Piedmont 2022

† 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: The Piedmont region of Italy is surrounded by the Italian Alps and the French Maritime Alps. This tour travels from west to east with multi-night stays at every stop. Arrival day is Saturday, May 21, 2022 at Hotel Concord, Turin, Italy. There is a private bus transport from Turin to Saluzzo and at the end of the tour from San Marzano Olivetp to the Turin airport-Caselle Torinese for departure on Friday, June 3, 2022. This is the third time this tour is offered by Tom and Julie.  Each stop on this tour has a 2-day stay. The Hotel Schedule is posted in the Ride Leader Docs. We have avoided stays in larger towns in an effort to minimize cycling in heavy traffic.

DESCRIPTION: On this tour you'll see vistas framed by snow-capped mountains, hilly vineyards and mostly smaller villages with vibrant local economies. The cuisine features local produce like hazelnuts, truffles, and Arborio rice used for risotto. As we venture east the region's wine changes from the famous Barolo red to the bubbly of Asti Spumanti and then to the crisp-dry white of Gavi. The tour begins with a free day in Turin and a morning guided tour. From the hotel you can walk to one of the many museums or stroll through the centro storico.  Turin is a city of museums boasting a total of forty. The most famous is the Egyptian Museum which rivals the one in Cairo. Recently opened, the National Cinema Museum is housed in a spectacular former synagogue. For car buffs, there's the National Automobile Museum where you can trace the Ferrari's development. We bus from Turin to Saluzzo where we start cycling. There we stay at the former estate of the Marquis of Saluzzo. It's a short walk into town where we'll have the house special at a local trattoria. Leaving Saluzzo, you'll see a border of snow-capped Alps as you head toward our next destination, Fossano. The Palazzo Righini in Fossano is a designated 'Small Luxury Hotel'. Located in the centro storico, you'll step back in time as you stroll the medieval arcades that border Via Roma. En route to Barolo, the landscape of vineyards rolls out like a flying carpet. You may have to yield the road to a passing tractor on paved farm roads that cut through the vineyards. In Barolo we'll have a wine tasting in the hotel's cave, featuring one of the oldest wine producers in Barolo, the Brezza family. You need only gaze out the window to see the vineyard that surrounds the hotel. Then we visit our hosts Carlo and Paola in Cortemilia and dine at their award-winning restaurant. Our last stop, heads north to San Marzano Oliveto where we stay for 3 nights at the agriturismo Le Due Cascine, run by Bartolo and his family and greeter Willy, the dog.

RIDE RATING: SHORT OPTIONS: 2A ! avg 28 miles/day and avg 2,159 feet of climbing. LONG OPTIONS: 4B avg 39 miles/day and avg 3,709 feet. There is one difficult required riding day that is 35 miles long with 3,740 feet of climbing. Over half of the rides on this tour are optional loop rides. A link to access maps and cue sheets on Ride with GPS will be available.  In Ride Leader Docs find the document entitled Event Link.  Instructions on how to access routes and print them is in this document.

COVID: All participants must be fully vaccinated, including booster shots, if applicable, and voluntarily present vaccination documentation for viewing by Ride Leader.

LOGISTICS: Fly in and out of Turin-Caselle International airport (TRN). Arrival day is Saturday, May 21, 2022 at Hotel Concord, Turin, Italy. Hotel web site: hotelconcordtorino.com The closest train/bus station to the Hotel Concord is the Porta Nuova station. Our first official meeting is on Sunday, May 22 at 6:00 PM followed by a group dinner.  At the end of the tour, we depart on Friday, June 3, 2022 from San Marzano Oliveto at 8:00 AM for a 10:00 AM drop-off at the Turin-Caselle International airport. Bike boxes will be transferred from the hotel in Saluzzo to the last hotel, Le Due Cascine, in San Marzano by the Leaders.  

TANDEM / E-BIKES / RENTALS: Tandems and e-bikes will be accepted on a case-by-case basis.  Talk with the leaders about this. Rental bikes will be available through CicloModa.. See Ride Leader Docs; Bike Rental Doc for details to reserve bikes. Each rider will pay CicloModa with a wire transfer.

COST & ADMINISTRATION: Estimated cost is $ 2,100 based on an exchange rate of $1.30 = € 1.00. The initial deposit is $1,000 + the non-refundable BAC fee of $ 100. The final payment of $ 1,100  is due on March 23, 2022. Depending on currency exchange rates, there may be some minor adjustments in the amount of the final payment. Included in price are 13 nights lodging, 3 and 4 star hotels except the Dimora Storica in Fossano which is 5 star, all breakfasts, 8 group dinners, happy hour refershments, maps, cue sheets, luggage van & driver, and bus transport from the Turin hotel to Saluzzo and back to the Turin airport at the end of the tour.

SINGLES: It is recommended that singles wanting to share a room try to find their own room mate. The Ride Leader will assist singles to find a room mate. 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 room mate 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.

SOLOS: Space for 2 solo rooms with an estimated solo supplement of $ 554.  Solo supplement payments, due when the final payment is due March 23, 2022, should be made by check and sent to BAC. Checks should be 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.

WEATHER: The weather is typically cool in the AM & PM with some sunny hot days possible: average highs will be 69F, average lows will be 56F. May has an average of 4 days with rain but when it rains it will feel cold so plan to bring full rain gear.

CANCELLATION POLICY: The BAC ride registration fee and payment processing fee is not refundable unless the entire tour is canceled 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 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 solo supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members 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 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.

INSURANCE: Before participating in any BAC tour, members should review their medical coverage and assess whether what you have is sufficient. If it isn’t, you should purchase additional travel medical coverage. BAC maintains a policy that provides coverage for expenses related to medical emergencies and repatriation when members are on tours outside the US 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. None of the policies maintained by BAC will cover costs associated with self-quarantines that may be government mandated. Members should also ensure that vaccinations are up to date (e.g., annual influenza, tetanus, etc.). If traveling outside your home country you may wish to consult with a travel physician or nurse to ensure that the appropriate vaccinations are up to date.

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 $ 1,000 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.