Coast of Maine 2021

† 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

LOGISTICS: Arrive on Sunday, August 29, 2021 in Portsmouth, NH and bus back to Portsmouth on Saturday, September 11, 2021. Departure day is Sunday, Sept 12, 2021. Max 24/Min 20. We recommend flying into Boston Logan Airport and taking C&J Bus to Portsmouth. C&J has scheduled service to the C&J Transportation Center approximately hourly. You will need to take a taxi to the hotel in Portsmouth.  Details in Welcome letter. Bike boxes stored at the hotel. Long term parking at PortsmouthTransporation Center is free. GPS, TCX, Ride with GPS routes will be available for download from the ride page. It is the responsibility of each rider to understand their device. Loop rides from Portsmouth are available either before or after this tour.

Type of Bike: Tandems, recumbents and e-bikes will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Let us know as we have to transport all bikes from Bar Harbor back to Portsmouth. Bike rentals may be available however we have not made any arrangments.  No one has ever rented in the past.

RIDE RATING: Trip is rated 3B and will average 46 miles per day with 2,600 ft climbing per day. The most difficult day is 64 miles with 3,900' of climbing.  Generally the climbs are not long, but there are many of them throughout the typical day.

OVERVIEW: This is the sixth time the Leevers have offered this tour. Boats, beaches, breweries, lobsters, sea kayaking, whale watching, inns and B&B’s are all part of the Maine coast early-fall tour. From the Sheraton Inn, Portsmouth, NH, we walk to our group dinner overlooking the historic harbor and mystical views of the Isle of Shoals in Portsmouth, NH. Check out: portsmouthnh.com. We cycle from Portsmouth, heading north, to skirt the shore or take quieter in-land roads to Old Orchard Beach with its famous 5-mile beach. From there we travel to Brunswick, with a stop along the way at the LL Bean outlet store. Then, on to Boothbay Harbor for a two day stay. On the layover day you can explore the Boothbay area or take a ferry to Monhegan Island. The next day we travel through Andrew Wyeth's back yard and the scenery of Christina's World. You’ll catch glimpses of lonely light houses and craggy rocky cliffs that battle incessantly with the ocean shore. In Rockland, on our way to Camden, we'll pass the Farnsworth Museum, which is worth a visit. In Camden, on our layover day, you can take a ferry to Islesboro Island for a pretty ride, do a loop ride up to view the Camden Harbor, head to the water for a guided sea kayak adventure or take a Windjammer day-sail in the Penobscot Bay. Check out: camdenme.org. Then it’s north again to Blue Hill with a layover day ride to Deer Island or a visit to the Wooden Boat School. Our cycling ends in Bar Harbor with a three-day stay. The Acadia National Park offers a 57-mile network of granite carriage roads for non-motorized vehicles, established by John D. Rockefeller. Take in the Bubble Pond, Cadillac Mtn and the famous views of Northeast Harbor. To end the tour, we bus back to Portsmouth for arrival by mid-day. Bike boxes are stored in Portsmouth and you can pack up that afternoon. The hotel is booked for that night in Portsmouth, NH with departure the following morning.

COSTS: Estimated tour costs of $2,650 includes 14 nights lodging with 12 breakfasts and 5 dinners, happy hour refreshments, luggage van & driver, maps and route sheets.  The deposit of $ 650 + $50 nonrefundable BAC fee for a total initial charge of $700 assures your place on the tour. Final payment of $2,000, is due by May 15, 2021.

SINGLES: It is recommended that singles wanting to share a room try to find their own roommate. The Ride Leader will assist singles to find a roommate. When a single rider applies for the ride, you will be placed on the wait list and a room will be reserved for a limited time. Once a roommate is found, both riders are added to the tour. If a single rider cannot find a room mate, they may be added to the ride on a “space available” status. We have some limitations on hotel rooms with 2 beds.

SOLOS: Due to the size of some B&Bs we are limited to 12 rooms. Therefore, solo riders will only be accepted if the tour does not fill. A solo supplement would cost $1,652! Payment is due June 15, 2021. Solo supplement payments need to be paid by check  made out to “BAC” with a notation of the tour name included on the check and mailed to: Bicycle Adventure Club, PO Box 23998, San Diego, CA 92193.

COVID / INSURANCE: The specific safety precautions to protect participants from COVID will be determined 60 days prior to the tour start date. After polling participants, the group has requested that all participants must be fully vaccinated including booster shots if applicable and voluntarily present vaccination documentation for viewing by Ride Leader if requested.  Face masks should be worn when interacting with people other than our tour group inside buildings.

INSURANCE: Before participating in any BAC tour, you may want to review your medical coverage and consider additional trip medical coverage. BAC maintains a policy that provides coverage for expenses related to medical emergencies and repatriation when members are on tours outside the USA and their home country. The policy ceases to be applicable if a member makes a personal deviation (e.g., makes a side trip not related to the planned BAC tour), has limits on expenses covered for family members and only applies for 45 days following departure from home. There is also up to $25,000 coverage for medical expenses associated with accidents by USA residents when on tours within the USA. None of the policies maintained by BAC will cover costs associated with self-quarantines that may be government mandated.

WEATHER: The daily temperatures can vary from lows in the 50s to highs in the low 70s. If there is rain it will feel very cold. Plan to have protective rain gear including jacket, long pants, fingered gloves, helmet and shoe covers. Evenings are usually cool. A light jacket is recommended.

RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY: Please remember that BAC Ride Leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support, including changing their own flat tires. 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 cleanup. Please do not interfere with the ride by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the ride or tour, without checking first with the ride leader. Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you may have and finally respect the Ride Leader’s decisions.

CANCELLATION POLICY: The BAC ride registration fee and payment processing fee is not refundable unless the entire tour is cancelled due to participation below stated minimum requirements. 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 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 members to purchase trip cancellation insurance.

SIGN UP: To register for this ride, use the sign-up links just below the Ride Description. Following your acceptance on the ride, you will receive an email message requesting you to make credit card payments to BAC for the BAC fee and your initial deposit of $700. When your deposit is received, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Director by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description. When you are accepted you can access the "Ride Leader Docs" posted on the tour page.  There you will find the 'Welcome Letter 'for specific details about the tour.  Routes are or will be posted there in GPX, TCX and RidewithGPS (for phones) files for you to download.