rainy days.. The average relative humidity for February is 59%.

LODGING AND MEALS

We will be staying in Hotels, Motels and Cabins, usually at the best accommodations available for a group our size. In Australia, hotels generally do not have star ratings, but if they did, they would most likely be  in the 2 to 4 star range. At Eaglehawk Neck we will spend 3 nights at the Lufra Hotel, which has a spectacular location overlooking Pirates Bay and portions of Tasman National Park. You can check out the hotel website at lufrahotel.com. In Freycinet National Park we will have individual one bedroom cabins at the famous Freycinet Lodge. You can check it out on the web at freycinetlodge.com.au. Breakfast will be provided mornings, and 6 dinners will be included..

LOGISTICS

The tour will begin and end at the Travelodge Hotel Hobart Airport, located immediately adjacent to the Hobart Airport (HBA). The hotel has a free airport shuttle from 7 AM to 5 PM. The lodging will begin with check in starting at 2 PM on Thursday Feb 2, 2023. The first meeting will be at 6PM on Thur. Feb. 2nd,  at a conference room at the hotel, followed by a group dinner at 7 PM. Warm up rides will be available on Feb. 2nd and Feb 3rd, and the first mandatory riding day will be on Saturday February 4, 2023. The tour will end at a hotel near the Hobart with a group dinner on Thursday, February 16, 2023, and checkout after breakfast on February 17, 2023. Bicycle rental information will be provided upon request. Participants are not expected to ride as a group, and may leave when they are ready, and ride at their own pace. Bicycle boxes will be stored at a hotel near Hobart to be announced later, and may incur an additional fee.

COST & ADMINISTRATION

The tour includes 15 nights lodging, 15 breakfasts, approximately 12 happy hours, and 6 dinners. A luggage van will transport your luggage from hotel to hotel. Airfare and any other transportation costs to get to the starting location are not included. Bicycle rental is not included, and if desired must be arranged for separately.  Any admission fees to national parks and/or other attractions are not included. Maps, cue sheets and GPS tracks will be provided from the "Ride with GPS" website, and will be emailed to participants. Each couple and single participant will receive an overview paper map, but daily paper maps and cue sheets will not be provided. Participants are encouraged to print out cue sheets and maps as they see fit, and bring them on the ride. Participants are encouraged to download the "Ride with GPS" app and offline maps to their smart phones and use the "Ride with GPS" app for navigation. The Ride with GPS app is available online from their website at ridewithgps.com for a small monthly fee. Contingency budgeting will hopefully offset any fluctuations in currency exchange rates, but in the case of extreme fluctuations there may be an adjustment in the final payment. For budgeting purposes the Australian dollar will be valued at 75 cents US. If the value of the Australian dollar goes above 75cents US, then the final payment may need to be adjusted .The first payment of $1400 is due when signing up. The second payment of $2200 is due on November 1, 2022. If trip funds exceed expenditures, you will receive a refund after final accounting is completed.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY

It is recommended that singles that 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 August 1, 2021 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 and payment processing fee), or pay the $1400 solo supplement fee, and stay on the ride. The solo payment is due August 1, 2022.  If a single pays the supplement, they may continue to seek a roommate, but must plan to participate without a roommate if necessary. The ride leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride. Solo supplement payments need to be sent to the BAC office. 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.

CANCELLATION POLICY

The BAC ride registration fee and payment processing fee is not refundable unless the entire tour is cancelled. 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 tours remaining participants will not occur any additional cost as a result of cancellations. If a 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 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, in good health, and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using well maintained bicycles. All participants should accept full 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 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 the 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 a notification to login to the BAC website to sign the Release Of Liability (ROL) form, and pay the non-refundable BAC ride registration fee, and the initial tour deposit of $1400 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 the Ride Description,